Brave Will takes the High Road

Former North Walsham and Aylsham student Will Riches was heading for the home straight after reaching Scotland on his epic 1200-mile Length of Britain charity walk.

On crossing the border, Will, who started his journey from Land’s End last month, said: “A big moment, we have made it to Scotland. England done! 750 miles plodded to get here, but the job’s not done yet, we have 450 miles left to go but the countdown is on now.”

Will has been battling through the pain barrier but (by June 12) has completed seven of the planned 10, 120-mile stages and raised over £5,000.

“Leg Seven done! Things went pretty smoothly, I think maybe it was my favourite leg of the journey so far. The main issue I faced was feeling extremely exhausted and tired.

“The lack of sleep over the past few weeks has definitely started to hit me but with not long to go I can’t complain too much. Stronger pain relief has definitely helped to keep things down for a little while, which means it’s now just dealing with bad waves of pain instead.”

Will, 21, began his “Hike for Henry” from Land’s End to John O’Groats on May 18.

He is raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of his best friend, Henry Hill, a fellow student at Paston College and Aylsham High School, who passed away in 2021, aged 18.

His journey is made up of 10 non-stop sections of 120 miles each, two days and two nights, with one or two rest days in between. In his September 2023 fund-raiser for TCT he walked 200 miles non-stop over 72 hours with no sleep, raising over £4,000.

He hopes to reach the finishing line in the Highland village of John O’ Groats around June 20.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Will can visit the  GoFundMe page at :https://gofund.me/656a1cd7

More information and updates can be found on the Hike for Henry Facebook page and on Instagram.