Aid Station
Aid Station
Ep 55 - An Ocean covers the Pennine Way
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode Kev interviews Ocean a very inspiring young man who with the help of Freetobekids has transformed his young life.
So much so that he had walked the Pennine Way and has exciting trecking and exploration plans for the near future.
Aid Station website where you can find the episodes or leave comment https://www.aidstation.co.uk/
Please feel free to give the show some feedback on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/aid-station/id1549735359
It exists. I can say it next year.
SPEAKER_01Hello and welcome to the fifty-fifth edition of AStation Podcast. It's Monday, the 6th of June, and I appreciate that I haven't been on here for some time, uh made any podcast episodes since the postscript of the uh spine race back in January. Um obviously that took me a little while to get over that, and uh I haven't got anything in the diary till the Lakeland 100 at the end of July, which I'm now starting ramping up my training for. Um, and I appreciate there are lots of people that have done lots of other things since then, which I haven't caught up on. Um, and all sorts has happened in the ultra-running world, as you will have heard, um, and I don't want to get into that. I've deliberately not made a comment about any of it as yet, and not sure that I will. I think it's all been done, and things have moved on rapidly in the last six months. But I'm here to talk to you about uh free-to-be kids, and the reason for that is I was invited to a charity dinner of theirs held um in London um as a bit of a thank you for um the work that was done, and which was mainly down to most of you on here who listens to this podcast kindness and donations to the charity uh post the spine rate. But at that uh function, a young man by the name of Ocean was the keynote speaker, and he is somebody that has come through uh the three-to-be kids system, if I can call it that, of help and care. Um and has turned out to be an incredible young man, he was a very impressive speaker, and I really wanted to get him on the podcast because he and I had a couple of things in common. Nothing to do with childhood and upbringing, but much more to do with free to be kids and the penine way. So without further ado, here is the interview with Ocean. I'm sitting here with uh Ocean, from who I know through Free to Be Kids, um and Ocean and I have a bit of a connection through Three to Be Kids because I've raised money for them, and he has come up with quite a bit of his childhood and youth uh with them, which I'm gonna get into explain. But we also have a connection through the Pennine Way um because as I found out, I was recently invited to a charity uh event from Free to Be Kids where Ocean was the keynote speaker, um did a great job of that. Um but as I found out he uh walked the Pennine Way, so we have a connection through that, and I thought it'd be great to get him on here as a podcast. Uh Ocean is not a runner, well, he may well run, but he doesn't run ultras yet. Um but there's quite a connection, so I thought this would be a great story. So if you don't mind that well, you can say hi if you like.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, um, thank you for having me, Kevin. Yeah, no, no worries. Tell my story.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I really want you to tell your story as well. So it's it's one that I think needs to be out there, and I'm sure you a lot of people have really be interested in in this connection that you've got. So, do you want to start off right with like where your connection came with 32 kids, how that all started? Um I should sorry, I should say you're 19 now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, 19, um currently. Yeah. Uh so maybe at age 12, um, I was referred through school to free to be kids. So I started going on projects with them. It's like residentials, overnight stays, um, and it's mainly for children who are more vulnerable. Um so maybe didn't have the best upbringing or uh struggling with home life, school life. Um, so I'd go out on these residentials, and over a period of me being age 12 to 18, I was involved with free to be kids. So I did mentoring sessions, which was outside, so it would just be me one-to-one with someone, and it really has changed and affected the person that I am today in a good way. Um but yeah, now currently I'm still working with Free2B, so volunteering on projects over the summer. This summer I'll be working with them for three three weeks, which is great, I'm really excited about. Yeah, that's it really. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So how did you obviously you were struggling at school or you had some domestic uh problems? So where how much do you feel that free-to-be kids have really changed the direction you might have been going in?
SPEAKER_03Definitely. Um I feel so at age 15 to 16 I was going on journey projects, which was four to five days away residential with maybe four to five other kids. And these are for kids that are most vulnerable and the most challenging um cases. Um at that time I think I didn't want to go, and they really sort of I was going for a bad patch on my mental health as well. And I feel like just going on these projects, even though I didn't notice it at the time, it showed me there's different things like out there that I can do. So, for example, it got me into the outdoors a little bit, I'd say, yeah, um, which is a huge part of my life now, and they helped me to get into my first job. So it's a job that I'm actually doing now. Sorry, not my first job, but um my my first long-term job. So I've been doing that for three years now, uh, of working in a school, and they pushed me back into that. So I was going through a rough patch, like I said, and I had left that I was volunteering at first, and I'd left that, and they kind of egged me on to say, Come on, you you can do this, you know. Um, so to stop me from self-sabotaging, and I'm still there three years later, yeah. And now I'm what I'm working with vulnerable children as well, um, which I'm really, really happy to do, and you know, I think in that sense I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for free to be.
