HARP's HEART Walk

I love archaeology, which is the main reason I’ve stuck at it as a career choice, as unfortunately we don’t all get to lead the life of the archaeologists portrayed in film and on TV. I also started up HARP eight years ago in order to do something a bit different, to be able to do projects and research that I found interesting, but also that other people might find interesting. I wanted to try to provide an opportunity for more people to be inspired by archaeology and heritage, and to provide opportunities for people to get involved and properly experience it; to love it, like I do. But there is obviously a cost involved, and I don’t want it to be restrictive for people to get involved, especially those who want to pursue it as a career and take on the mantle to inspire the next generation of archaeologists. HARP is funded, in the main, by participant’s fees, grant funding, and donations, and I wanted to get involved in a fundraising event that would help to keep HARP providing these opportunities in an affordable way. But it’s not just helping those who want to do archaeology that’s important. Archaeology and heritage are a huge part of many people’s lives, and can be a great way to improve people’s way of life by getting people active and out into the fresh air. A walk can be a lot more interesting if there’s something to see along the way.

Those of you who know me know that I’m built for comfort, not for speed, and that whilst I enjoy a good walk, or a hike up a hill (3 Munros and counting…. very slowly…), given the option of going for a walk or going for a pint, I’d probably go for the latter. So a 90-mile walk, camping in random spots, isn’t something that you’d normally associate with me. It’s not running a marathon (which is definitely not something you’d associate with me) but it’s a pretty big undertaking, and I’m hoping that as well as being a positive boost to my health after a long dark winter, it will also help to inspire others to get out and about, in the fresh air, visiting some sites, getting interested in their local heritage, and getting their blood pumping and lungs puffing. I’d be really proud if through this we can inspire people to get a bit more active, and a bit more interested in the history around them.

Looking at the positive health benefits also ties into the charity that half of the money we raise will be donated to. Again, those of you who know me will know why the British Heart Foundation holds a special significance, but you’ll also know that it’s not something I talk about very much.