A woman walking the entire coastline of the United Kingdom passed through Burnham-On-Sea on Friday (January 2nd) as part of her epic 11,000‑mile challenge.
Blue Wilson, 51, a local government employee from North Yorkshire, has been tackling the huge route in stages since setting off from the Yorkshire coast in 2020.
She has already completed 4,097 miles over 238 days of walking, fitting each section around her job and funding the journey herself.
Her progress was briefly halted earlier in 2025 when she suffered heat exhaustion while walking between Port Isaac and Bude during July’s hot weather.
Undeterred, she returned in September to continue into Devon, and is now using her Christmas holiday to fill in the 27‑mile stretch she was forced to miss.
After spending Christmas Day in Bude with her supporter Andrew, Blue set off again on Boxing Day to complete the missing section over two days. She then returned to Combe Martin — where she finished in October — to resume her route eastwards towards Minehead and Weston-super-Mare.
Her October arrival in Combe Martin came with an unexpected highlight when her host’s local skittles team celebrated her first-ever attempt at the game, after she bowled a spare following a gruelling five‑day hike from Bude.
That stretch, which includes the steep ascents and descents around Hartland Quay, is widely regarded as one of the toughest parts of the entire UK coastline, with elevation gains likened to climbing the Matterhorn.
“Despite its many challenges, I have loved walking the Cornwall and Devon stretch,” said Blue. “I have met some wonderful, friendly and supportive people along the way.”
Blue walked through Burnham-On-Sea on Friday, January 2nd, as part of a 20‑mile day from Bridgwater to Brean along the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Her challenge is also raising money for two marine charities — Surfers Against Sewage and Sea Changers — with more than £7,000 donated so far. See her fundraising page.
Along the way she has witnessed both the beauty and the fragility of the UK’s coastline. “Our coastline is so utterly diverse and many of the amazing things I’ve seen are inaccessible unless you walk to them,” she said. “I’ve also witnessed the dramatic acceleration in coastal erosion, especially along the east and south coast.”
“Plastic pollution never ceases to shock me. The effects of plastic, pollution and raw sewage discharges on wildlife in our rivers, lakes and coastline are catastrophic.”
Blue has also encountered some unexpected hazards, including a moment early in her journey when she found herself walking across a Yorkshire beach scattered with potentially unexploded ordnance. The area had once been used as an MOD practice range, and a cliff collapse had left shells exposed across the sand. See her fundraising page here.
