Widow halfway through ‘healing’ 5,000-mile British coastline charity challenge

A widow walking 5,000 miles around the British coastline in memory of her late wife said she is “enjoying living in the moment” as she passed the halfway mark of her challenge.

Tracey Howe, a retired professor from Glasgow, has faced various challenges, including injuries and weather conditions, while covering the west and south coast of the country.

Ms Howe, 61, is also giving out 5,000 crocheted hearts along her walk to strangers to remind people of those they have loved and lost.

The mother-of-two started her coastline challenge from Glasgow last November and aims to finish there on October 31 2025.

Ms Howe, who lost her wife Angela of 37 years to blood cancer in September 2023, said the walking expedition has been an opportunity for her to process her grief.

“When I started, it was just a year since Angela had died, and I was really immersed in my grief,” Ms Howe told the PA news agency.

“I was crying a lot every day and shouting at the weather and battling the elements, because it was winter time.

“Sometimes I would call on Angela to give me a hand, to give me a push up the hill.”

Ms Howe, who is walking an average of 20 miles per day six days a week, hopes to raise £100,000, which will be split between five charities – Beatson Cancer Charity, Marie Curie, Brainstrust, Breast Cancer Now and CoppaFeel.

She said she has been encouraged by the support she has received so far, including from Olympian Tom Daley, who crocheted several pink hearts for her to “encourage more people to talk about their grief”.

Ms Howe lost her wife Angela to blood cancer, which she developed after recovering from an operation removing a benign tumour.

“I’ve spent a lot of time talking in my head trying to get a sense of what happened,” she said.

“It was a long, long journey and very complicated with different things.

“We never really had time to process the brain tumour before we were into blood cancer and one thing and another.

“There’s a lot of processing to do, and so I feel like I’ve had space and time to do that, because 99% of the time I’m on my own.”

Ms Howe, who has already covered 2,500 miles, hitting a number of significant landmarks including Land’s End and Lizard Point, said she has learned to enjoy living in the moment.

“What I’ve learned is that I am now enjoying living in the moment, soaking everything up. It’s easy to live for tomorrow but we need to make the most of each day,” she said

“I’m much more relaxed about changing plans if things go wrong or not to plan.

“The worst has happened so everything is now more in perspective.

“I encourage everyone who is grieving to take the first step out into the world – it’s truly a healing place.”

Ms Howe is currently walking through Kent and plans to spend the summer walking up the east coast of the UK in Norfolk and Yorkshire before heading to Scotland for the last leg of her journey.

To learn more about Ms Howe’s coastal challenge you can visit her fundraising page at: https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/4117/traceystrek/