A MILITARY veteran who is tackling a Forrest Gump-like 10,000-mile walk has received a warm welcome in the dale.
Shamus Westwood is completing the epic journey with his pack of eight dogs.
He set off from Folkstone in December 2017, three years after being diagnosed with throat cancer, aiming to raise £100,000 to help children with terminal cancer.
The traveller and his dogs arrived in Teesdale on Friday, June 28. He spent a night in Bowes before heading up to Lunedale where he camped under the stars.
His trip to Middleton-in-Teesdale proved eventful when he fell from a stile, injured his arm and was treated by a district nurse.
Despite the injury he has been impressed with the dale.
He said: “It is absolutely beautiful up here – really stunning. I don’t get to do many little villages and towns like this. It is gentler here, more mellow.
“There does seem to be a lack of trees, but it is still a beautiful landscape.”
After a short stay, he resumed his trek towards Alston and on to John O’Groats.
It was his own battle with cancer that inspired his walk.
Mr Westwood, who served in Afghanistan, said: “Before I started this walk I was pretty much sick of life.
“I weighed eight stone, I’d had three bouts of chemo and I was ready to give up. Then I thought ‘what have you actually done?’. It all stopped and hit me in the face – what had I actually done?”
He added that not only had the walk acted as a form of therapy but it had also restored his faith in people, receiving offers of food for his dogs, accommodation and transport.
Sadly, his cancer has returned and expects to resume treatment in Scotland.
He said: “We got rid of it twice but it is back. I have found out about nine months ago it is back again.”
To date he has raised about £17,000 and to follow his adventures, find #gumparound theuk Facebook group.
