Bristol woman halfway into British coastline charity walk 'spurred on' by support she's received

• Claire Allen told ITV News' Ellie Barker the support she's received from people along the way has "spurred her on"

A woman who is in the middle of walking the entire length of the UK coastal path has said she's been humbled by the support she's received along the way.

Claire Allen, from Redland in Bristol, started her 5000-mile walk at John O'Groats in Scotland, in August 2023, and is due to finish there in August.

She needs to walk around 15 to 20 miles a day to complete the route in a year and is hoping to raise £25,000 for homelessness charities Shelter and Only a Pavement Away.

Ms Allen, who's already walked 2,500 miles, said the support she's received from people along the way has been motivating her to keep going.

She said: "The weather has been awful over the last month. I think it's been the wettest February on record and I have had cold, wet feet a lot of the time.

"But because I have just met so many brilliant, generous people, who have been kind, and offered me a bed for the night, and bought me a coffee, or just stopped for a chat or made a donation, it's spurred me on," she said.

She added: "Also, you can kind of withstand anything if you know you're gonna be inside at night.

"So the wind, the rain, the cold feet, the mud, that's kind of all been bearable knowing that I've got somewhere to stay each night which is not something that everybody has."

Ms Allen is hoping to reach her home town of Bristol shortly.

"I'm feeling good, and I'm feeling positive, and I'm looking forward to getting to Bristol which is my next big milestone on the journey," she said.

"It will be nice to see some friends, do some washing, and have a couple of days off just to rest and recuperate, and then get going on the big 870-mile coast path that is Wales."