Story of isle's first car inspires 1,000-mile trip
Karen Jenkins and her partner travelled to Berneray in a modern Morgan Super 3
- Published
A woman is making a 1,000-mile round trip between her home in the West Midlands and the Hebrides in a three-wheeled car to raise awareness about secondary cancer.
Karen Jenkins was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer last year - 16 years after she was first treated for the disease.
The idea for a road trip first came up two years ago when she and her partner Dave, an engineer with motor company Morgan, visited the Western Isles and came across the story of Berneray's first car - a 1923 Morgan Runaround, which arrived on the isle in the 1930s.
The couple have now travelled in a modern three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 by road and ferry to Berneray, raising funds for Cancer Research along the way.
They set off from home on Saturday and arrived on Monday.
The trip involved A and B roads from Tenby in Cumbria with stop offs in Cardross, in Argyll and Bute, and the Isle of Skye.
Ms Jenkins described driving the Super 3 as being like part-car-part-motorbike.
The couple resurrected an idea they had two years ago for a road and ferry trip in Morgan three-wheeler
The journey was partly inspired by the story of Berneray's Morgan
She hopes her journey helps to raise awareness of the risks of secondary cancer.
Ms Jenkins' was diagnosed after she struggled to shake off a persistent cough.
Worried she had pneumonia, she asked her doctor for an x-ray.
She added: "I also asked them to look at my medical history."
After an x-ray, she was asked to return to hospital for a CT scan and that along with biopsies confirmed secondary breast cancer.
Ms Jenkins said: "I think the message from me is to not be afraid to speak to the doctor and not be afraid to remind them of any history you have got.
"They are so busy and they cannot know everything about everybody."
Ms Jenkins hopes to raise awareness of secondary cancer
The 1923 Morgan Runaround was first owned by a solicitor in Lewis, before it was later bought by Berneray grocer Finlay Paterson.
It arrived on the small island on the deck of a fishing boat.
The car was used until the 1950s before being left in a shed for 30 years.
It was rescued in the late 1980s and following a seven-year restoration project was placed in the care of Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland.
The vehicle is currently on loan to Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway, Lewis.
The Morgan Super 3 parked in Berneray