SPEAKER_01So you you were brought up in London.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, I've always lived in London.
SPEAKER_01You've always been in the city.
SPEAKER_03Uh I've lived all over, yeah, in in in London, but yeah, I've lived lived all over London.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um so what was that like when they first took you out into the countryside?
SPEAKER_03Was that yeah? I mean, it's I've I'd never really spent a lot of time like outdoors, so I think I one memorable moment they took us to Wales. So we was on the border of Wales. I think we were staying in Glouc Gloucester, Gloucestershire, um, and we'd gone over just to the border, and it was amazing. And I wasn't allowed, but I had my phone and I was taking these photos. Um and I think I just loved that. You know, I was like, oh, I'm outdoors, and I'd never really seen this before. Um so yeah, even though I was I wasn't allowed, I was so I wanted to take pictures because I wanted it to be a memorable moment for myself. Um, and I think I ended up discussing that with Mike, and you know, they gave me a phone to take photos just because they could see I loved it so much. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Mike G Mike, he's he's the um CEO of Free to Be Kids. Yeah. And so he was heavily and he still is heavily involved, isn't he, with the actual um one-to-one work with with the children at the moment. Yeah, 100%. Yeah, right. And so a lot of children, I don't know what you found, you you you let me know what your experiences with other children when they go out into the countryside. There's some like scared of it, and because you camp out and all sorts of things. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um do you mean my experience, like how I felt.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yours and and how you found other because you seemed to have sounded like you just got into it and thought it was great.
SPEAKER_03Well, do you know like I I guess I can think of like it would be the evening and they'd say now, okay, we're gonna go on a night walk, and we'd all be like, Oh my goodness, like I don't want to go out, you know. I mean, as a child I wasn't the fittest, um, and I think a lot of children aren't, so they're like, This walk, I've got to do this, and I don't want to. Um so it was uncomfortable, of course. But looking back, like that was amazing. Um, like I wouldn't have done that otherwise, yeah. So yeah, at first it's you don't you don't want to do it, but we go out and we have a great time, and I think that's the main thing, like it's teaching kids that you can be in these situations that may at first feel uncomfortable or seem difficult, but once you're there, it's you're having a great time, yeah. Um, and it's something you wouldn't do otherwise.
SPEAKER_01Brilliant. And yeah, do you did you find there's a uh team element as that as well? I mean, just even having other people with you, or you're with other people.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm I think especially now I can see so as as I volunteer, I can look back and um see the impact that I have on the children. So I'm I'm very proactive, I'd say. So if a child is doesn't want to get involved, I'm sort of like, come on, like we'll do this together. Um, and as as I was there as a child as well, having like my peers around me, like we all don't want to do this, but we we're doing it together. Um so yeah, definitely a team team aspect, and it it motivates, it's motivating.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely brilliant. And it's also the the big confidence builder, isn't it? Change Yeah, yeah, being in like a difficult situation, like I said, but you know, um and and there's is there a big element of finding out who you are as you go through that?
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, I'd say so.
SPEAKER_01But do you mean like well, tell me like when Well you said early on that you it it changed the path or what and you were having struggling with mental health?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So that confidence that's got it sort of made you definitely sort of feel you're a different ocean to the hundred percent.
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, like I mean, I can't even really picture like what what I was like before. I feel like I'm I'm so different. Um sometimes I look back and I don't I don't recognise myself. Um but yeah, I like especially the job aspect of it, so they got me into this role, um, will help me to get into this role. And I think so.
SPEAKER_01Explain what you do.
SPEAKER_03So I work I work in a secondary school, so I work with send kids, so I'm a learning support assistant. Um, so I I support in the classroom as a teaching assistant, and also I've got duties throughout the school. Um, but yeah, I work with kids who may need extra support, so otherwise, if they weren't in if they didn't have that extra support, they potentially need to go to a school outside of mainstream. Um, and I really, really enjoy doing that because I can see the impact that I have on them. Um, and it kind of reminds me a little bit of how I was as a child, and I potentially didn't have that um support when I was in school, so I I love doing that because I can see I know like where where I'm helping them to go. So I'm helping them to see see their potential um in school, you know, to get to get um those grades and to do well in in mainstream school.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so is it a lot to do uh with the actual academic education or is do you get involved as well in helping the children get out of the city as it were?
SPEAKER_03Um so yeah, so at um at work, um we've currently the summer's coming up, so we've got Duke of Edinburgh trips going coming up. I love to do those. Yeah, um, so I'm always on them, they're always asking me straight away, they're like, You're coming, right? Um I've had an injury recently, so they they saw me on crutches and said, Are you still coming? Um, yeah, no, I'll be on Duke of Edinburgh this this summer. So all the kids they'll you know take the take their bags, we'll do bronze and silver down in Dorset potentially, or the New Forest, usually we do, um, which is really lovely because I I wouldn't have gone to those places otherwise. Um, but yeah, also it's a part of it's similar to free to be because these kids are getting out, which they otherwise wouldn't do. Yeah, um, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And those trips are through the education system, yeah, yeah, they're they're through school, they're through the school, yeah. Brilliant. So you're taking what you've learned from free to be kids and applying that there.
