520km walk along Scotland for mental health awareness
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Ronan, and in mid May, I’m attempting to walk from the most southern, to most northern Munro in Scotland to raise money for the charities ‘Scottish Association for Mental Health’ (SAMH) and 'Bowel cancer UK’. The walk will see me cover 325 miles (520km), with the inclusion of 30+ Munro’s and 75,000ft+ (21,000m) of elevation. I’m aiming to complete this journey in 2 weeks at around 23 miles a day, ultimately finishing on the north coast at the end of May. Almost every night will be spent wild camping, with the exception of 1 or 2 nights spent in a bothy (a basic shelter found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland). The majority of the walk will be remote, avoiding civilisation and very rarely following or crossing a public road.
As I’m sure many of you are aware, I did a walk similar to this almost 3 years ago now. At the time, I didn’t really know what to expect from it, but it ended up becoming one of the most fulfilling and rewarding challenges of my life. I was, and am still extremely grateful for that experience and all the memories it created for me. One thing about it that greatly surprised me, was how so many strangers found resonance in my message, and decided to donate and write such nice messages at the time. So for anyone reading this who donated at the time, thank you again.
2022 Charity walk - https://www.gofundme.com/f/mental-health-awareness-walk-across-scotland?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
Ever since I reached the finish line of that walk in 2022, I have had a desire to get back out and accomplish something bigger and better. Both within the challenge itself, and with the money raised for charity. That is why the goal is set at double of the amount raised last time out.
If you would like to understand the motivating factor behind why I am doing this walk, then please read on. However, if you don’t have the time, please donate if you can, or even share this page around. With your help, I really hope the goal of £10,000 can be met.
I remember being sat over my laptop 3 years ago trying to find a way to begin writing about what this challenge meant to me. I struggled then, and I struggle again now. It’s not that I don’t know my why, it’s that it’s impossible to ever find the perfect way to start, because there isn’t one.
For a long time I couldn’t understand why my Dad wasn’t as present in my life as my friends fathers were. I knew he was ill, but I never really knew what that meant. As I got a bit older, my Mum gradually started to tell me more about what he had been going through. Firstly it was learning about his bowel cancer, and then the mental health issues, anxiety and depression. Despite my Dad’s struggles, he is one of the strongest people I know in his own right, he has been through so much and I am very proud of the way he has managed to keep pushing forward and find light through what must have felt like boundless darkness at times.
It might sound weird to say, but I am genuinely grateful for growing up with a Dad who suffered from these issues. The more I learnt, the more it became apparent to me how important it is to look after your mental health, and that is a privilege I think a lot of people don’t have.
Two people who weren’t so lucky, were my Dad’s girlfriend Nikki, and his half brother, Andy. In March of 2021, we unfortunately lost Nikki to suicide. My Dad had been with Nikki for over a decade and loved her very much, which of course meant it was an extremely difficult period of time for him to go through. The loss of Nikki was why I originally went ahead with my first charity walk. As for my Dad’s brother Andy, he sadly passed away from bowel cancer in 2023. Despite only meeting Andy once, his good nature and kindness left an impression on me. As I was recently looking through my first fundraiser, I came across the generous donation and message he and his wife Sue left, and I couldn’t help but get emotional. Therefore, I want to dedicate this fundraiser and the walk to both Nikki and Andy.
At the age of 15, I started putting myself out of my comfort zone, pushing myself mentally through means of physical challenge or doing something that scared me. I always found a sense of peace and satisfaction after doing such things, and little by little, these challenges have built up to the point of what I am planning to do today.
I know that at only 20 years old, I still have a lot to experience and learn, however, I can most definitely see the benefits that getting myself out of my comfort zone has had on my ability to deal with difficult situations.
My ultimate aim with this fundraiser is to try and help at least one person who is struggling get out there and take their first step towards finding comfort in uncomfortable situations. Whether that is the person reading this message right now, or someone on the other end of the donations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you can, please donate to the cause. If not, a share would be perfect. Ronan
If you would like to learn more about the charities your donation will be going to, then here are the links:
Organizer
Ronan Ratcliffe
Organizer
Scotland