Congratulations to former London Owl Jim Morton on his return ‘south of the border’ as he continues his remarkable 7,500-mile walking marathon around the entire coastline of mainland Great Britain.
Jim has arrived back in England after more than eight months and walking 3,838 miles around the Scottish coast, having set off from his home in Penistone last April,
It has already been an amazing trek for former Navy man Jim who wrote this week on his ‘I may be gone a while’ Facebook page: “Washed away in river twice, airlifted to Inverness Hospital, climbed Ben Nevis, rescued two sheep and a goat, raised £7,000 north of border, met loads of ex-shipmates, tried vegetarian and vegan, fantastic beaches and people who took us into their homes.
“Sad to leave but onwards and God’s own country to come soon.”
Jim, who joined the London Owls back in 1978 while in the Royal Navy at Chatham and spent four years as a very active member of our club, now faces the challenge of another 3,500-plus miles walking around the coastline of England and Wales, starting with the east coast and, of course, taking in his beloved Yorkshire.
He is also fulfilling a childhood ambition and, at the same time, raising money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust to help them rebuild homes in villages destroyed by an earthquake in Nepal.
Jim, 61, and now retired, is accompanied by wife, Sue, who drives their motorhome from point to point and their two dogs – Shona and Maisie – are also on board. He is still an avid Wednesday fan and managed to stop off at several Scottish football clubs along the way but drew the line at Aberdeen when they asked him to put on a scarf for a photo on the pitch and he, quite rightly, had to decline as it was red and white!
You can follow Jim’s adventures on his daily reports on his Facebook and Instagram pages ‘I may be gone a while’ and if you are going to be in the Yorkshire coast area in the next week or two then check out to see where Jim is and you might catch him on part of his journey … he’ll be pleased to see you.
In addition, Yorkshire news station, Calendar, is scheduled to broadcast a piece about Jim’s exploits next Monday (January 31) when he is due to be in Whitby.
And for London Owls living further south down the coast then you can also check out his daily reports to see when he is in your area.
Jim’s fund-raising has just topped the £11,000-mark and if you would like to make a donation then you can log onto his Just Giving page ‘Richard Morton I May Be Gone A While’ and pledge some money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-morton11
You’re doing fantastically well, Jim. All our best wishes to you on the rest of your incredible journey. And remember … WAWAW!