Darren at top of Devil’s Staircase
A hospital director at one of the north east’s top veterinary referral centres has raised nearly £1,000 for charity after hiking almost 100 miles across one of Scotland’s most iconic routes.
Darren Stubbs, who leads the team at Linnaeus-owned Wear Referrals in County Durham, tackled the 96-mile West Highland Way (WHW) over the course of five days to raise £835 for Cancer Research UK.
Darren, who joined Wear as hospital director in 2019, regularly walks with his two German Shorthaired Pointers Gracie and Martha, clocking more than 40 miles per week, but admitted tackling the wild landscapes of one of Scotland’s most imposing long-distance routes was an altogether different challenge.
He said: “Walking the WHW had been on my ‘bucket list’ for some time. I had hoped to do it in 2020 when I turned 50 but, of course, the pandemic hit us and, along with so many people’s plans, it had to be postponed.
“It was certainly a challenge! I did it with two good friends who I’d grown up with in Scotland and we had only really seen each other at various social occasions over the past 30-odd years, so it was fantastic to be able to do it with them.
“I was also fully committed to finishing it within the five days. Some guides will complete it across six or seven days, but it was definitely something I wanted to do in the five days and we managed that, reaching Fort William on the Friday afternoon.
“The thing that really struck me was the compound effect of five days’ continuous walking. By day five, I wasn’t sure whether I would have been able to do another day if we had to do so!
“I think day two was actually the toughest. We were walking by the side of Loch Lomond which was absolutely stunning but it was also very rocky, with a lot of tree roots, so I’m glad not every day was like that.
“We were very lucky with the weather and it was truly liberating to be away from everything and just be out in the wonderful scenery and nature, with my only responsibility just getting to the end of that day’s walking!”
One slightly surprising side-effect for Darren came in the shape of some seriously restful sleep at the end of the week.
He said: “Physically, I was actually fine and there were no real problems on that front. I think I was surprised at how much it clearly took out of me mentally though.
“Once I was home, I slept for nine hours on both Saturday and Sunday nights, with my sleep app showing a lot of ‘deep sleep’ compared to the usual couple of hours. I guess that’s not the worst side-effect though!”
Cancer Research is a cause close to Darren’s heart and he has already exceeded the £500 fundraising target he set himself by some distance.
He added: “In the past year, my wife Debbie has lost her lovely Aunty Sandra to cancer, while her dad and uncle have both received treatment.
“In recent years, she has also lost her mum and Aunty Sue to cancer, while other members of the family have received treatment, so it really is a cause we care passionately about supporting.”
Darren also hasn’t ruled out future walking challenges, although admitted the WHW was the true test he wanted to tick off his list.
He added: “It was a great experience and I think one of the main things to come from doing it will be more walking across multiple days. Whereas I’ve always done a long walk on a single day, I’m now planning some over multiple days in the Scottish Borders and maybe Hadrian’s Wall.”
There is still time to donate to Darren’s epic WHW fundraiser by visiting: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/west-highland-way-walk-raising-money-for-cancer-research.
For more information on Wear Referrals, which is part of Linnaeus, visit: www.wear-referrals.co.uk or search for Wear Referrals on social media.
