An Aberfoyle father and daughter pairing who have walked the length of the UK in support of autism awareness insist this is only the beginning of their adventures.
Ian Alderman and his eight-year-old daughter Eve committed to taking on the hike from Dunnet Head - the most northerly point in the UK - to Lizard Point beyond Land’s End.
The pair reached the end point of their challenge last week after 280 days of on and off walking since setting off at the beginning of March.
The trek was to raise awareness and support for the National Autistic Society and for autism awareness more generally, a cause close to both of their hearts as both live with the condition.
They took on the journey - with dedicated support from wife Sarah along the way - camping out in all weathers and walking for several miles a day across trail routes and roads up and down the UK.
But despite the marathon effort, the pair insist they are ready to take on more challenges and continue to spread the word about autism awareness.
Ian said: “The main feeling is a sense of accomplishment and achievement to do something beyond our expectations and perceived limitations both as individuals and as a family unit.
“There has been personal development as well because Eve is a lot more confident now, she is happier to engage and push herself into situations because she knows she can manage.
“The biggest thing we learned along the way by far was the people we met and the messages we got, they just went well above and beyond all expectations of humanity that I had before.
“I sincerely and deeply hope we can pass that kindness and generosity back because there are a hell of a lot of people out there who want to do good deeds and not receive anything for it.
“The whole trip has definitely set a real fire in our bellies, to do more adventures and push ourselves outside of our comfort zone - Eve is already rattling off plans and ideas.”
The family have been sharing their daily updates via videos and posts on their ‘Our Spectrum Adventures’ social media pages - with people responding from all over the world to the pair’s efforts.
“The way it has been shared on social media has been remarkable and we even got recognised in Tesco in Stirling recently so it’s mindblowing how far it seems to have got,” Ian added.
“I remember sitting in a tent after the first few weeks crying and wondering how we were going to do this but it’s about finding that little bit of strength - whether that’s a cuddle from a loved one, a phone call or even just an ice cream.
“We have that fire in our bellies now, Eve has always wanted to climb Everest and that’s how this walk got started and so she has that desire to do something else like you wouldn’t believe.”
