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A former support worker undertaking a gruelling 630-mile walk along Britain's longest coastal path has shared her reflections as she nears the end of her challenge – which has involved lashings of rain, a 50th birthday and a surprise visitor.
Michelle Cotillard's inspiration to take on the walk in aid of he Shelter Trust came from Raynor Winn's autobiographical novel 'The Salt Path', which documents the journey of a couple who walked the path after becoming homeless.
She began the walk with her 13-year-old son, Alfie, back in July, but has since told Express that it turned out to be "so much harder" than she had initially thought.
Fast-forward to September and Michelle is in her final week of walking and has raised almost £7,500 for the homelessness charity.
Feeling “generally good” and “much stronger than the beginning”, when asked if she believed she was able to finish the mammoth challenge, Michelle said: “When I start something, no matter how, I will finish it”.
“I’ve had moments where it’s lashing with rain and everything hurts but I wouldn’t change it,” she continued.
Whilst walking around the south-western coast, Mrs Cotillard has had to deal with the full force of Mother Nature throughout the day – and night, if she has to wild camp. While difficult, the experience has left her feeling "more connected" to the environment.
“Lots of people have asked me, ‘Do you feel scared?’ and I’ve never felt scared. You feel part of it all," she said.
"There were three birds hopping along with me yesterday and you do feel more connected. When you slow down and are just walking, you notice the world more.”
But there have been difficult moments along the way. When Alfie returned home to start school after a month of walking from Minehead to Lizard Point, Michelle had the second half of the path to do alone.
“It was really difficult to adjust over the first couple of days. I was responsible for just me which was easier but there were a lot of mixed emotions."
"That first night [on my own], I was supposed to be staying with someone who offered me a room but I had no signal and didn’t know her address, it was getting dark, I got lost, I felt like I was going to cry.”
Describing how proud she was of her 13-year-old son in walking 300 miles for charity, she added: “I couldn’t be prouder of him. Most people don’t know how hard this path is but Alfie was so resilient, he had moments where he wanted to stop but he kept going. He was just amazing.”
Pictured: Alfie walked 300 miled from Minehead in Somerset to Lizard Point in Cornwall
Without the support of Alfie, Michelle has found solace in strangers who have offered her beds for the night, food, company and cash donations.
“The people I have met on the way have been remarkable,” she said.
Taking on a challenge of this scale often leads to a lot of lessons being learnt, which is exactly how Michelle feels.
“You watch the news and the world is dark and grim," she reflected. "But experiencing people’s generosity and kindness, having people treat me like family, has been incredible.”
And it is not only the generosity of people that has inspired her. Discussing her motivations to attempt the challenge and raising money for The Shelter Trust, she explained how meeting homeless people on the way had a real impact on her.
“I met a homeless lady outside a supermarket," she recalled.
"I wanted something sweet and needed a good shower and when I asked her what she’d like, she also said a sweet pudding and some wet wipes. I realised then that we are all the same.”
She also explained how coming across a row of tents in Plymouth on a separate occasion resonated with her own challenge of finding somewhere to sleep each night with their everyday ordeal.
“This [walk] is my choice, I can pack up with somewhere to go," she continued.
"I met another homeless man in Plymouth, he was living one of seven or eight tents lined up behind the town walls, he said, ‘I’d walk with you if I had somewhere to go.’ He had had a head injury and lost his family, which was like someone I knew who became homeless. We had a really big hug and he gave me his bracelet."
“When the weather is dreadful, you think of these people. They’re there every night,” she added.
Those weren't the only special moments on her journey, as Michelle's walk coincided with her turning 50.
“When I started I hadn’t planned how long it would take so I didn’t really think about how I’d feel if I was walking on my 50th birthday,” she explained. “Being 50 I wanted to see what I was capable of, so it felt right.”
And any pangs of loneliness she felt on her big day were dismissed when she heard some distant whistling in the forest.
"I heard someone whistling 'Happy Birthday' and Scott [her husband] came out of the forest."
After secretly tracking her phone's location, Scott surprised Michelle and joined her on the path.
Now in her final couple of days, Michelle is hoping to reach the finishing marker this Saturday and fly home on Sunday, 56 days after taking her first steps on the path.
Michelle only has a couple of days left of her journey for The Shelter Trust.
To support her to the finish, you can donate to her JustGiving page HERE.
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