A blind walker who wanted to “inspire others” by hiking along the Cleveland Way has completed his trek.
BBC Online reported that Andrew Elliker-Reeve, who lives at Beeford in East Yorkshire, challenged himself to live “life to the full” after losing his sight in 2020.
He delivered on his commitment by spending two weeks walking the 110-mile (177km) route across North Yorkshire with the help of volunteers.
The 64-year-old, who was raising money for Guide Dogs UK, told the BBC it showed sight loss “doesn’t stop you doing things”.
The Cleveland Way starts in Helmsley and runs through the North York Moors before reaching Saltburn-by-the-Sea, where it becomes a coastal route past Whitby and Scarborough to its finish in Filey.
Mr Elliker-Reeve, who in May 2022 became the first blind man to walk the 79-mile (127km) Wolds Way, said he took on the Cleveland Way because he was “just trying to prove to me and to everybody else that [losing your sight] doesn’t stop you doing things”.
He added: “I suddenly went blind three-and-a-half years ago. There’s no sitting back, saying ‘poor me’. There’s a big world out there and you can still be part of it.”
Mr Elliker-Reeve, who documented his exploits on his Travelling Blind blog, has raised more than £6,000 for the guide dog charity along the way.
He said it was a cause that had become dear to him since losing his sight.
“As time went on, I realised I didn’t need a guide dog, but lots of people do, so we decided we’d devote our time to raising money for them,” he said.
