Earlier in the week, best friends Tracy Hannam and Wayne Lewin arrived on the Isle of Wight as part of a whopping 12,000 mile walk they are undertaking around the UK coastal path.
The pair describe themselves as:
Two coast walkers, two best friends two huge backpacks, two charities, passing through your beautiful Island on our epic 12,000 mile three-year hike around the entire UK coast path.
Fundraising along the way
Tracey and Wayne are are raising money for MIND (Tracey) and Children in Need (Wayne) and are appealing for those who can to support their fundraising campaigns by making a donation via their Just Giving Pages (linked above in charity names).
Tracey told News OnTheWight,
“What an incredible journey this has been so far .. the coastline has been breathtaking and human kindness amazing.
“Three years 9,000 miles to go.”
Walking on the Island has inspired Tracey poetically and she shares these two poems below.
Let’s walk…..a poem
Let’s walk into the unknown
Free as a bird in the sky,
Let’s sample a piece of real life,
And never again deny,
The need to go adventuring,
The desire to walk the coast,
And not just live and “settle”
But do what we love the most,
Let’s take a walk on the wild side,
And abandon all our fears,
Smile as we enjoy this crazy ride,
Happiness, excitement, no tears,
Let’s live in a tent and follow the sea,
Lulled asleep by the waves at night,
Amazed by the beauty all around us,
Each day see a different sight,
No more normal, mundane routine,
Driving in manic traffic each day,
Suffocated by life unable to breathe,
Let’s live life in a different way,
Let’s wake to a glorious sunrise,
Swim in the wild salty sea,
Climb up every clifftop,
Feral, wild and free,
Never look back on yesterday,
But to a future, freedom and peace,
Follow the Coast Path,
Make each moment last
Take a deep breath and release,
The hurts, regrets past problems,
Erase them from your mind,
Believe in yourself and know,
You’re leaving your old ways behind,
You will finish this epic journey,
Filled with fun memories and more,
Come out of it a different person,
Confident happy and sure,
That nature is nurture,
And the coastline is free,
Giving a Daily dose of medication
So we all start to see,
The benefits to our well being,
The earth beneath our feet,
The healing power of the outdoors
And feeling so complete.
This Island
Where is this Island, this beautiful land,
Where sunsets are glorious and where golden sand,
Gets between your toes as the wind blows through your hair,
Where you can relax, detox and not have a care,
Where a pink cottage in Shanklin takes you back to a day,
When life was much simpler and we lived a different way,
Where is this Island where you can go on a ride,
At the UK’s oldest amusement park after surfing a tide,
Where “Kookies” cafe in Ryde will
Serve you a “freak shake,”
And you can fulfill your sweet tooth with a freshly made cake,
And the “Culver Haven Inn” will make you a picnic lunch,
You can marvel at the cliff top view while having a munch,
And Ruth in the YMCA bakes muffins and tasty shortbread,
And those on the Island who need it get a comfortable bed,
And David Rowdy Yates can invite you to his farm,
Cook you fresh eggs for brekkie and add a little charm,
Where kindness is abundant and friendship all around,
Where you are made to feel welcome once your feet touch the ground,
And kitty on Vectis Radio will have a nice natter,
With charity coast walkers and let them know they matter,
The Island I describe is the Isle of Wight,
Where we slept in a tent on a glorious night,
Where the moon watched above us as we closed our eyes,
Awoken in the morning with this glorious sunrise.
Best of luck to Tracey and Wayne on your epic journey. We wish you the very best of luck on your travels and well done for doing something many of us can only dream of.
