A Derbyshire woman has raised almost £10,000 by walking 1,000 miles across all 10 of England’s national parks in 10 weeks.
Jen Lowthrop began the challenge on August 19 in Northumberland and finished the feat in the Peak District in her home county on Monday.
She walked across all 10 parks – Northumberland, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, the Broads, the South Downs, the New Forest, Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Peak District – from one side to the other, along their longest axis.
Ms Lowthrop, 38, was joined throughout by her three-year-old rescue dog, Cookie, and raised money for the Peak District Foundation, a charity she chairs which supports the national park near her home in Matlock, Derbyshire.
Following the completion of the challenge, she said: “I couldn’t find anyone that had walked across all the national parks.
“I thought, this is a chance to not only raise money for the Peak District Foundation, but also raise awareness of all our national parks and why we need to look after them, why they’re important to our physical and mental well-being and learn more myself about each of our national parks.
“I wanted it to be bigger than your average challenge, but something that felt just about manageable.
“Originally, I thought I could do it in two months, and then decided that 10 national parks in 10 weeks had a nice ring to it and seemed a bit more realistic.
I'm so excited that it's over, but also quite sad it's over, but mainly I'm just so thankful to have all these amazing people in my life that have supported me along the way— Jen Lowthrop
“Even 10 weeks was a bit of a rush. There were not quite as many rest days as I would have liked.
“There’s been days when I thought I could just keep walking forever, and other days where I just wanted to go home and sit on my sofa.
“I felt that I had to keep going because I had so many people supporting me along the way that I felt like I didn’t want to let anyone down.
“I’ve never walked anywhere near as much as I have done, never more than a couple of days in a row really, so to have done 10 weeks has been a challenge, but it just amazes me what our bodies are capable of.”
Ms Lowthrop, a freelance charity consultant who also has her own travel blog where she has documented her journey, walked between around 80 and 100 miles at each park over five to seven days, then took a rest day before moving on to the next location.
As well as several blisters and falls, she also had to take a week-long break when Cookie sustained a paw injury, but there were several highlights, including reaching the summit of Scafell Pike on her own.
The pair were joined on some of the walks by national park rangers and staff, family and friends, and at one stage Kelvin Fletcher, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 and now owns a farm in the Peak District.
They finally crossed the finish line at Callow Hall in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on Monday, where they were greeted by family and friends, sponsors and others who supported their journey.
She said: “It was emotional. I was crying and I don’t know if they were tears of joy or sadness, I think it was a combination of both.
“I’m so excited that it’s over, but also quite sad it’s over, but mainly I’m just so thankful to have all these amazing people in my life that have supported me along the way.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ms Lowthrop has raised almost £9,600 – 96% of her £10,000 target – which will be matched by the outdoor brand Alpkit and will see money given to community projects focused on conservation.
Discussing her next challenge, Ms Lowthrop said she planned to write about her experience.
She said: “I’ve got lots of writing up to do, and the ultimate dream is to write a book about it, which would be both sharing the adventure but also spreading that message of why we need to look after our national parks, why they’re important and all the benefits that they bring.
“But sitting on my bum and doing lots of writing is what’s next, and I’m still going to walk, but maybe not quite as much.”
Ms Lowthrop’s fundraiser can be found at https://peakdistrict.enthuse.com/pf/a-walk-in-the-parks .
