Community / Couple walking UK coastline bid goodbye to Shetland after four months
‘Shetland is an example of what the world should be like’, the couple says
A COUPLE who arrived in Shetland earlier this year on a fundraising challenge to walk the UK’s coastline have completed their stint in the isles.
Daniel McNeil and Charlotte Brook arrived in May and have spent four months walking around the Shetland coastline.
Daniel said they arrived in Shetland “quite naïve”. He added: “We had the achievements of doing Orkney in the winter and going down to the east coast [of Scotland] but I don’t think anything could have prepared us for what we were about to face.”
The couple said they had been “tested to the limit” during their Shetland trek, but added: “It’s been a joy, tough at points, but a joy and the people have made it.”
Across the four months, the couple have had overwhelming support from locals, from bottled water to people letting them sleep in their spare rooms and sheds.
Daniel said: “People have been incredible to us, every little gesture of kindness given to us has been amazing.
“It really does put our faith back in humanity.”
During the walk, they faced plenty of challenges, the main one being the weather and distance between local shops, which required lots of planning ahead.
Charlotte said: “You have to carry more weight over the terrain because you’re carrying food for several days, which makes it tougher when you’re walking.”
Daniel’s bag weighed 25kg, while Charlotte’s was 18kg.
After finishing the mainland, the couple both said they are “greatly relieved”, and excited about what is coming next.
They intend to travel down to England and start working their way around the English coastline over the winter months.
Daniel was a couple of months into his trek around the UK coastline when he met Charlotte on the west coast of Scotland.
She agreed to be his tour guide around Loch Fyne, and joined him on several walks over the summer in 2021 before quitting her job and joining him on his mission.
The couple spent last winter in Orkney and arrived in Shetland in May.
They said their favourite locations around Shetland were Muckle Roe and Hermaness, but the pair also enjoyed waking up to Uyea after a trek at Ronas Hill.
Daniel added: “The finale of that, seeing Uyea in the morning, was spectacular.”
The couple also spent two weeks on Fair Isle helping on a croft and getting an authentic experience of rural island community life as they went fishing, painted fences, and helped with the sheep.
Daniel and Charlotte are both fundraising for charity on their 16,000 mile walk around the UK coastline.
Daniel is raising money for the Armed Forces charity SSAFA, and Charlotte is fundraising for Women’s Aid.
People can donate to Daniel’s fundraiser here and Charlotte’s fundraiser here.
The couple both also update their Facebook pages regularly, so people can follow their progress on Daniel or Charlotte’s page.
Their journey around the UK will take three years to complete.
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