Peak District charity chair begins 1,000 mile fundraising hike across ten national parks

Starting on Saturday, August 19, Jen Lowthrop and her Romanian rescue dog Cookie are aiming to hike across the Northumberland, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, South Downs, New Forest, Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks – as well as a stint by canoe in the Norfolk Broads – before a final leg back in the Peaks, October 20-28.

Along the way, Jen will be meeting key people in each region to learn more about what makes each national park special and why they need to be protected, and documenting those conversations via her regular travel blog She Gets Around.

Matlock resident Jen, 38, said: “I have wanted to do a hiking challenge for a while and also wanted to raise money for the foundation. I knew I wanted to do something different and something big.

“This challenge is a combination of all my favourite things: walking, writing, Cookie, sharing the importance of national parks and connecting with nature.”

She added: “I will be walking about 10 to 20 miles a day, though it could be slightly less or slightly more. It will vary depending on the terrain, where I need to get to in order to have a bed for the night and how well my feet and Cookie’s paws are holding up.”

“I have been walking daily, increasing my mileage over the last few weeks. Cookie has been in training with me too. It’s our biggest ever challenge and we couldn’t wait to get started.”

The Peak District National Park Foundation is an independent charity which raises funds to support projects in the park.

All the money raised by Jen’s walk will go towards projects promoting accessibility and wellbeing for visitors from all backgrounds, caring for the landscape and wildlife, and tackling climate change and its impacts.

Just a few days in, and donations to the Jen’s fundraising page have already passed £4,000.

She said: “As chair of trustees, I understand the urgent need for us to both protect our national parks and ensure everyone can experience the benefits of spending time in them.

“I love hiking, love national parks and am passionate about sharing the importance of our national parks, both to our physical and mental wellbeing – and for the planet, too. A Walk In The Parks seemed the perfect challenge.”

She added: “National parks contain some of the largest carbon sinks in the UK and are vital to so many rare species and habitats. With this June being the hottest since records began, we are reminded that our climate is in crisis and I believe in the power of our national parks to help us connect with nature and combat climate change.

“I want to spread that message to more people through my journey and help them to understand and experience the benefits of our beautiful national parks.”

To follow Jen’s adventure, go to awalkintheparks.co.uk. For donations, go to peakdistrict.enthuse.com/pf/a-walk-in-the-parks.

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