Mum, 61, walking 900 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats for dementia says ‘you’re never too old to have adventure’

A 61-year-old woman walking solo for 900 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats in tribute to her mother whom she lost to dementia has said “you’re never too old to have an adventure”.

Harriet Thomas’s mother, Susan Thomas, who was once deputy speaker of the House of Lords, died in October 2023, aged 87, after being diagnosed with dementia – the loss of cognitive functioning.

Mother-of-two Harriet, a professional musician and singer-songwriter from Chichester, West Sussex, said Susan loved the outdoors, gardening and beachcombing, so she has found solace in nature before and since her death.

Feeling “lost” earlier this year, Harriet, who is semi-retired, decided to “detox”, create a journal, and listen to podcasts – and suddenly decided she wanted to “explore the world on foot”.

Now she is walking solo for 900 miles (1,448km) from Land’s End to John O’Groats, camping in a small tent or staying in Airbnbs, bed-and-breakfasts and pubs, while travelling through places such as Wales, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Northumberland to raise £25,000 for the charity Dementia Adventure.

She will walk along country lanes, on footpaths and on trails for 15 to 20 miles per day, equating to around eight to 10 hours, stopping at cafes, shops and pubs to refuel herself along the way.

Her journey is being documented in a podcast called “The D Tour”, featuring anecdotes, guest interviews with experts and celebrities like singer Tony Christie, who lives with dementia, and music and poetry.

Harriet told PA Real Life: “I believe you’re never too old to have an adventure.

“Every step of this walk is going to be meaningful as it represents the 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia, a condition I know a lot about because of my late mother.

“I’m walking for her, to challenge the perceptions that exist around dementia, and to promote the benefits that nature can have on people living with the condition.”

Speaking about her message to other women of her age, she said: “When I started walking more, I discovered that all my aches and pains went away.

“When you reach 60, you think ‘I’m just getting old’, but I have just felt so amazing physically and so confident and I want to give everyone a nudge to just try it.”

Harriet’s mother Susan, a Liberal Democrat politician who was given the title of Baroness Thomas of Walliswood OBE, attained a double first from Oxford and Cambridge and became deputy speaker of the House of Lords.

Harriet, who has two children – Lily, 30, and Milo, 27 – described Susan as a “brilliant mother and wonderful grandmother” and said she loved “the little details of nature”.

At the age of 77, Susan was diagnosed with dementia – but she and Harriet’s late father David were “in total denial” at first.

Harriet said Susan “retained the essence of who she was” – a loving, kind, intelligent and generous person – but her dementia caused her to experience a lack of emotional regulation, memory loss, and confusion.

“She deteriorated rapidly… We still enjoyed some fabulous moments, but someone had to continually be with her to help her manage what was happening,” Harriet said.

“Later on, social services came around and she was sectioned because she was leaving the house, wandering, and she wouldn’t take her medication.”

Harriet found it difficult to accept her mother’s diagnosis at first, but she wanted to “make each moment for her as happy as possible” before Susan died peacefully at a care home in October 2023.

“All three of us – I have two siblings – were there when she died, and I’m not a religious person, but I would say it was a very sacred experience,” Harriet said.

“I felt very honoured to be there and I felt very lucky that I could take part in her death… and now she’s off to her next stage.”

After Susan’s death, Harriet said she discovered she “wanted more adventure in life” and this led her to start walking every day, which has improved her overall physical and mental wellbeing.

However, earlier this year, she felt she was in a period of transition and did not know what to do next – until the idea of exploring the world on foot popped into her head.

She realised there were still many places she had not visited in the UK, and she therefore decided to embark on a 900-mile walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

After telling a friend whose husband works at Dementia Adventure – which helps people with dementia access the wellbeing benefits of the outdoors and nature through supported holidays and training – she decided to plan the walk, aiming to raise £25,000 for the charity.

Her journey began on August 1 and will finish on October 26, provided everything goes to plan.

Her biggest challenges thus far have been walking up and down steep cliffs along the South West Coast Path, along with scorching weather and tiredness – and although the journey is “mainly physical”, Harriet has found it mentally challenging as well.

She hopes to reach Derbyshire by September 1 as this marks the start of World Alzheimer’s Month.

Harriet said friends and colleagues from Dementia Adventure have joined her for sections of the walk, which has been “wonderful”, and she has been lucky with the weather, only having to wear her rain gear two or three times so far.

When she has found the walking challenging, she has thought of her mother to keep her going.

“Sometimes I’ll just be walking and I’ll see the daisies… and we used to make daisy chains, so I’ll think of her,” Harriet said.

“Or I’ll look at the sky and say ‘OK, Mum, I’m here. It’s all going well. Can you please make sure it doesn’t rain?’

“I remember her all the time, but always in nature because she loved nature.”

Harriet said she has been listening to audio books while walking and, thankfully, she has not developed any blisters yet.

She hopes that by sharing her story and talking about dementia on “The D Tour” podcast she will help raise awareness and change perceptions.

She thinks she will feel very emotional when she crosses the finish line and said she may need a moment to “sob (her) heart out”.

“For me, adventure is a state of mind, and it goes back to what my mum taught me – it’s seeing the magic in everyday things,” Harriet said.

“You don’t have to be a daredevil, you don’t have to be uber-fit, but I think it helps to push your boundaries – and it builds your confidence doing something you think you can’t do.

“So, whatever your adventure is, it’s about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and being present and then you’ll find adventure and joy and wonder.

“It’s just there, waiting for you to open your eyes and see it.”

For more information and to follow Harriet’s progress, visit: dementiaadventure.org/dtour.