Whitby man completes barefoot 84-mile walk along Hadrian’s Wall
A Whitby man has hiked barefoot along Hadrian’s Wall to raise money to help give disadvantaged youngsters the chance to get about and about and see places like Whitby.
John Fuller, 27, who works at the YHA youth hostel next to Whitby Abbey, spends time with school groups that stay at the site around the year, enjoying historical tours, fossil hunting and ghost walks.
He said: “It is a very fun and varied job getting to work with children from all over the country and be the first to introduce them to our special town.
“A few weeks ago, I was working with a group of year six students who had come from further down the country.
“The group had an amazing time in our town and did not want to leave at the end of the week.
“It surprised me to learn that most of the children had never left their local estates before this trip.
“For most, it was the first time they had ever seen a boat or been away from home.
“It was extremely rewarding to work with them and fan their excitement and imagination about the myths and history here in Whitby – Dracula, Vikings, shipwrecks, they love it all.”
John has just completed a sponsored walk for the YHA's Breaks Programme, an internal charity to raise money for the poorest and most disadvantaged schoolchildren in the country so they too can go on special educational visits.
"My self-arranged sponsored walk was of Hadrian’s Wall, 84 miles starting in Newcastle and finishing in Bowness-on-Solway (east coast to west).
"I undertook the hike over six-and-a-half days totally barefoot,” he said.
“It was an extremely hard, yet beautiful experience.”
John’s goal was to raise money on JustGiving for the charity.
John said: “The aim was to raise a humble £400, as this is the average cost for one child to come on a YHA funded trip for a week.
"The goal was successfully reached in a matter of days leading up to the hike – and I am now trying to push this to £800.”
He said it was lucky it had rained in the days prior to his hike as the ground, though cold and muddy, was soft for most of the country route.
Hiking through Newcastle was the hardest part – barefoot along gravel and avoiding glass.
Visit https://justgiving.com/page/hostelhike if you’d like to donate.