SPEAKER_03Definitely. It it's very it's it's um it's linked, yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, brilliant. So free-to-bree kids have a scheme, don't they, where um where you're uh you go through and you become a junior, is it a junior leader they call it?
SPEAKER_03So they've got uh young leaders. So that will be from age 16, so they're no longer on project. They can come back and volunteer over the summer.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03Um so they're they're giving up their time for free to now support these children who they once were. So they they know definitely the impact that that has. Um and they enjoy being there, clearly, you know, it's a it's a great thing, and then as potentially some people also come back as an adult, which I've done to do to still support because it's a great thing to do.
SPEAKER_01And do you have relationships with other of those leaders? Definitely grown up with, as it were.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I still speak um to people that I've met on these projects, yeah. So yeah, it's it's built like a few a few connections and friendships there. Yeah. Um, and when I'm there over the summer, potentially I'll bump into some people who I've some faces who I haven't seen in a while, which will be very nice as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, because they you they gather children from all over the London, don't they? You're not all you don't know each other when you get on the coach, exactly, yeah, which is quite amazing as well.
SPEAKER_03I think I mean otherwise you wouldn't you wouldn't I wouldn't bump into these people, you know. So it's it's great to bring to bring everyone together and meet people from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, everyone's come from somewhere, you know. Um it's great.
SPEAKER_01Right. So how do you go from doing that with free to be kids and you're out in the countryside doing stuff? What makes you think I'm gonna go and walk with Pennine Right? Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_03Um so my first my first time when I was like I actually really really loved this. I was on a Duke of Edinburgh trip with work, and it was a silver, so we were around the coast, we was in um near Swanage, and it was just beautiful, and I loved it. Had a great time, so this was two, three days out, and I loved it. And after that, I said I'm gonna buy a tent. So I bought a tent and I got my bag. I went on my first wild camp up in the Peak District that was in January of 2025, and I absolutely loved it. I took my dog with me, my first camp, I opened the tent up and there was a cloud inversion. And after that, even more I was addicted, I was like, this is amazing. Um you know, so it got to, I'd done like I was trying to do a camp every so often, maybe every few months I was doing every few weeks. Sorry, I was doing one, and it got to let's say May, and I said, over the summer I want to do something. I've got six weeks off because I work in a school, I want to do something, I want to go out. Um, and in my head, I was like, I've never been to Scotland, I want to go to Scotland, and I was like, How am I gonna get there? I don't drive, and I wanted to explore, let's say, we've got the Ken Gorms up there and all sorts of different national parks, and I wanted to do that. I was like, How am I gonna get there? And I must have been looking on social media, and I saw the Pennine Way, and I was like, Oh my goodness, I'm crazy. I'm gonna do I'm gonna do it, I have to, and that was it.
SPEAKER_01So you wanted to go to Scotland, but you decided to walk there, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Literally, um amazing.
SPEAKER_01Now, these are the trips going back a bit. You said you went to Swanage and places, yeah. Are these all self-driven, self-supported? Like as if you went on your own.
SPEAKER_03So the Swanage one was with work after that. So I've done many, I do usually I've got to the peaks. I've been to the peaks, um, South Downs, I've done North Downs, but yeah, I'll take my tent, it's just me and my backpack and the dog um carrying everything.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and the dog is he's got he's got a backpack as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Toby. He's got a little backpack as well, so he'll carry his own food, you know. Um, but he loves it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's brilliant. How long have you had Toby?
SPEAKER_03I've had Toby coming up to four years now, so I got him when he was eight weeks old in 2022, and yeah, it's here we are today.
SPEAKER_01And Toby did the Pennine Way with you.
SPEAKER_03Toby did the Pennine Way with me. I think a lot of dogs do sections. There's a Facebook group called the Pennine Way Walkers, and I didn't see another dog on there, you know, at the end. So there's a big sign and it says the end of the Pennine Way when you get to this pub at the end. And we took a photo and we posted it up there, me, my dad, and the dog. And yeah, I mean I hadn't seen another dog on there, so he's I think he's the most dog in in England, maybe, who knows?
SPEAKER_01For for a time, anyways, for a little bit. Wow. So you mentioned your dad there that was on the walk with you. How did that come about?
