Dave, who planned the journey over the summer, completed the eighty mile walk completely on his own, using specialised GPS apps to tell him which direction to walk in. Not only did Dave complete this walk, he was raising money for Dorothy House, a charity very close to his heart. Dave told The
Journal: “I wanted to fundraise for Dorothy House as, although my dad didn’t live there, they helped him out massively when he was suffering from terminal cancer four years ago.
“I originally wanted to walk from Brighton to Bath, but with the accommodation costs and planning time, I decided it may have been a little too much!”
Dave spent five days walking from Hampshire to Bath, explaining just how this was possible:
“I carried out the walk solo and no-one was following behind, but I had the numbers of a couple of people who said they could come and help if I needed it.
“I finished at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 21st September, with my family waiting to celebrate with me at
Dundas.
“I am totally blind and have had no sight since the age of two. I did this walk completely by myself and used GPS apps specially designed for visually impaired people, as well as Google Maps to help me navigate on the walk.
“I also used cycling planner websites to help me plan the walk.
“I had one rest day on Friday in Salisbury. Maybe next time I can try without a break!”
Dave spoke about how important it was for him to be able to do his part in raising money for a cause very important to him. He described the best parts of his experience: “Being somewhere new everyday and the variety of places that I walked through, flat countryside, old railways and old medieval towns.
”The worst part was finding my way through town streets, with many obstacles at the end of two of the days, when I’d already done twenty miles and my brain and legs were a bit shot.
“I also guess I have to mention the fact that the technology allowed this to be possible. There is still somewhere to go with bridle ways and undernamed paths through fields, but I hope more blind people will try solo walking.”
He has raised an incredible £1,150 so far, but is hoping to raise as much as he possibly can in order to help others like his father.
If you would like to donate to Dave’s JustGiving page, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/walk-back-west