www.steveslongwalk.org

I have just spent the past three months of my life walking from John o'Groats to Land's End. My 1,200 mile route was largely off-road route and included The Great Glen Way, The Pennine Way and The Cotswold Way. I wild-camped most of it.

My walk was in aid of CANCER RESEARCH UK and the BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION, and to date have I received over £6,000 in donations. My target is £10,000, so I will be giving illustrated talks about my adventure to interested listeners.

I have been very lucky to receive sponsorship from several supportive organisations, but am particularly grateful for the help received from my local Cotswold Outdoor store in Hedge End, managed by Darren Weeks. Darren and his staff not only advised on my kit selection, but also provided most of it at no cost to me. They also assisted greatly in publicising my walk.

This website enables me to express my thanks in a tangible way by providing objective, reports of how well the equipment served me during my walk, It is rare for equipment to be tested continuously over a three-month period, involving roughly 5 million steps over widely varying terrain in mixed weather. The reports are very much 'warts and all' since I know that Cotswold would not thank me if showed a deficient item of equipment in a positive light simply because they had recommended it. We are all in a continuous learning process, and the goal is to provide feedback to users, expedition advisors and manufacturers with a view to improving the design and performance of equipment in the future.

These reports will be posted both on this website and also on www.steveslongwalk.org, where the full background, kit list, diary reports and photos may be found.

Steve Hughes

24th Oct. 2009