Training Walk #1 – Clevedon to Portishead

Every big journey has to start somewhere, and today marked my very first official training walk for the 339-mile Steps Against Homophobia challenge.

With the main walk taking place in April 2027, it's time to start putting the miles into my legs. I chose the coastal path from Clevedon to Portishead, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

The views across the Bristol Channel were stunning. There were some beautiful stretches of coastline, plenty of fresh sea air, and a reminder of just how lucky we are to have places like this on our doorstep.

Of course, no first training walk was ever going to go completely to plan.

The path was incredibly overgrown in places, which made it feel like a proper adventure. Somewhere along the route I managed to trip over a few times, but thankfully escaped without any injuries. I did, however, end up with plenty of stinging nettle stings across my legs and arms.

Then came what I thought was a swarm of bees chasing me. My immediate reaction? Run!

After a slightly embarrassing amount of panic, I realised it was probably just a fly buzzing around my headphones the whole time. Despite the tumbles, nettles and my imaginary bee chase, I absolutely loved every minute of it.

Training isn't just about getting fitter. It's about getting used to being on my feet for hours, learning from every walk, and remembering why I'm doing this in the first place.

Every step brings me closer to April 2027, when I'll set off on a 339-mile journey from Axminster to Liverpool to raise awareness of homophobia in sport and show that sport should be a place where everyone feels welcome.

This walk may have only been 9.49km, but every long journey starts with a single step.

Here's to many more miles, hopefully with fewer nettles... and definitely fewer imaginary bee attacks.

Thank you to everyone who's supporting this journey already. Your encouragement means more than you know.