E2W

This page details my trek between the eastern and western extremities of the British Isles that I undertook over 40 days in April and May 2024 in aid of Parkinson’s UK, a project that I termed ‘LETJOG East to West’, or E2W for short. As with my LETJOG 2021 trek, my E2W challenge comprised a solo and unsupported walk, on which I carried my own pack and was powered only by my feet and by my trusty nordic poles: other than the Irish Sea ferry crossing all mechanised transport along the path was banned. To minimise my load I had no tent and stayed in pubs, B&Bs, hotels and hostels, generally booking these two to three days in advance as my walk progressed.

I planned my own path, and even having completed the trek I am still not aware of any acknowledged walking route between the two end points – Lowestoft Ness on Suffolk’s North Sea coast, and Dunmore Head on the Dingle Peninsula by the Atlantic shores of western Ireland – but the trekking itinerary that I put together took me across 675 miles of some of the finest scenery in England, Wales and Ireland. My journey is all recorded via daily postings and photos on the above BLOG tab.

My E2W walk was in support of Parkinson’s UK, and in particular towards their medical research into the causes, relief and a potential cure to Parkinson’s disease. Together we raised just over £3,300, well in excess of the target £2,400 to fund a clinical researcher for one month.

Before I set off Michelle Henderson, Community Fundraiser at Parkinson’s UK, provided the following comments:

“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”

There were certainly some new challenges on this trip. I decided to leave over a month earlier than on my LETJOG 2021 trek, so the weather proved to be a little harsher, and walking East to West meant that some of the driving westerlies hampered my progress rather. After putting the flatlands of eastern England and the rolling hills of the Midlands behind me, the mountains of central Wales posed a real test, entailing some long and hilly days between the few remote towns, whilst in Ireland I lost the convenient OS map coverage on my phone, and at times I struggled to pre-book accommodation along my preferred route. One way or another I was able to overcome all of these challenges, and the details of my experiences are on the BLOG tab above.

You can look back on my LETJOG E2W walk now and read about all of my previous walks on the BLOG tab above, or follow me on Instagram: @ nickletjog