SPEAKER_03Originally I wanted to go alone, right? And I was gonna go alone, so I booked one-way ticket to to Edel for myself, and I was thinking of the logistics of it. It's it's a few weeks later now, and I was thinking, it's gonna be heavy, my bag's gonna be heavy, now I'm gonna have the tent. Um, but you know, for one night it's different, it's fine. For weeks on end, it's it's a lot to carry. So I said, maybe we can split the load. So I messaged him and I said, Dad, I'm walking to Scotland. Do you want to come with me? Um, and he he said, Yeah, sure. He's like, Yeah, he's never been on a hike before. And he lit, yeah, I know he'd never been on a hike, but I'll tell you about that. Um, but yeah, I mean it got to it, it got to the day, and he'd he'd he'd come down with his bag and he's got all he I think he had a whole chicken in his bag and oh the tracksuit bottoms. I was like, no, I was like, you can't carry all of that, it's gonna catch up to you. Um but yeah, we was on the train to Edel, which is the starting point, and yeah, you did south to north, yeah, yeah. So starting at the bottom and then up to up to Scotland, yeah. Um because you can do it both ways, can't you? Yeah, um yeah, we was on the train and this guy was talking to us, so we've got the dog. I think a lot of people love to talk to us when you've got the dog um because he's quite cool looking, he's an Irish terrier. Yeah, um, yeah, he was speaking to us, he's like, Where are you off to? And we said, We're walking from Edel to Crowdon today. Um, and I said, We're walking the Pennine Way, and he said, Oh my goodness. And I said to him, It's my dad's first hike, and he's he laughed and he said, Oh my goodness, you're a bit bit evil. Um, I don't think my dad actually realised what we were doing until we got off of the train. Right. So I think he thought we were going to Scotland and walking around Scotland. He didn't realise we would be walking days for days on end. Um but we we made it in the end, that's all that matters.
SPEAKER_01And did you camp the whole journey?
SPEAKER_03Yes, so we stayed in a hotel when we got to the Scottish border, so Kirk Yethom. Um there's a lovely little hotel type thing there, and we stayed there. That was my first night in a bed after two weeks of walking, and yeah, it was amazing. But otherwise, we'd be sleeping on the floor.
SPEAKER_01Fantastic. Oh, that's incredible. So, what did you do for fitness? What do you do to get to that level to be able to walk it? Yeah, because you said your dad had no, I don't know what his fitness level was, but he hadn't.
SPEAKER_03Um so my dad's very into the cardio, I'd say, so he does a lot of rowing, he's he's all he's he's a gym head, he's huge, but um that it doesn't always transfer. So he I don't think he'd ever done something like this before, but you know, it there's a thing when you're when you're in the mountains, it's like we either can go that way or we can go you. I mean, you can't you can't just turn around and there's no roads, you just got to put one foot in front of the other. Um, for myself, I think the Pennine Way transformed my fitness and it made me realise what I'm capable of because before the Pennine Way, I I wasn't unfit, like I'd still been doing my training, but I think it led me to afterwards when I came back, I was like, I'm really fit now because I'd been doing all this walking with this pack. So, yeah, previously to that, I'd done these few, I'd done these day um like one night camps, which was maybe 20 kilometres max. Um, but yeah, nothing to that scale, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and how long did it take?
SPEAKER_03So we walked from Edel to Edinburgh, so we didn't stop at the border, and I'll tell you why, it's because I I don't I don't drive, so I thought, how are we gonna get back to London from Kirk Yetholm? You know, I didn't have a clue, so I thought, well, we can just keep walking and walk to Edinburgh. Um and through times uh times as we were walking, I was like, why did I decide to do that? Because it's I was like, this is already so tough, and now I've told people we're going all the way and they've donated, and I was like, Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01So, what's your dad like at this stage when you tell him that he's now gonna walk to Edinburgh, or does he not realize no no do you know what?
SPEAKER_03So I I've got a watch, I've got a Garmin, and it I was following the path. Um, I didn't have a map, or you know, I just following the following the trail and he's following me. He had not a clue. Um yeah, he trusted me to lead him to Scotland and up to Edinburgh. But I think yeah, he was happy to be there, but definitely we both found it very tough. Um he's 58, so you know it it's um it was definitely tougher on him than it was on me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Well I'm sure without any I know, tell me about it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, amazing. And how did you find that? Was that a good bonding situation to you and your dad?
SPEAKER_03Well, it's like so. I've got a two-man tent, I've got an MSR Elixir 2. Um, so it's with two people and a dog, it's like sharing bathtub.
SPEAKER_00Um yeah.
