'Outdoor champions' encounter big hearts in Ross-shire; WeTwo duo given boost by random acts of kindness
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A DUO of outdoor adventurers have made their way across Ross-shire as they go from the northernmost to southernmost point in mainland Britain for a fundraising challenge.
Outdoor champions Phoebe Smith and Dwayne Fields passed through Tain, Invergordon and Dingwall on their route from Dunnet Head to Lizard Head in Cornwall, in a 1,300km expedition to support disadvantaged young people
After their first seven days in the Highlands, the duo was impressed by the local's generosity on their way.
Ms Smith said: "Just today, a representative from of the Long Distance Walking Association who had seen that I posted on social media that I was craving iced coffee met us somewhere along the bike route between Tore and Conon Bridge, and she brought us coffee, chocolate, toasted sandwiches, and handmade Scottish tablets!
"Having these random acts of kindness, especially when you are tired and carrying all you have with you, makes it all a little easier, and they all come at that time when you think you could just do with a pick me up.
"It just shows you how amazing the country is and I believe that everyone should walk the length of their country because you appreciate the size of it and the lovely people you meet, it just makes you appreciate things in a different way."
Mr Fields added: "In Scotland they set the bar really high, everyone has been so nice and we have bee offered breakfasts, tea, lunches and presents — all these things make the day go a bit quicker and easier.
"By walking through these places you get a good feel of what the communities we pass through are like.
"This is a warm up for our expedition to Antarctica next year, it's roughly the same distance and the same time of the year.
The two expeditions, respectively named Seabirds To South for the UK and Penguins to Pole, aim to raise funds to bring a group of underprivileged young people people to Antarctica in 2021, as well as changing the stereotype of the typical adventurer.
Ms Smith said: "Usually the face of adventure is not us: it's mainly middle-aged white men from a privileged background, and we are not those things. We have both been told that we shouldn't do certain things, me as a woman and Dwayne as a black man, so this time we decided that, instead of going solo how we usually do, together we could reach out to even more people and show that we can change this face of adventure."
Mr Fields said: "The whole We Two concept is about people that don't necessarily look like an adventurer, or they don't thinl they are because they are told adventure is not something for them, and it's not about that; if you are a little kid and work hard enough you should be given the same opportunities as anyone else."
As Scouts ambassadors, the duo will head to Holyrood on December 4 to launch the Scottish campaign for A Million Hands, a social impact project that aims to get scouts from across Scotland to take part in community action activities, before crossing over to the West Coast and making their way to Cornwall.
These two expeditions represent a way of campaigning for environmental sustainability and have been planned to have a negative carbon dioxide impact, with trees being planted at the end of the journeys.
Anyone wishing to follow the Seabirds to South expedition can do so on social media at @PhoebeRSmith or @DwayneFields or make a donation on the page www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wetwo.
