Charity fundraiser summits Scottish peaks for Cancer Research UK
A Plymouth based charity fundraiser is celebrating his return to Devon having scaled the dizzying heights of 27 Scottish mountains in just 18 days.
Forty four year old Matthew Young spent more than two weeks living in a van which he used to drive himself from one location to another.
Parking up at the foot of one of the Scottish mountains, Matthew would take a rucksack containing biscuits, a basic survival kit (and a flask of hot tea) with him before making his ascent.
A selfie at the summit of one of the 27 mountains climbed by Matthew Young.
Image provided by Matthew Young.
Using his mobile phone as his map and compass, he was able to scale the highest mountain in every region of Scotland – along with a number of the Scottish islands.
His quest has seen him raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK. He spent months planning and training for the trek.
‘I climbed 27 mountains,’ explains Matthew who recalls that not all of the climbing was plain sailing.
Stunning scenary greeted Matthew Young at the summit of each of the 27 mountains.
Image provided by Matthew Young.
‘There was one moment where I had each hand on a clump of grass and I was practically vertical. The clouds cleared and I could see a drop of hundreds of feet. My knees started shaking and I froze.’
‘It hit me for several seconds. I’ve never had that happen before and I was a little bit worried,’ he laughs, before adding that he found a different way down. On another occasion he became disorientated and lost his bearings.
Matthew Young’s Mountain Challenge has seen him raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK. Image provided by Matthew Young.
‘The clouds came in and it was a big top mountain’
‘I got lost and it took 11 hours to find my van again. The clouds came in and it was a big top mountain. I was just disorientated. I had never experienced disorientation before so I just picked a direction to go in – and I picked the wrong way.’
Fortunately, Matthew was able to regain a mobile phone signal so he could navigate himself back to some semblance of safety.
‘I found a waterfall and followed it all the way down and found where I was on Google maps. I eventually found my way back through bogs and marshland. I was soaking wet and cold. It was good fun.’
‘Back in the van, I don’t have much to warm myself up with, but, I do have a bed and I have a stove, a gas stove, so I can cook bacon and have a cup of tea.’
‘I have dry clothes and there’s a sofa and toilet. It’s basically a camper van which I kitted out with the help of my Dad.’
Home comforts in Matthew’s converted van helped him complete his mountain challenge.
Matthew is a tireless fundraiser for the charity and dedicates himself to quietly standing alongside a Cancer Research UK collection tin at supermarkets across the region. His goal to raise money comes from his own personal experiences.
‘Both my Granddads and my uncle had died of cancer. I had a scare myself. And I had a cousin in Portsmouth who had a leg amputated when she was 20. She died in 2017.’
Matthew is now setting his sights on his next venture. As with all of his quests, there is a tremendous amount of preparation which goes into what he does to try to make sure he can make it as safe as he possibly can.
‘For my next venture, I have permission from a land owner to stay on an uninhabited island for a whole month. I’ll be on my own.’
A source of inspiration for his treks has been a real fondness for poetry. Nature has provided a colossal amount of inspiration for Matthew on his walks.
It gives him the opportunity to reflect on the modern world when juxtaposed to the natural environment. It was a theme he was keen to explore in his poem: Junction.
Junction
Money, money, money, construction, consumption, destruction
It’s how we’re programmed to function
Will we notice life’s next junction
Or simply drive by without noticing the option?
Always too preoccupied
We simply let life pass us by
I want to live not merely to survive
Work, work, work, earn that money
Work, work, work, this isn’t funny
Too many people waste their lives
Oh when, oh when will people realise
There’s more to life than work and money
The hands of time wait for nobody
One day you wake up retired
And wonder what you’ve done since childhood
Nobody gets to relive their time again
So make the most of yours
While you’ve got the option
The next time you come to a junction
Think it over and give your life some consideration.