I am now crossing Ireland, having passed 500 miles of walking on my LETJOG E2W challenge in support of Parkinson’s UK! I set out on Sunday, 14 April, on a 650-mile walk that will take me East to West (E2W) across the British Isles, from Lowestoft on the North Sea coast of Suffolk through England, Wales and Ireland to the westernmost point of the Irish mainland near Dingle on the Atlantic. For more details and to donate to Parkinson’s UK please see below, and to follow my progress please take a look on the BLOG tab above.
LETJOG is Nick Heath’s Charity Website, set up in 2021 ahead of my 58-day unsupported solo walk from Land’s End To John O’Groats (LETJOG) in aid of Mind, Parkinson’s UK and The Hospice of St Francis. Details are on the LETJOG and BLOG Tabs above.
Then in April 2022 I was joined by my old schoolmate Rob as we completed the 200-mile Wainwright-inspired Coast to Coast Path across northern England in aid of Parkinson’s UK: our walk is detailed on the C2C and BLOG Tabs above.
And later that year, in September, I participated as part of the ‘Ride & Stride’ (R&S) Team that cycled, ran and walked the wonderful North Coast 500 in Scotland for Cancer Research UK, Mind and Parkinson’s UK. Again, our journey is detailed on the R&S and BLOG Tabs above.
In 2023 I completed my LETJOG Peaks adventure, climbing to the top of all 50 Counties of England in aid of the British Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal, and I also completed the 87-mile Ridgeway trail in November. See more on the PEAKS and BLOG Tabs above.
My current LETJOG E2W walk, 650 miles across the British Isles, is in support of Parkinson’s UK, in particular towards their medical research into the causes, relief and a potential cure to Parkinson’s disease. The charity advises me that the cost of funding a clinical researcher for one month is £2,400, and so that would seem a worthwhile collective target to aim for!
For more information and to donate, please click on the following link:
I have received the following comments and kind words from Michelle Henderson, Community Fundraiser at Parkinson’s UK:
“Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure, and current treatments are not good enough.
“We are so grateful to Nick Heath for taking on this incredible 650 mile East to West challenge for Parkinson’s UK and for raising (alongside others) over £30,000 from previous long distance hiking challenges. Nick’s commitment to Parkinson’s UK in support of his dear friends is inspiring, and we wish Nick all the very best over the next 5-6 weeks. Every step taken is helping to raise vital funds and awareness. Without people like Nick our work would not be possible.
If you would like to support Nick’s efforts and contribute towards his goal of raising £2,500 for Parkinson’s research please visit his JustGiving page. Your contributions give hope to the 153,000 living with Parkinson’s”
Thank you all, in anticipation.
LETJOG E2W
Ever since my LETJOG 2021 trek, Land’s End to John O’Groats, I have been considering a longitudinal walk across our islands, between the most eastern and western extremities of Great Britain and Ireland, a project that I have termed ‘LETJOG East to West’, or LETJOG E2W for short. I am not aware of the existence of any acknowledged walking route between these two points – Lowestoft Ness on Suffolk’s North Sea coast, and Dunmore Head on the Dingle Peninsula by the Atlantic shores of western Ireland – but I have now put together a suitable trekking itinerary across the 650 miles or so that will take me through some of the finest scenery in England, Wales and Ireland. I am continuing to detail all of my preparations and my journey via daily postings and photos on the above BLOG tab.
As with my LETJOG 2021 trek, on LETJOG E2W I will be walking solo and unsupported, carrying my own pack, and powered only by my feet and by my trusty nordic poles: other than the Irish Sea ferry crossing all mechanised transport along the path is banned. To minimise my load I will not be carrying a tent; instead I will be staying in pubs, B&Bs and hostels along the way, and generally I will be hoping to book these two to three days in advance, as my walk progresses. I have already planned all of the daily sections, including three rest days, and have divided the task into five stages.
There will be challenges ahead. I am leaving over a month earlier than on my LETJOG 2021 trek, so the weather may be a little harsher, and walking East to West may mean that some driving westerlies hamper my progress. Once the flatlands of eastern England and the rolling hills of the Midlands are behind me, the mountains of central Wales will pose a real test that will entail some long and hilly days between the few remote towns, whilst in Ireland I will lose the convenient OS map coverage on my phone, and I may also struggle to pre-book accommodation so easily in the hamlets and small villages along my preferred route. Planning and preparation before and during the walk are ongoing and will be all-important!
Please follow my progress on the BLOG tab above.
About Me
I’m Nick Heath, a young ‘60-something’ who loves trekking, nordic walking, and just being in the outdoors. This passion has led me into some ambitious endurance events and to undertake some wonderful journeys on foot around the UK and overseas.
Based in west Hertfordshire, my trekking experience over the last decade, aside from LETJOG 2021, the C2C, R&S, and my recent PEAKS and Ridgeway challenges, comprises many of the UK’s long-distance paths, including the Pennine Way, and some significant overseas walks such as climbing Mount Toubkal in Morocco and completing the Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal.
I have enjoyed trekking since my teenage years, and about 16 years ago I also took up nordic walking (with poles), initially as therapy for a lower back condition. In recent years I have participated in a number of endurance and competitive nordic walking events, including the 2019 Nordic Walking UK annual marathon around Purbeck, where I somehow managed to stride to second place!
My solo and unsupported LETJOG 2021 (Land’s End to John O’Groats) nordic walk in early Summer 2021 was kindly sponsored by a great many generous friends, family and followers of my Blog. In total we raised nearly £13,000 for three wonderful charities in the healthcare sector, namely Mind, Parkinson’s UK, and The Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted. More details of my LETJOG walk can be seen on the LETJOG tab, and on my BLOG tab, above.
The next year, in April 2022, I completed the C2C walk alongside my old schoolfriend Rob Stubbs, raising over £3,500 for Parkinson’s UK. Again, our journey can be followed on the C2C tab, and on my BLOG tab, above.
In September 2022 I joined the Ride & Stride Team of ten friends to complete the North Coast 500 route around the northern coast of Scotland. Together we raised over £13,000 for Cancer Research UK, Mind and Parkinson’s UK. More details are on the R&S and BLOG tabs above.
On the bridge in Inverness, at the end of our Ride & Stride journey around the Scottish North Coast 500 route on 15 September 2022
My most ambitious escapade for 2023 was my LETJOG Peaks challenge, completed over six months between March and September, that entailed climbing to the top of all of the Counties of England (50 in total), whilst raising £700 for the British Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal. All told, my ‘County Tops’ walks totalled 609 miles, with nearly 70,000 vertical feet (21,225 metres) of climb. You can look back on all of these ascents on the PEAKS and BLOG tabs above.
And in November 2023 I completed the 87-mile Ridgeway trail from Overton Hill in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire, in just under 98.5 hours – again my journey can be followed via the BLOG tab above.
And so, now on to my LETJOG E2W challenge – a trek across central England, Wales and Ireland, that I hope to complete by the end of May!
You can follow LETJOG E2W now, and all of my previous walks, on the BLOG tab above, and via Instagram: @ nickletjog
Walking for Fun, Challenge and Charity! 