Hi, I’m Paul Turner. I’m married to Kerry & have 2 sons Jack (16) & Henry (13). I am an experienced fell walker & have completed the 214 Wainwrights (several times), the 443 mountains in England & Wales over 2000ft (Nuttalls) & the 282 Munros in Scotland & various National Trails. I recently completed Wainwright’s Coast to Coast & the Pennine Way which gave me the inspiration to devise this 1000-mile walk. My 1000-mile walk will include both the Coast to Coast & the Pennine Way (walking each twice) & finishing with the Yorkshire Dales Centurion Walk. To my knowledge it is a walk that has never been attempted before & it forms a rather nice cross on the map with a circle around it’s centre. It will have the same ascent as climbing Everest 5 times & be the same distance of walking from London to Edinburgh 3 times. I will be camping for about half the trip; hence I will be carrying my tent & all I need in the rucksack on my back. The trip will start on April 27th & finish on my birthday, which is June 24th.

I am doing this walk because I love the hills, fells & countryside of this country. I am also supporting 2 charities, namely Mind & Mountain Rescue. Mental health is so important. However, when things go wrong, we need help. Mind help people to understand their own mental health and make them aware of the choices available to them. They do such a fantastic & necessary job. I have suffered from Mental health problems & if it wasn’t for the help of others, I wouldn’t be here now. I also believe that being outside in the mountains, fells & countryside is a wonderful way to help mental health issues. However, any excursion into these areas can end up with difficulties. This is where the Mountain Rescue come in, their volunteers provide lifesaving services to us who adventure in the hills, 24/7 & 365 days of the year. They are all heroes.

Finally, I would like to tell my family I love them & to thank them for giving me around 2 months in the environment I love. I better get walking!