Chef’s tough trek cooks up top total
West Highland Walk raises £3,600 for charity
A Perth chef has raised thousands for charity after walking the West Highland Way last week.
Gordon Muir (50) walked the iconic route from Milngavie and finished at Fort William on Wednesday, July 19, successfully raising more than £3,600 for the charity Stop The Hunger, which aims to tackle worldwide hunger and malnutrition, as well as promoting healthy lifestyles and developing cooking skills.
On returning from his gruelling challenge, Gordon said: “I finished on Wednesday, and did 96 miles in six days. This is the fourth time I have done the West Highland Way, but it was by far the hardest.
“It lashed with rain on the last day and I was in pain from a hip injury, and the midge bites were pretty bad. But it was well worth it in the end, it was a fantastic thing to do.”
Gordon works as the Sodexo head chef at Perth College UHI, and the team were asked to raise £350 over the summer for the charity as part of the company’s national fundraising drive. But Gordon was determined to smash this target.
He continued: “At this point we’ve already managed to raise £3,600, which is 10 times the target, and that’s all due to the generosity of the people I work with at the college. They have all gone above and beyond the call of duty.
“I have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone, I am over the moon. I have to say thank you to everyone who contributed, I would not have made it through the walk if it were not for the people sponsoring me, they were the ones who got me through.
“I got to do a walk that I love and raise some money for charity, which feels great - it’s good for the soul.”
As part of his fundraising, Gordon also auctioned off football memorabilia: “I am a huge St Johnstone fan so I auctioned off some of their stuff. I got a signed Saints shirt that belonged to Colin McCredie [DI Fraser from Taggart] and that went for £150. There were a few other bits and pieces, the St Johnstone stuff raised about £400.”
Chef Gordon has spent the year training for last week’s challenge, including walking the Fife coastal route in preparation. This was also the first time he has taken on the challenge of the West Highland Way by himself.
Gordon Muir walked the West Highland Way in aid of Stop The Hunger
“After the third time I did the West Highland Way, I said I am never doing it again. But then I thought for my 50th birthday I will treat myself, so I did it again, but this time I was solo. But I won’t be doing it again for a few years!”
Gordon is now looking forward to walking Blairgowrie’s Cateran Trail with his friends, but will be taking it easy for a little while now.
“The thing is, the midge bites will heal and the muscles will heal, but the memories will last forever.”