SPEAKER_03If I if I did it again, I'd definitely have two tents, or maybe just go on my own. Um, but yeah. It was, you know, it was a lot, it was a lot of arguing and Yeah. But it I think it's brought us closer. It does, you know, even though at the time it's very, very intense because we're out, we're both out of our depths. I I like I'm like, oh my goodness, and he's like, oh my goodness, and he's not got a map and he's trusting me. Um yeah, it was rough. Like we we did we fell out a lot of times, but we would always make up at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
SPEAKER_01But that's like learning for both of you, isn't it? Definitely, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like it I think as well, it's helped me to change how I react to things or learn how I react to certain things. Um, so yeah, as a it changed it literally, it just changed you, the pen and way. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it is, it's unbelievable. I mean, you maybe you can tell me because when I did it, I saw most of it in the dark. Um to all these great places. I've seen some pictures of you on the route. Yeah, you've done this great thing on Instagram, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I post post everything on there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that is do you want to tell us who that that's uh Toby and Oase is?
SPEAKER_03So we've got Toby and OSH, so it's um Toby and O C E. Yeah um and I post all of my hikes on there, so I take Toby wild camping regularly. I try and do one a month, and yeah, I post all of my adventures on there, you know? So definitely have a look.
SPEAKER_01They're all on there, aren't they? Yeah, that's on Instagram. Some of those places I didn't see like what are the ones that really stuck with you?
SPEAKER_03Memorable. So this was a really long day. It I can't remember where we walked from. I think this was from Alston to Dufton, or maybe the other way around. Um or Middleton, sorry, it was Middleton and Teesdale to Dufton. Yeah. So this is day 10. And I didn't know this was coming up, but as I'd seen videos before I'd gone, there's this amazing place called High Cup Nick, yeah, and it's called it's nicknamed the UK's Grand Canyon because it's just incredible. So we'd been walking all day, and my dad's feet are really hurting at this point, and he's going to me, How far have we got? And I've said six kilometres, and we walked for about another hour and a half, and then I checked, I got my phone out and checked on uh there's an app called All Trails, and I checked on there, like you can see exactly how far. And only then it was actually six kilometres.
SPEAKER_01We had another scenery, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I was like, I can't tell him that. Um but the scenery is yeah, we were walking and the it sort of opened up into this concave, like the sky, it was it was beautiful, and we we kept walking, and I was like, What is this? And it's really weird, and then we kept kept walking, walking, walking, and you come and it's it opens up like into this massive canyon. Um it's an incredible sight. I think that was my that was my favourite, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I definitely do get to see that. Oh no, it's unfortunate. White well, you couldn't see in front of your face when I was there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so you you did it in the winter as well, didn't you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but yeah, so I'm a little bit envious whenever I see because there's there's a summer spine race ultra run, which is starting I don't know when it is actually, but yeah, it's sometime. Wow to the end of the summer.
SPEAKER_03Are you gonna do that?
SPEAKER_01No, no, not doing the summer, no.
SPEAKER_03No, no.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, so yeah, I missed all those places, Malantan and Allan Coke.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, is it all of its beautiful pen penny penny gent you've got and the scene. Yeah, I'm trying I'm trying to think of um some the the Cheviot Mountains are lovely. Right. Um so I met a guy on this on this walk, and I'll tell you a story. So we I think it's about day five now, and we're walking to Iconshaw, I think, and I've met this guy and he's got these walking poles, and we're walking together, and I've got my polls as well. And he said, Wait, did you have polls? So I was sending him about a camp I did in January um up on Kinder Scout, and he said, Did you have polls then when you did that? And I said, No. And he said he looked at me and I said, I've met you. So he met me on that camp and he said, Yeah, you should get some polls. So he was coming down and we just had a brief chat. Um, and we ended up being on the same itinerary, so we walked the whole Pennine Wade together, nearly, you know. So every time I'd get to a spot, he'd already be there because he's super fast. Um, but he'd already be there and he egged me on, you know, it was lovely. Um but yeah, he said to me, he must have said to me, the Cheviot Hills. He when you get there, it's like Kinder Scout, which is this huge plateau, but about ten times bigger. Once you're up there, you can't get off. Um, literally, you can't, but it's beautiful. He he'd done it before, um, the walk. But yeah, no, it was it was amazing. That was one of my favourites as well. Definitely.
SPEAKER_01Oh, fantastic. The other place that's like really remote and wild is Crossfell. Did you what was the weather like when you were up there?
SPEAKER_03Oh my goodness. That was that was a really that was a rough day. We had two rough days with wind, one that we actually had to come back down, um, but that wasn't on Crossfell. So we went up, the the winds were strong. Um, and I remember every time I'd see like a little dip in the ground, I'd sit in it with Toby and like we'd just like have a few snacks. Oh right, just forget out. It was really, really intense the wind. It was it was tough, you know, especially for Toby. So we had to take those breaks. Um yeah, he had his little rain jacket on, and I had my like my windproof my jacket on, and we just had to keep walking, you know. And we got onto the top of Crossvell, and my dad had this roller bully up mat, so he didn't have an inflatable one, he just had like a like a cheap little camping mat. And he turned around and it had just blown off. But because the winds were so strong, the winds were so strong, it's gone. So the rest of the trip was on the floor. Oh no, um, that was rough, yeah. Yeah, but yeah, the wind they were absolutely that those are the strongest winds I've ever felt. Um don't want to experience them again, but you know it's an experience, yeah. Coming down, then they they calm down. Um but yeah, Crossfelds.
