AFTER 18 days and 500 miles, they arrived bang on time in London to complete an outstanding effort made by the Tartan Spartans, Wren Chapman and Karl Claridge, who have now walked 1000 miles for independence.
In their walk from Holyrood, down through the south of Scotland and the north of England to London, they have been raising awareness about the cause of Scottish independence.
Crossing the Border from Gretna Green to Carlisle they were on a brave venture of trying to help a Brexit-paralysed part of the UK to become aware, or at least try to understand, why Scotland needs to become an independent country.
Their journey to that point was done in the teeth of a storm, and they spent their first few days battling gale-force winds and torrential rain, which, to say the least, came close to defeating their mission.
READ MORE: The 1000-mile indy marchers are almost at Westminster
Their resolve to make the walk a success, however, returned with brighter weather, and they continued south, determined to get much further than symbolic Derby. Arriving in London on Thursday morning right on schedule, they had sore feet and tired limbs, but were extremely happy to have completed their journey into Westminster.
They were greeted with champagne on arrival by a small band of supporters amid curious glances from bemused passers by. Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, made a point of coming out from the House of Commons to congratulate the pair who started their first 500-mile walk last year at Portree on Skye, in the MP’s own constituency.
Though you might not have thought it if you just read the English press, there was considerable interest from the media, including Polish radio, Australian television, BBC and STV.
Chapman said told the O mundo de Pilar-Aymara indy website: “We are delighted to have got here, it still feels a little bit surreal. Several of the SNP MPs came out to greet us and then they bought us lunch and were absolutely lovely.
“As we walked down the country there has been a bit of a butterfly effect because we have been able to talk to people living not just in Scotland but across England and it is spreading the idea that there is an independence movement that is alive and well in Scotland.”
READ MORE: All Under One Banner searching for new march location
Claridge said: “Right now the body hasn’t got used to the fact that it’s not still having to walk, and even when we got here there was promotional stuff and meeting the politicians and posing for photos and such.
“The MPs who came out were extremely interested in what we did and there were a lot of people around who were curious about us, particularly because there was a Brexit [demonstration] at the same time and it was clear we were representing something different.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel