peter
“I’ve been very lucky in my life. I had a reasonably good job, I have a good pension, I don’t owe anyone, and I have a beautiful and healthy family. I thought I should give back if I get to live a life like that. Over the years, I supported Crumlin Hospital through donations and was always amazed by the work they do, so when I decided to walk all the Wild Atlantic Way I met them and told them about my plans. After setting up the donation page I was on my way. The upside for me was having the adventure of a lifetime. There was no planning, I would just get up in the morning and I would walk 6-10 hours and when I arrived in a new town, I would look for a place to stay until the next morning. I kept my Facebook page updated, I would upload photos and tell a bit about the humans I’d met that day. People following my journey would invite me to their homes for the night, they would sit me with their family at the dinner table. You can learn so much from these encounters that you would never be able to get any other way. I’ve walked over 2,500 Kms in the past three months, I met amazing people I saw the most beautiful scenery in our country, meanwhile, I became healthier and happier and on the top of that, I raised twenty-thousand euros for saving children’s lives.”g people I saw the most beautiful scenery in our country, meanwhile, I became healthier and happier and on the top of that, I raised twenty-thousand euros for saving children’s lives.”
“I was always naturally interested in people and my favourite thing about the walk was creating conversations along the way. Often it was just as simple as walking into a town and spotting a lady tending her garden, as I walk by I would say: ‘Lovely day!’
And she would say: ‘Yes, it is!’
Then, I say: ‘The garden looks beautiful!’
Then she: ‘Thank you! It’s great to be out here after all that rain!’
For the next 30 minutes, I would have a fascinating conversation with her and I would find out about her family and her late husband… The experience of that was just so fascinating. If you are truly interested, people just open up and tell you the most personal stories. But you probably know that the best”
Find out more about his journey on his Facebook page: A Bit of a Walk – or read more and donate here.