Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Rambling Robbie goes the extra mile
Trek raises over £1000
Thanks to The Proclaimers, many Scots have — over the years — stated they would walk 500 miles.
But a Chapelhall man recently staggered over his door after spending five weeks walking the length and breadth of the country.
Robbie Spratt, 21, raised £1000 for charity by travelling, on foot, to Inverness and back, passing every penny on to YARD in Edinburgh.
The acting and performance student arrived home on Sunday after walking up the east and north coasts on a journey that saw him cover more than 400 miles.
Generous Robbie’s cousin Fern, 17, attends YARD in Edinburgh, a group who provide a purpose built adventure playground for youngsters with disabilities.
And the Monklands walking machine says the thought of helping Fern kept him going.
He told the Advertiser: “I remember in Coupar at the end of the first week being on the phone to my girlfriend, Karen, saying that I couldn’t do it.
“Thinking of Fern definitely gave me the boost to keep going.”
But despite an arduous introduction to the rambler lifestyle, Robbie describes his month in the wilderness as one of the best experiences of his life.
He added: “Seeing somewhere new every day and having no worries really appealed to me.
“Seeing the beautiful beaches and coast every day was amazing.
“I walked around 12 to 15 miles a day and when I was tiring the adrenaline to reach a campsite cancelled that out.”
“My family thought I’d be sleeping on the edge of cliffs and taking animals by the horns to try and get some protein, but in reality I was eating shortbread in a tent at 5am.”
“I think once I’d called them a few times to check in they realised it was Scotland I was crossing and not the Sahara.”