Two north-east military veterans are getting ready to take on a gruelling 217-mile walk across Scotland later this year to raise money for charity.
Scott Milne, 44, formerly of the First Battalion Highlanders and Steve Beedie, 42, who served in the Royal Signals will raise money for veterans charity Erskine, which supports ex-military personnel in Scotland .
They also hope to raise awareness of suicide on the walk in order to let people know it’s good to talk and “you’re never alone”.
A survivor of three suicide attempts himself, Mr Milne said the journey, which they hope to start on August 26, is going to be “emotional”.
Mr Milne of Aberdeen and Mr Beedie of Banff will start at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse in Lochaber in the Highlands and finish at Boddam Lighthouse on the Buchan coast of Aberdeenshire – the most westerly and easterly points of the Scottish mainland.
Causes close to heart
Both men served their respective regiments and their country during three different conflicts and both do “quite a lot” for charity each year, with Mr Milne doing an abseil to raise money for Mental Health Aberdeen four years ago.
However, their fundraising efforts were put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but now they are ready to go again.
“We thought ‘Right, we’ll just go all out this year.’ Two overweight military veterans in their 40s walking across Scotland, what can go wrong?” Mr Milne said.
He added: “It’s been something that we’ve thought about for a while and I was just like ‘Am I ready for this, am I too old?’ I thought, ‘You know what, I’m just going to go for it.'”
Although walking from Ardamurchan to Boddam is a popular route for charity hikes, Mr Milne said people usually stay in hotels, however, he and Mr Beedie will be wild camping along the route.
The pair hope to complete the mammoth route in 10 days, with Mr Milne saying that there is “no option to fail”, adding: “We have to carry on and get it finished.”
They are hoping to raise about £5,000 for Erskine, however, the former First Battallion Highlander said he would be “delighted” to raise more for the charity.
Urging people to donate, he said: “Give as much money as you can, I know everyone’s skint at the moment, but every little helps.”
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