SPEAKER_01So did you plan out resupplies on the way up? Yes. So did you have to drop off the trail to get no stuff?
SPEAKER_03So we did we didn't come off the trail at all. Oh right. Um so before I left, so I've got the dog with me, right? So he eats a lot of food as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was thinking about food's heavy nutrition.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, before I left, I posted food to different places on the Penamaway. So I'd call call up like a little calf and I'd say, Hi, I'm walking the Pen and Way, can I send some dog food to you? Um sometimes they'd be like, Oh, you can't send a parcel because um like insurance reasons, but they I said it's dog food, they said, Oh no, it's fine, okay, let's go. Um, because it's it's not valuable, is it? Um so yeah, every time we'd get to a spot, I'd like post about seven days of food. So maybe seven days in now I've got to this place, we'd eat some food, then I say, Hi, I've got a parcel here, can I have it? You know, um that was for Toby's food, and then I'd maybe I'd have like a few things for us in there, some snacks and whatever else I'd sent.
SPEAKER_01So quite a bit of planning going on.
SPEAKER_03Definitely, you need you need it with a dog, don't you? Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh great. That's yeah, you hadn't even thought about those logistics.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, because you I mean, when you did it, it's a lot different, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, totally. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Every um few days I we carried two to three days of food. Um, and I'll tell you something about when you're up north, the only shop they've got is co-op, which is funny because it's the most expensive one. Um so we were forking out loads of money on food every every two days. Um so we'd go in, me and my dad would say, You get what you want, I get what I want, two baskets, fill up our bags, um, and then the bag would be super heavy now because we've got all the food. So, yeah, you you there's no sometimes there's no shops because it's it's very, very remote, isn't it? It's the most remote part of England.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So you were brewing up a lot, were you cooking on your stove?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, little stove, um, yeah, porridge, and you know, sometimes my dad was eating loads of fish, um, burgers. I think we had sausages sometimes. Yeah, I mean you've got to have a few nice things, sometimes dehydrated meals, um, noodles, you know, the usual.
SPEAKER_01That's a big big old trek. Yeah, fantastic. So, what is next? Because you've got some plans, haven't you?
SPEAKER_03Definitely I have. Um, so in October, I've got two big plans, I'll tell you. In October, I am going to do Everest Space Camp. So that's a big step up, I think. Um, so that will be I'll be in the pool for three weeks, but I'll be walking for two of them. And I'm really excited to do that. I'm going on my own, so I'll have to leave Toby here, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_01So you're not going on an organised trek.
SPEAKER_03No, okay, so I am, but I'm going to Nepal on my own, so it's fine. Yeah. Um yeah, no, it'll be organised trek, so I'll have a guide. I'll have a local guide from Nepal and then I'll have my group from England. Um, but I'm really excited to do that because you know, I've not been to that side of the world. Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01So it's quite a bit of a climatization.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's a lot of people go up and down everything. Yeah, that's over, I think that's 5,000 metres of elevation. Yeah, so it's high, you know, so my head will be buzzing, um, literally. But yeah, hopefully, I mean that's October. That's October, so I have loads of photos up for that as well. Um, but yeah, really excited because that's like once in a lifetime, isn't it? Yeah, um, and I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I mean, you're only 19, you can do quite a bit.
SPEAKER_03True, maybe, who knows? Maybe I'll be back. Um, but yeah, no, really, really excited for that. The part I'm not looking forward to is leaving Toby, but yeah, um, it'll be fine. And next year I want to walk the southwest coast path. So I'm I'm set on that now. That's my goal. So currently it's saving aggressively, and I just want to go and take my tent and just walk.
SPEAKER_01Um so when you plan these trips, how much research I'm thinking of the southwest path now.
SPEAKER_03No, not much. No, do you know what? I want it to feel very different from the Pennine Way. So because I've done the Pennine Way, it's given me this sort of leverage now that I I can plan it differently and I can be more prepared than I was. Yeah, um, I know what I need, what I don't need, and I know pacing as well, so obviously I pace myself a lot better. I think when I walked the Pennine Way, it felt like a race, and I don't want this to feel like that. I want to take my time, yeah. Um, it will be hard, of course, but but I'll take rest days.
SPEAKER_01I didn't I didn't actually take any rest days when I walked so we would so you might go into a fishing port and stop for the day, yeah, yeah, or even get an Airbnb and just chill for a night and have a good recovery, which I didn't have on the pen anyway.
SPEAKER_03Right. Um but yeah, that would be amazing. I think it would just be nice to just be out with Toby. And the reason I love doing this is because it reduces life to just putting one foot in front of the other, and it's just it's amazing because you you escape from you're not on your phone, you're not you're just out, you know, and you catch a nice tan as well, which is great. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh brilliant. And when are you doing that next time?
