Kieran Sandwell, aged 45 from Hertfordshire, has named his challenge ‘A Trail of Two Hearts’ to mark the end of his long battle with heart disease.

Born with a heart defect known as the transposition of the great arteries, Kieran had open heart surgery aged three, a heart attack at 13, mini strokes at 21 before a full heart transplant at 38. After donating his old heart to BHF for research, Kieran wanted to raise money for the charity, and hatched the plan for this trek.

Kieran’s challenge is being backed by outdoor brand Berghaus, which has supplied Kieran with a wealth of kit to keep him warm, dry and comfortable on the road.

After setting out from the BHF head office in London in February, Kieran made his way up the east coast of England, calling at the Berghaus headquarters in Sunderland, where he was given a VIP tour of the facility.

Kieran said: “It was great to meet the team at Berghaus. Walking is such a brilliant way to maintain a healthy heart, so it’s really good that Berghaus is supporting my challenge.”

From Sunderland, Keith will trek up and around the Scottish coast this spring and summer before heading back down into England and Wales. The whole journey should be completed by December 2017.

• You can follow Kieran’s journey on his website. He is also looking for sponsorship and accommodation offers.
• For more information about heart disease visit the British Heart Foundation.
• Visit Berghaus to find out more about the high-performance apparel that is keeping Kieran warm and dry.