Alex Corlett chats with Ursula Martin about her incredible journey across Europe
Alex Corlett chats with Ursula Martin, whose incredible journey took her across Europe on foot.
Ursula supports Target Ovarian Cancer and has fundraised for them. Visit targetovariancancer.org.uk or call their support line on 020 7923 5475 for more information about the disease, symptoms and support with handling a diagnosis.
RETURNING home for Christmas after kayaking the Danube in 2011, Ursula Martin, in her early thirties at the time, had plans to walk across Europe the following year.
Whilst at home, a spanner was thrown in the works. Ursula received a devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Fortunately, Ursula’s cancer went into remission, but her plans to go back to Europe had to stay on hold.
With five years of hospital visits on the cards, she couldn’t afford to stray too far from south Wales.
That didn’t dampen her spirits. She decided to use the visits as a stop-off point on a series of large walking loops around Wales.
“It was very organised! I took a list of all the longest paths in Wales.
“I found ways to line them up so, for example, if I went around the coast, I could walk up one river to the source and then to the source of another river and back down to the coast.”
In the end, Ursula covered 3,700 miles on her travels between appointments.
“I went through lots of shoes! In Wales it was much easier to resupply myself, because I was passing through my home town about five times.
“I could always drop into my friend who was keeping my stuff up in her attic.
“In Wales, you really don’t need to carry any more than three days’ food at one time and I had so much help. It was brilliant.”
Ursula’s Welsh odyssey was more than just an adventure, though.
She was on the march to raise funds for Target Ovarian Cancer.
As the diagnosis had taken her completely by surprise, she was also keen to raise awareness.
“When I was diagnosed in 2012, it had a thirty-five per cent survival rate over five years.
“I believe it has improved since then. But that was a horribly shocking thing to be facing and I was lucky that my cancer was quite a mild case at the time.”
Ursula carried “symptom cards” which she handed out to help others.
“A very high proportion of ovarian cancer is diagnosed in A and E when the cancer has caused an emergency situation in the body.
“Then, treatment is often palliative rather than curative. So it was a big shock for me, at thirty-one turning thirty-two.”
Ursula’s prognosis is, thankfully, now good.
“I do still have to go to hospital for check-ups but I’m pretty certain it’s not going to come back.
“Next year is going to be the ten-year anniversary of my diagnosis.”
In 2018, freedom beckoned, as Ursula was finally able to travel without the restrictions of medical appointments to return to.
Ursula flew to Kiev in Ukraine, and began a three-year walk back to Wales.
The plan to walk across Europe had long been in Ursula’s mind, but did it seem like a big step up from walking Wales?
“I tended not to think about it! If you do start thinking about it, you are
going to put yourself off!
“Europe has been much more extreme – the weather, higher mountains and technical paths.
“It has been a step up but I have managed to meet that challenge, and if not, I just find another path!
“If I am in snowy mountains and it gets too much for me, I will just go down to lower ground.
“My objective isn’t to climb one specific, difficult mountain – that’s not the way I’m proving myself. So I would just walk round it.”
Walking deep in the countryside of Europe required more preparation than it did in Wales, where shops and stops were more regular, and the wildlife was a bit less wild!
“Some bits were really remote. I have seen bears and wolves out there!
“I’ve had to ration water at times, as access can be very limited. I have to think, how much water do I need to drink at this stream, because it is going to be thirty miles until there is another water source.
“I could carry about six days’ food. Then I would have to go [into villages and towns] and restock.”
Ursula’s a keen kayaker, but the simplicity of travelling by foot appealed to her on this journey.
“Walking literally allows you to go at your own pace and it’s the simplest form of transport.
“I just love the fact that it is so accessible and indifferent to people’s athletic ability as well. I’m not a fast walker and that doesn’t matter.”
Walking allows not only for a better connection with the landscape, but with the people.
“In rural Romania, for instance, I am just this strange tourist who is walking through.
“But people would stop and say, ‘What are you doing? Do you want to come and stay or come for a meal?’
“Such lovely spontaneous reactions, They took the time to take care of me and look out for me.”
In spite of the logistical challenges, the benefits of the walk were clear to Ursula all the way along – not just on her physical health, but her mental health, too.
“It is so satisfying and stimulating and that’s what makes it all worthwhile. And also the moments that you feel incredibly powerful as well.
“Your body isn’t suffering every single moment.
“There are times when your muscles are working really well and you just feel really strong and you have got a really good speed up.”
After the pandemic stopped her in her tracks, Ursula is finally back in Wales and going through a period of what she calls “decompression”.
“I have definitely learned that I need to have constructive rest rather than just collapsing rest. So that does involve stretching and eating the right food.
“What tends to happen is for the first few days I will just feel completely normal, because you still have that adrenaline going.
“The third or fourth day of recovery is when I usually sleep all day!”
Rest days on the walk itself were not something Ursula would take lightly.
“One of the problems of an endurance challenge is that you can’t go easy on yourself, as you are opening up a little crack, by giving yourself a break.
“It would creep and creep up until you’re doing nothing for days. You do actually have to be your own gym coach!”
Ursula plans to begin writing a book.
“I’d been intensely focused on one thing for four years, and then suddenly it’s gone!
“I am definitely going to write a book about it, but you just can’t go to the computer and start. I have to process it all first!
“I would forget most of it if I wasn’t taking photographs. I kept a daily diary. Sometimes you are just so tired, it is literally just: ‘Walked all day. Nice weather’!
“Sounds really boring but it all helps!” ■