The challenge was a step back in time for the former university lecturer, revisiting stretches of the path where she walked and played as a child growing up in Devon.
It was also fundraising for Dementia UK in memory of her mother Nancy for whom she had cared and who shared a love for the coast path.
Walking the path in stages throughout 2023, among the more memorable moments, she recalled battling along the path in Cornwall through Storm Noa.
“It was utterly terrifying and slightly ill-advised. I was scared, but I did it,” she said.
She said the “kindness of strangers” was apparent throughout – from a woman in Cornwall who lent her a towel for an impromptu skinny dip in, to a couple who offered her a bed in their B&B in Cape Hope.
“When I look back at what I set out to do, it was utterly brilliant and life changing”.
“After years of being a carer, I felt I’d lost myself and my sense of who I was.
“Going out on the coast path, I feel I’ve been allowed to take the time and space to find my own voice – it makes you realise you are more resilient than you think.