Cancer survivor on final stretch of 11,000-mile trek

Ursula Martin originally set the challenge at 10,000 miles but it has since increased to just more than 11,000 miles

A Derbyshire woman who survived ovarian cancer is nearing the end of an 11,000-mile (16,093km) challenge she began to raise awareness of the disease.

Since her diagnosis in 2012, Ursula Martin, from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, has walked 3,700 miles (5,954km) around Wales, 5,550 miles (8,931km) across 16 countries in Europe and is now concluding the challenge with a 1,735 mile (2,792km) walk from Land's End to John O'Groats.

The 45-year-old, who now lives in Powys, Wales, said she started her challenge by walking 200 miles (321km) to her first hospital appointment following surgery relating to her cancer in Bristol, in 2014.

Ms Martin is currently camped north of Inverness and is set to finish her trek in Cornwall on 5 October.

Ms Martin has completed most of the challenge on her own

Ms Martin said walking was the "most simplest, accessible way to have an adventure".

She said: "I think it (the diagnosis) just showed me, don't waste any time for sure.

"Why sit there and think about all the things you'd like to do and then never do them?"

The writer and rambler said her stage 1A ovarian cancer diagnosis was caught at an early stage.

"It's quite often not diagnosed until it's stage 3 or 4 because the symptoms are difficult to spot.

"I got very lucky and it happened to be a blip in my life rather than something that fundamentally changed it," said Ms Martin.

As well as walking to raise awareness of the disease, Ms Martin has also raised £15,000 for cancer charities along the way.

Ms Martin said she has walked in different climates, including a snowstorm in Spain

Ms Martin said she had been documenting her journey on her website and had completed most of the challenge on her own.

"I don't mind being on my own and I'm not really scared of camping anymore. It just feels completely normal now.

"I always say if anyone wants to come and walk with me, come out. It's really nice to have people join you along the way and you meet people as you're going along as well," she said.

Despite setting a goal to walk 10,000 miles, Ms Martin said the total had now risen above the 11,000 mile mark.

She said the most recent Lands' End to John O'Groats challenge "started with an extra 400 miles" in Wales in March.

Ms Martin said she was unsure whether she would be able to complete the challenge especially after her European trek from Ukraine to Wales, which took nearly three years to finish.

"I thought it was the end after the Europe walk because everything hurt so much," she said.

"It was a really big effort, but this Lands' End to John O'Groats has shown me that I can still do it."

Ms Martin said she will more than likely take on smaller challenges in the future.