Walker’s 7,000-plus mile trip around British coast reaches Hartlepool

Since April last year Jim Morton has been walking every single day along the coast of Britain with the aim to fulfil a lifelong ambition and raise valuable funds.

Jim, 61, set off from Penistone, in South Yorkshire, where he lives, on April 12.

It took him three and a half days to walk from his house to the coast at Widnes before he arrived in Scotland on May 9.

He walked around the entire coast of Scotland for eight months and got to the North East coast of England on January 19 this year.

And on Saturday, January 29), Jim reached Hartlepool – where he stayed for a couple of hours before heading to Middlesbrough and onwards towards Penistone.

Jim, has said he has a special link to the town, as his wife Susan Morton, 60, is the cousin of former Hartlepool United manager Chris Turner.

Jim, who used to be in the Royal Navy, said: “The last time I was there I had a really enjoyable time walking around the HMS Trincomalee.

"I look forward to seeing that again. I look forward to the hospitality of the people of Hartlepool. They are always friendly.”

Jim who has walked over 4,500 miles so far and estimates the full length of the trek is between 7,500 and 8,000 miles, has had many memorable experiences during his journey.

He had to be airlifted to hospital when a cliff collapsed underneath him near the Isle of Skye, in Scotland, in August last year, leaving him with a broken thumb and a brain bleed.

"The next thing I know, I woke up in a pool of blood 20 foot below. It wasn’t a sandy beach, unfortunately, it was a rocky beach,” said Jim.

"It was such a bad beach that they couldn’t get the lifeboat to come and save me, so they had to get the helicopter to come and save me.

"I had to take three days off walking.”

On another occasion, Jim got into a ditch full of water to rescue a trapped sheep.

He said: "I thought ‘I can’t leave it, I can’t let it die’”

Jim is raising money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

To donate, visit JustGiving and search for Richard Morton.

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