Mum’s Last GREAT Adventure

Gale Scott’s mum grew too ill for her final challenge, but her daughters have found a poignant way to bring her with them...

overnight through the streets of Edinburgh.

Her zest for life never faltered, but there were hard days too, with Mum seeing a counsellor and taking courses in mindfulness and nutrition to help keep her in a good place in mind and body. Carol saw a counsellor too, because she struggled to come to terms with Mum’s diagnosis. Their counselling was at Maggie’s, a charity providing free cancer support, and was funded by Walk the Walk, making Mum’s MoonWalk all the more poignant.

It was on another of her walking holidays last year that Mum felt dizzy and sick and decided to come home early. Scans revealed the cancer had spread to the membrane of her brain. There was nothing that could be done to save her.

Mum had been so excited about her next adventure, the MoonWalk Iceland. But as the date of the event approached last May, Mum was in hospital and it was obvious she wasn’t going to be well enough to take part. As I sat with her, Mum asked if I’d take her place on the marathon. I squeezed her hand and promised I would.

Six weeks after Mum had come home from her walking holiday feeling dizzy, she passed away, on the night she should have been doing the MoonWalk Iceland. We were devastated, even though we’d known this day would come. There was too much going on for me to take her place that year, but I knew I’d keep my promise. This is year, Carol and I signed up to walk in Mum’s memory. We started training, meeting whenever we could to walk along the canal into the centre of Edinburgh from our rural homes.

When the MoonWalk Iceland was postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown, we had to put our plan on hold but when it’s rescheduled, we’ll be there.

And Mum will be too. We’re going to carry her ashes so she can be with us, motivating us as we make our way around the route. When we get to the end, we’re going to scatter Mum’s ashes.

It feels fitting to leave

Mum at the end of her last great adventure. We know it’s where she’d most want to be.

One of the most beautiful lakes in the world has to be Moraine Lake in Alberta, Canada. This stunning spectacle is found in the Valley of Ten Peaks in Banff National Park and attracts millions of visitors each year. Its sparkling turquoise waters is a highlight and is caused by the lake being glacially fed. This means that finely grained silt (which is made from glaciers further upstream grinding against the valley floor) is transported by the meltwater streams to Moraine Lake where it stays. When sunlight is reflected on the silt, it gives off the striking aqua

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