Rosie Unsworth

I come from a family of adventurers. Most of my ancestors left Italy or Austria to try their luck in Brazil and, following in their footsteps, I am an adventure-seeker also.

Being the first Brazilian person to walk the entire coast of a country seemed a pretty interesting challenge so, in April 2013, I set off from Chepstow to Chester. While this walk was a personal challenge, I also fundraised for WaterAid, a charity providing access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene education to some of the poorest communities in the world.

I knew I would find some difficulties along the way but I had a pretty solid motto ‘I will quit tomorrow.’ That thought kept me going when camping on cold nights and carrying an unnecessarily heavy rucksack up the hills and into the rain.

I loved every inch of the Wales Coast Path, but particularly loved the stretch between Freshwater West and Angle, where I had a fall and landed in a ledge between the path and the sheer cliff. It was a magical place where solitude was broken only by the crying of marine birds and the sea drumming at the bottom of the cliffs. The wonderful smell of the yellow flowering gauze impregnating my nostrils and the fresh breeze blowing in on my face and hair reminding me how lucky I was to be there.

I could not have walked all of the path without the support of my family, friends and all the wonderful people I met along the way.

As for my next adventure I might canoe the entire Amazon River or climb Kilimanjaro but one thing is for sure, the Welsh coast will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

• Feeling inspired but want a walk that’s more manageable? Click here for great walking routes along the Welsh coast. Choose your ideal region and then select whether you want a short (under 5 miles) or a long route (over 5 miles).