The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Man walking the coast of Britain for heart charity
London man stops off in Angus on his arduous coastal trek
A man who is planning to walk 5,000 miles around the British coast to raise £100,000 for the British Heart Foundation is passing through Courier Country.
Kieran Sandwell, 45, has had heart problems since birth and received a heart transplant eight years ago.
He started his walk from London on February 1 and is travelling north along the east coast.
Yesterday marked day 68 of his planned 326 day journey which saw him walk from Carnoustie to Arbroath.
He will continue today by walking from Arbroath to Montrose and the rest of this week will see him walk from Montrose to Inverbervie and Inverbervie to Stonehaven before reaching Aberdeen by the weekend.
“The total walk is going to be about 5,000 miles and hopefully I’ll be finished by the end of the year,” said Kieran at Arbroath Harbour.
“I’ve walked 920 miles so far and I’m averaging about 15 miles a day. I’ve funded it myself, I carry my own rucksack, I have no entourage.
“The Scottish weather has been perfect. The Fife coastline was beautiful for the five or six days I spent there and I really enjoyed going over the Tay Road Bridge and seeing Dundee.”
Kieran, from Hertfordshire, was born with a heart condition and had open heart surgery when he was just three years old.
He had a heart attack at the age of 13, two mini strokes in his twenties and heart failure in his thirties before he was put on the transplant list in 2008.
“I donated my old heart to British Heart Foundation research and last year I was able to see my own heart,” he said.
“I’ve always had a dream of walking round the coast but I was never well enough. Now I’m well and it fell into place last year.
“My feet are fine, I’ve had no blisters at all. I’m now breaking in my second pair of boots.
“Physically I’m holding up but I keep being attacked by dogs, I don’t know why.”
Kieran has so far raised just over £5,000 but is hoping to add to that total by holding fundraising events along the way.
He is also appealing for any help in terms of accommodation during his trip.
To support the challenge, people can donate money through www.justgiving.com/ATrailofTwoHearts.