SPEAKER_03That will be in the spring. Oh, spring. Um, it will be too hot. If I did it in the summer, it'd be too hot for Toby. Um yeah, no, I'm so excited for that. That's like my that's my main thing. I think I'm even more excited for that than the pool. Yeah, yeah, I'm really excited.
SPEAKER_01630 miles.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it is. That's a lot, so that's more than the Penn and Way. But I think the terrain is easier. Um, it's a lot of up and downs, but it's not, you know, it's not crossfell winds, is it? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um hopefully, yeah, you won't.
SPEAKER_03Hopefully not. Fingers crossed.
SPEAKER_01Apparently there's loads, because there's um I only know about it because some nutters run it, you know. Really? Oh wow, yeah. Oh my goodness. Um I can't remember what the record is, it's something like 11 days. Is that on the cards for you? No. No way. Well, it's 630 miles.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh, but where I was going with it, there's a lot of ferry crossings, apparently.
SPEAKER_03Really? Yeah, I mean I have to look into it more, you know. Definitely.
SPEAKER_01And I'm sure it's not an issue, but yeah, you need to get there at certain times, I think.
SPEAKER_03Oh god, yeah. Yeah, we'll sort it all out. Um, but yeah, that definitely that's what I'm 100% doing that. Um, so yeah, I'm excited for it.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So will there be any fitness regime for um Nepal? Because that's quite a you you you keep fit by going to the gym, yeah?
SPEAKER_03I do, yeah. So I've recently injured myself, so I dislocated my patella um and recovery. I'm now five weeks post-injury. But recovery has been tough, um, and I'm doing well currently, but in my head, I'm like, am I going to be ready for October? Um, just because I've been doing walking with a pack previously, and suddenly now I can't do that. Um so slowly, my first I did my first day hype last week, so that is like sort of my that's my rehab, my training. Eventually I'll get into weighted packs. Um, I do like in the gym, I do a bit of the stairmaster, very fast and just intervals, you know, to keep the fitness up. Um but yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Do you do all aerobic work or do you do weights as well?
SPEAKER_03Um so no, yeah, I do I mostly I do I do weights in the gym. Um that's my main thing, but then also I pride myself on being very fit, and I I give that to the pen and way because after I came back, like I said, I just I just felt yeah, I was just amazing. Yeah, literally you feel different.
SPEAKER_01I had these huge calves, and um now I'm I do cycling and yeah, because I think I don't know anything about it because I haven't tripped in the Himalaya, but I imagine that part of that acclimatization you will walk yourself fit in doing it because definitely, it's it's two weeks, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, and loads of up and ups and downs apparently, so it's gotta train my calves for that, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because the the also the altitude is a thing, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. I struggled with that. I did a trip in December, I went to Morocco, so I climbed I climbed Mount Tupka, which is in yeah, in the Atlas Mountains, it's the tallest mountain in North Africa, right? And I struggled with the altitude, um, but that's a thousand metres less than um where I'm going in in October, you know. So yeah, I mean we'll see. I think now that I've dealt with that, maybe my body will deal with it a bit differently.
SPEAKER_01Everybody has a different response to it.
SPEAKER_03100%.
SPEAKER_01You know, each time they do it, I'm sure it's a di a different thing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean it will be fine, I hope. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Ah, brilliant. So it seems to me that you know, once you've done all this stuff, do you think you'd ever start running any of it? I don't think I'd run the pen on way, but do you think you would ever move long?
SPEAKER_03I'd love to try some trail running. Right. Um, I haven't, and then this injury came, and now I actually can't run, which is really annoying. Um, but yeah, I'm hoping to like be able to build back up and get into it. I ran previously before I walked the Pennine Way, and I stopped just a few weeks before because I didn't want to get injured. I had this big walk coming up for charity. I was like, you know, I've got to be in shape. Um and I went seven or eight months without running after the Pennine Way. Right, and then recently I've just got into doing a few 5Ks, you know. But it would be nice to definitely try some trail running. I mean, living in London it's difficult because what have we got? We've got hamster teeth, maybe that's it. Um but yeah, going out definitely, I think Toby would enjoy it as well. Yeah, you know, he's got so much energy. Um so yeah, no, it's something definitely I'd love to try and do.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but you have to get on a train to go.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so that's that's a difficult bit. Um yeah. And yourself, how are you close to somewhere that you that you run or do you raise yeah?
SPEAKER_01I'm pretty much I can go out the door more or less and get on a canal or something and then get into some other areas.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean it's not particularly hilly, but it's yeah, I'm out into the countryside quickly. That's cool, which is nice, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, so and uh there's loads of trail running organisations around London, the people that trail run from London. Is that is that groups? Yeah, yeah, groups. Okay, lovely.
