‘I met my girlfriend on 1,300-mile charity hike from John O’Groats to Land’s End – now we’re starting van life together’

A man from Peterborough who hiked the length of the UK with his border collie over three months has praised the kindness of strangers he met along the way – including his now-girlfriend, who he met on the trail.

Finley Goodhew, 27, undertook the ambitious John O’Groats to Land’s End walk between June and September 2025 to raise money for Sue Ryder in memory of close family friend Elliot Roseblade, who spent his final days at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough following a bowel cancer diagnosis at the end of 2024.

“Elliot was my mum’s best mate, so had always been around since I was little,” Finley told PA Real Life.

“He was the funniest guy ever and would always make us laugh.

“He had bowel cancer, and it was all pretty quick. He found out about it, and then six months later, he passed.

“The care Sue Ryder gave him sounded really good, so it was definitely the charity that I wanted to do the walk for.”

Following Elliot’s passing, his family and friends came together to do a 10-mile pub crawl in the local area.

“The little pub crawl we did for him in the local area sparked something and made me think that I could walk further and raise money in memory of him,” said Finley.

Finley began his wild camping adventure in June last year and uploaded daily updates of the challenge with his beloved dog Reggie on Instagram and Facebook, under the handle finandreg, and bumped into his now partner, 31-year-old Lauren McGeorge, during week two.

“It was day 19, and I just remember her coming over the hill on West Highland Way and she stopped to say hi to Reg. We had a little chat and I gave her my Instagram and waited to hear from her,” said Finley.

This brief interaction stayed in Lauren’s mind.

“I thought Fin and Reg were so cool. I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was in the beginning, but I just had this feeling that I’d see him again,” said Lauren.

“I remember just watching his videos every day on Instagram and it was really lovely because I really missed walking after I finished the West Highland Way walk with my family, and watching his videos felt like part of me was still walking.

“I’ve always loved walking and hiking since I was really little, so it was great to meet someone who loved it equally as much.”

After a few weeks of texting and calls, Finley invited Lauren to join him for a week of his challenge.

“The week I had with Lauren was definitely one of the best weeks that I had during the whole challenge,” said Finley.

“I thought it would be the worst stretch of the walk because Reg had hurt his paw so was off for a week or two so I was feeling low, but then Lauren joined me and it was amazing.

“I was wild camping 90% of the time during the challenge, but when I was with Lauren we met a couple at a pub and they asked us if we wanted to stay with them for a night and washed our clothes and cooked us dinner.”

Finley reflected on how his confidence grew throughout the trip.

“The trip really helped build my confidence and I learnt that I can talk to anyone,” said Finley.

“I’d spend hours and hours by myself walking, so as soon as I saw another person I got so excited to have a little chat. It was so lovely to meet so many like-minded people.

“People were so kind, they would give Reg a sausage or would buy me a drink.”

During the difficult times, Finley said that the generous donations kept him going.

“Some days when I was low I would see a donation and it would give me a massive boost to keep going,” said Finley.

Finley and Reggie reached the end of his 1,300-mile walk in Land’s End, Cornwall, in September and celebrated raising more than £3,600 with his family and friends.

Following the walk, Finley and Lauren stayed in touch and discovered that they had similar visions for the future.

This January, Lauren packed up her life in bustling Edinburgh to move into Finley’s van, and the pair now reside in the beautiful countryside of Tayport, just below Dundee.

Finley currently does irrigation on a golf course and Lauren works in a care home, and they explore Scotland’s breathtaking landscapes together with Reggie in their spare time.

“I have lived in Cornwall for the last nine years, and in my van for three years, and Lauren had plans to save up and buy her own van so I just thought, why don’t we move into my van together,” said Finley.

“Living in a van is a simple life, and we enjoy the freedom of it. I work 11 days in a row, but then get three days off so we always try to get away for those three days and explore Scotland.”

Lauren agreed, adding: “It’s so beautiful here. There’s a huge forest called Tentsmuir Forest, which is right next to the sea. Everyone is so friendly and very laid-back.

“Walking is a medicine for me, just being in the trees or next to the sea is like meditation.”

They are currently saving up for a big hiking trip and have big plans for the future.

“Our visions for the future have both merged, which is really lovely. I always thought this way of life was just a dream, but now that I have met Fin, everything feels real and amazing,” said Lauren.

“Right now we are saving up to do a big hiking trip in Scotland and maybe in Europe. In the long term, we want to find a big plot of land and build a container house, and maybe have a campsite one day.”