Using the Brecon Beacons as a training ground to build up miles, a small team of seven friends and family are going to walk 42 miles of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path on June 24. Setting off from Little Haven, at 4 am they are aiming to reach Pembroke Castle before it gets dark in order to raise funds for Wales’ largest sail training vessel, Challenge Wales.

Led by Belinda Laidlaw, of Crickhowell, Powys, the idea for this challenging walk came about after she lost her husband, Colin, to cancer in February this year.

“At only 54, he was still a young man with so much more he wanted to do in his life”, she told us. “He was working just two days before being admitted to hospital, so it was a great shock to be given his diagnosis. As well as renovating our house and being with his family, he had one great passion - sailing. Just being on board his boat gave him great pleasure, not just with the prospect of experiencing some new destination, but also meeting the challenge of each journey and all that the seas threw at him.

“I knew I wanted to do something big to commemorate his life and choosing to do a challenging 42-mile walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path from Little Haven to Pembroke Castle seemed so appropriate. When he and I lived alongside the Cleddau Estuary in Pembrokeshire we would often walk sections of the path, and on this challenge we will even walk past our old house, so the day will be full of memories.

“With 42 being the ‘answer to life, the universe and everything’, according to Douglas Adams’s ‘Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy’, we’re also hoping that during this non-stop walk we will find our own answers to the loss of Colin and help us move on without him.

“I am also so proud of this team that has developed,” Belinda added, “as I didn’t need to ask any of them if they wanted to join me on the walk; every one of them just assumed they would be doing it! We may have had some doubts as we built up the miles over the past few months accompanied by blisters, aching muscles and exhaustion, but the purpose of remembering Colin in this way and helping others to experience the adventures that he did, has been a great motivator.”

The team of seven consists of Belinda, Colin’s step-daughters, friends and family and aims to raise at least £3,000 for the Challenge Wales/Wales’ Tall Ship charity. With sailing being such a passion of Colin’s from a very young age, this charity was an obvious choice for them and made more so as Challenge Wales provides the opportunity for young people between the ages of 12 and 25 to experience the excitement of being at sea, learn new skills, improve their employment prospects and broaden their horizons, as well as develop the passion for sailing that Colin had.

To support Belinda and her team on their challenge, please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com

Add Colin Laidlaw to the search box to make a donation.

For more information about Challenge Wales/Wales’ Tall Ship and the trips they offer go to www.challengewales.org