SPEAKER_03Definitely you'll have to give some of their contacts, maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, definitely do that. Great, yeah, because yeah, why not? Yeah, see what they get up to, and there'll be other people that'll do lift share and all sorts of things.
SPEAKER_03Oh wow, lovely. Yeah, sounds great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um yeah, so we're yeah, there's loads of opportunities in especially also there's another organization um in what are they called? Okay, and they're a um they base I think they're a charity, but they help people who can't afford entry fees or the right kit or you know, yeah, yeah. I mean it gets expensive, doesn't it? Yeah. So um yeah, so they're around as well that can help us. Oh wow, lovely.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So um yeah, I can help you with all those sorts of things.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, 100%. Give me some time.
SPEAKER_01Once you get over your age plans, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Tell me about it. Yeah, um, exciting.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So your um your do you have a long-term goal of a long-term feud? Where do you see yourself in the next sort of five years in terms of work and what you're doing? You're enjoying what you're doing.
SPEAKER_03I hope no one from work watches this. I don't know. I don't know. Um I honestly, I I think I'm just I enjoy so currently I'm I'm working three days a week, but I'm enjoying just being able to get out and it and explore, especially in the UK. But I want to do more things abroad. Obviously, I've got Toby currently.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, do you want to explore more abroad?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01I mean what, make that into a job?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, potentially. Like I or even in the UK, I've I've looked into potentially being a guide for you know things. If I I I explore more, I can go up some mountains, take someone up with me, that would be great. Um, I'd love to do something to do with the outdoors. Yeah, um, I currently I just recently qualified as a PT as well. Um so maybe potentially working with people who want to hike but also don't know what to do, like in terms of fitness. Um, I can help them with that. Yeah, I'll be right back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you need to do the mountain leaders course.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, definitely. Okay, yeah, sounds good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh put you some contact with that. Definitely you'll have to. You want to get into oh, it's so good to get people of your age out there and doing something.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, there's not a lot like when I was on the Pennine Way, I think I d I didn't meet anyone else my age doing it. Everyone's all loads of old men. Um, but yeah, I was definitely at the youngest.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's brilliant. I th I I think you're such a good, well, fantastic example of what especially from your childhood and where you've come from and what you've come to and your your outlook on things, your positive approach, obviously, loads of planning involved in what you're doing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Um literally, it's a full full 360, or sorry, not 3180, sorry. Yeah, um, but yeah, no, it's great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's brilliant, and I hope you're inspiring others. I'm sure you are.
SPEAKER_03I hope, yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, people don't have to push themselves as far as the penway.
SPEAKER_03I know, I know. I think I'm just I'm addicted to it now. I'll just push in. Um, I've pushed a bit too hard, that's why I've got got an injury.
SPEAKER_01How did you do the injury?
SPEAKER_03Um, so I was training legs in the gym, but it wasn't that I did anything too much, it was that I'd done so much previously. So it was a accumulative, so it was all the walking, so I walked the dog, I go on these hikes and then cycling, get on the bike, and then do loads of stairs, and then go in the gym, and then it just said that's enough.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um so it's an accumulative overload. Definitely. If weights will find that out, won't they?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, 100%. Um, so yeah, now I can lay it off a little bit. But yeah, it's good because I know my limits now, yeah. Um and that'll prepare me for future.
SPEAKER_01I think a lot of b people, I mean it goes on in later life, but younger people don't realise how important rest and recovery is. I think it's like, I'll just keep going, keep going, yeah. Days a week, but you need to rest up. You'll go right especially after something as strenuous as walking to Edinburgh. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03We like I said, we didn't take, I think after we got to the Scottish border, we took maybe one easy day. We didn't take any rest days. Um, and I think you can imagine for me and my dad that felt quite different, didn't it? Yeah, because in my head I was like, let's keep going.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but most people would be like, I've reached Kirk Yet Homer, that's done, and mentally done.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, and then to then go on to Edinburgh. I think that was my dad. We looked over, I looked over at him and I said, You ready for tomorrow? And he was like, What do you mean? Um, so yeah, yeah, it's you definitely rest is 100% important, and all of this has taught me that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Well, it's been wonderful talking to you, meeting you as well. And you I thought you were brilliant at the um fundraiser, yeah. Fundraiser for with the keynote speech.
SPEAKER_03Thank you.
SPEAKER_01And so glad to get you on here and talk about uh your where you've come from, what you've achieved. And it's lovely to see coming through and and thanks also to Free2B Kids and Mike G and everybody for yeah, 100% thank you.
SPEAKER_03Thank them as well. You know, it's um down to them a lot of it. Um but yeah, no, thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you're a great guy, great human being.
SPEAKER_03Thank you. Thanks very much. Thank you so much, Kevin.