It was meant to be 18k, they pinky promised me. A fund-raising walk to mark the 18th birthday of Solar Gates UK. 18’s an age for bold adventures and “venturing out”. So, why not?
However, due to some wonky map reading, perhaps caused by the distracting countryside beauty on our route, the total distance clocked in at around 22k.
That’s what my colleagues and I did, an exhausting and thoroughly enriching autumnal trek through a ridiculously pretty part of Kent – near the Solar Gates UK HQ. By its rain-soaked end, we’d learned more about our local environs and each other.
The journey took in a deer park, a goat farm, orchards, looming trees and trickling streams all overshadowed by occasionally foreboding skies. The sun put in a cameo appearance, this was the tail end of an English summer after all. Impossibly fresh apples were eaten, berries and bitter damsons were chomped, orchard workers bid us a good day, dogs were patted and electric gates were admired (don't ask).
The ever-changing English weather, from sun to rain and back again, saw more costume changes than a Taylor Swift concert.
During a halfway stop for lunch, one of our number drew gasps when her packed lunch was opened to reveal a live butterfly. Fortunately, the winged insect was not part of a new dietary trend. Only the appearance of Pop Larkin chewing a piece of straw could've made the setting more picturesque.
A lovely day then. A chance for conversation, sights, sounds and the clearing of minds. A mental health meander, in other words. When we finally trudged back to base, our weary crew regrouped at a nearby watering hole for a well-deserved spot of dinner. One volunteer was so hungry having completed his 22k, that he licked his plate (and that of several colleagues) clean. The establishment’s proprietors had arguably never seen their dinnerware so gleaming.
Our idyllic ramble raised nearly £800 for King’s Reach Education, an organisation that supports young people and their families in Kent.
Stewart King of King’s Reach Education told us afterwards: "A huge thank you to you and your team for completing the 22k and raising £795 for King’s Reach! Please pass on my thanks to your team—we truly appreciate all your efforts. The money raised will go towards supporting young people struggling with their mental health and disengaged from education. This will enable us to provide therapy sessions for them and their families, which will have a significant impact on their engagement, progress, and overall success."