On the 1st of September 2022 I will begin a 4,500km circumnavigation of Spain, my adopted country, by foot. In doing so I aim to raise at least £10,000 for the Young Minds Trust – the UK’s leading charity fighting to improve children’s mental health.
The walk itself will loosely follow six major pre-existing trails. Three of which are known as GRs (Gran Recorridos) and the other three are famous Caminos linking Europe’s major cities to Santiago de Compostela. I also intend to climb mainland Spain’s three highest peaks: Monte Perdido, Aneto and Mulhacén, all of which are over 3,000m. In order to keep within my strict €10 per day budget I will be sleeping in a tent or hammock for most of the journey!
When discussing what I am about to do with those who know me, the most common response is “Why?”. This is a question that is not easy to answer.
Firstly, having grown up in Cambridgeshire’s Fens there is no surprise that I immediately fell in love with the diverse mountainous landscape of Spain. Over the last seven years I have toured the country extensively by car and motorcycle however this does not afford the same levels of intimacy that one gets when exploring by foot. I hope that this opportunity will further my immersion in Spanish culture, language and most importantly food!
In addition to this having taught Geography for the past 10 years I have taken a year off in the hope that I can rekindle my joy for teaching. Something that I believe has been impacted by two long years of COVID.
Finally, the main reason for completing this challenge of a lifetime is the thought that I may be able to make a difference to the lives of young people. This is why I have set myself a target of raising £10,000 for Young Minds, a charity whose cause resonates strongly with me knowing what I know now. My father died when I was six years old and it was not until my early adulthood that I began to come to terms with the loss.I do not believe that I received the support that I now know I needed at the time. This does not have to be the case for the next generation.
I have created a website: www.geomevans.com where people can follow my progress via an interactive map or subscribe to and read my weekly blog where I will outline the trials and tribulations of the previous 7 days!
Should anyone wish to donate and offer their support to both myself and the charity, they can do so using my official Just Giving page here. Thanks to the generosity of those who have already donated I am already close to raising 10% of my overall target without having taken my first step.
I guess I had better get on with it then!
