Walking the Great Glen Way for The Theatre Shed

I’ve set myself a challenge in May and walking the Great Glen Way in Scotland with my friend Rachel. We’re walking 82 miles in 5 days and as it’s my 65th year this will be a definite challenge. I’ve decided that I’d like to raise money for a worthy cause and one that I feel is very deserving is the Theatre Shed. It’s an inclusive Theatre for children and young adults and my nephew Henry has been attending for about 10 years. Henry was born with various physical and mental disabilities but he is an inspiration to us all and brings joy to everyone he meets. The Theatre Shed is based in Chesham and has been a big part of his life for many years. The Theatre company offers expertly guided performing arts workshops and musicals in a safe environment. They enable people of all ages to participate in the performing arts and it’s wonderful to see how they can enhance so many lives. This can only happen with help from the many volunteers and from bursaries. 

I would really appreciate it if you could support me in my challenge and help to enrich the lives of those children and young adults. Thank you so much. Anne

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The final day of my charity walk on the Great Glen Way. Stunning weather and enjoyed a more relaxing 19km (despite the blisters on our feet!)

Stopped off for coffee overlooking the locks and managed a swim on the beach in Caol along the coast before Fort William.

Mainly flat paths today but lovely to see the mountains in the background. Had to try and forget my painful feet as we walked along and enjoy the scenery.

 Thank you to Rachel and everyone who has supported me along the way and helped me raise such a fantastic amount for The Theatre Shed. My wonderful nephew Henry has instigated this challenge and it’s great that so many children and young adults will benefit.

Thank you 🙏

Didn’t get much sleep last night after I discovered a tick at 12.30am. Wondered about waking Rachel but got my tick remover and managed to pull it out in one go! Not sure how he got there? 😬 The locals take it all in their stride!

Tough day today - (Invermoriston to south Laggan) over 30km and full sunshine all day so walking along the canal was very hot. I think my rucksack weighs at least 9.5 kgs with the weight of the water 🥵🥵 so you need to be strong minded and battle on through the pain of aching limbs and sore feet. We walked for around 7hrs and the last hour was challenging. We had to do a detour due to logging and some of the tracks were thick gravel so hard on the feet. I have a new blister on my right heel but dipped my feet in a cold stream at lunchtime which was lovely and cool.

A slightly shorter day tomorrow. Phew!

Tough day today walking around 28km over 7hrs with a short stop for lunch. A lot of up and down climbing to 700m, so tough on the feet.

Staying with family the last few nights and they have been amazing helping with lifts, doing washing and cooking.

The scenery has been amazing with views down Loch Ness, lots of pine trees, bright yellow gorse bushes and spotted various animals.

 I’ve also been receiving lovely daily messages from my nephew Henry who goes to the Theatre Shed and this is how this challenge came about. Not to forget all the support from family and friends on Facebook. Thank you.

3 days to go!

Arrived in Inverness on Saturday and had a great few days. Walked 12km of the trail yesterday and enjoyed a row on the Caledonian Canal in the afternoon.

Did 20kms today and got away with a small blister on my toe and a few aching muscles. The weather started off with some mist but then sunny with light winds. We walked over moorland, along a few small roads and tracks through the forest with a lot of up and down.

Eventually arrived in Drumnadrochit and relieved to get my shoes off and have an ice cream and coffee. Have had some lovely messages from family and friends and everyone has been so generous with their donations to the amazing Theatre Shed. I have now raised over £1,000 so thank you 🙏 Four more days to go! 👍

I’m in the final week of training and managed a 26km walk today followed a few hours later by a 17km row.

Had a mixture of sunshine and rain showers and not too many aches. Will probably do a few short walks before I go. My friend Rachel set off about 4 days ago from John I Groats so has been making good progress.

Thanks again to all my supporters and family and friends who have donated to the amazing Theatre Shed. Your donations will benefit so many children and young adults. Thank you 🙏

Well the training is going fairly well. My longest walk so far was around 13.5 miles into some fairly strong winds mainly on the road and footpaths. I encountered a lot of rain on another walk and didn’t have my poncho with me and my lower half was pretty wet. I tried out my Osprey Renn 50 lt rucksack on a walk over the weekend on the cliff paths and it was extremely comfortable. I’ll have to make sure I don’t take too much weight. The terrain on the cliff paths can be quite demanding with hundreds of steps. Jersey has many beautiful areas to walk so hopefully I’ll be well prepared. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far. It’s really appreciated. Just over 3 weeks to go!

We're all about fostering self-expression and boosting confidence in our young people. Together, we embark on an exciting journey of creativity, collaboratively crafting original productions from inception to realisation, helping each member grow in their artistic journey and increase their self-esteem.

As an inclusive theatre company, we do not receive any formal funding, so we are reliant on fundraising and kind donations alongside our membership to keep providing this wonderful service. Make a one-off donation via this page or sign up for monthly direct debit donations and become a "Shedlight" supporter, starting at just £5 per month! More info here: https://www.thetheatreshed.co.uk/donate