I left the campsite just before 8am and had breakfast in Lothianbridge. I then walked as far as Newtongrange which has a war memorial in a very nice park where I sat on a park bench and aired my feet. Shortly after leaving the area I was approached by a gentleman with an envelope bearing my name. He said that he knew who I was from the website and the envelope enclosed a very generous 20 pounds for the charity to be given in the name of ‘a proud Scotsman’. He is also a walker and has been to all the extremities of the British Isles.
I met up with him again at a pie cart on the A7 and he said that he would meet up with me again further on. We met about 2 miles out of Stow and then he said that he would drive into Stow and then walk back to meet me and we would then walk together into Stow, which we did. He then walked back to Stow to pick up his car and I carried on towards Melrose. I had just got the Hareshawhead wood plantations when he found me again and we drove to the camp site at Lauder. The first bit of the route from Gore Bridge was near the A7 but the latter half was on a quiet rural road parallel to the A7. Pastoral - quite a few encouraging baas from sheep.
Tomorrow he is picking me up from the camp site and dropping me off at the Hareshawhead plantations so I can start walking again.
On commenting on all that he was doing for me he said that this was his way of thanking all the people who had helped him on his walks. As I am a ‘people’ person
This has been a great day.
About my blog
CLL is the acronym for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. CLL is the most common cancer of the blood. However, unlike many other leukaemias, CLL is incurable. Innovative research is desperately needed to provide treatments which are more effective than the derivatives of chemical warfare agents currently in use. Research however costs money.
In 2009 I walked from John o'Groats in the north east of Scotland to Land's End in the south west of England. Hence the acronym JOGLE. The purpose of my walk was to make more people aware of this insidious disease and to encourage them to sponsor me by donating to the research groups I was supporting. It was a most enjoyable experience and I met some wonderful people. Together we raised over 2000 pounds for the cause. Thank you everyone!
In, 2010, the blog was being continued for those who may have be interested in following my walking holiday in Wales. This was not a charity walk.
Sadly this year, 2013, Alan Frost, a senior member of the Wednesday Loafers, our cancer support group, passed away. Many medics will tell you that CLL can be cured by a bone marrow transplant. Alan had battled with the cure for many years. More research is needed, but significant progress has been made since I started this blog.
CLL is still killing my friends. The organizations listed at the side of this blog would welcome any contributions you would like to make towards their research.
CLL is the acronym for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. CLL is the most common cancer of the blood. However, unlike many other leukaemias, CLL is incurable. Innovative research is desperately needed to provide treatments which are more effective than the derivatives of chemical warfare agents currently in use. Research however costs money.
In 2009 I walked from John o'Groats in the north east of Scotland to Land's End in the south west of England. Hence the acronym JOGLE. The purpose of my walk was to make more people aware of this insidious disease and to encourage them to sponsor me by donating to the research groups I was supporting. It was a most enjoyable experience and I met some wonderful people. Together we raised over 2000 pounds for the cause. Thank you everyone!
In, 2010, the blog was being continued for those who may have be interested in following my walking holiday in Wales. This was not a charity walk.
Sadly this year, 2013, Alan Frost, a senior member of the Wednesday Loafers, our cancer support group, passed away. Many medics will tell you that CLL can be cured by a bone marrow transplant. Alan had battled with the cure for many years. More research is needed, but significant progress has been made since I started this blog.
CLL is still killing my friends. The organizations listed at the side of this blog would welcome any contributions you would like to make towards their research.
Please feel free to pass on the details of this site to anyone you think may be interested. The link is www.cancerwalker.com
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Hi Richard
ReplyDeleteYou have just met one of LEJOG's true heroes. This gentleman helped me enormously on my walk and I know for a fact that he has also helped others in the same manner. He is a wonderful gentleman who I am proud to call a friend. His walking acievements leave me in total admiration. He has recently suffered a few physical problems but through sheer determination, he is forcing his way through them.
He has the wonderful knack of making everyone who he meets feel special. I am so glad that you have met him.
Good luck with the rest of your walk.
Alan
I'll second that, Alan, having today met someone else who was helped by this anonymous legend three weeks ago.
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