Edoardo, the Heritage Hero, marches home!
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
After five weeks on the road, walking hundreds of miles and visiting 23 closed historic properties, the arrival at his final destination of Haddo House of Edoardo Bedin, the nation's Heritage Hero, on Sunday is just over the horizon.
Over the course of the last month and more, Edoardo has been showered with hospitality, goodwill and support as he crossed the country from Aberdeen to Angus, Fife, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Arran, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire, Dundee, Kindcardineshire and back to Aberdeenshire again, taking a different route in each direction.
He has been featured in lots of local newspapers up and down the country, interviewed on TV and radio and people have gathered to cheer him on in villages and towns as he passed through.
As the guest of honour at many welcome parties, he has been gifted meals and nightly hospitality by generous Scots people, businesses and organisations, and he has seen a side of this country that he calls home, from a very different angle, a very uplifting one.
Even the makers of his footwear are supporting him by promoting what he is doing.
They are sending him new walking boots because he has worn the tread flat, having walked 800km on this epic journey.
Friday saw him make his way to Leith Hall where he received a warm welcome and today his his destination is Fyvie Castle and then on to the Peth of Minnonie route for his arrival back at Haddo Hall, via Pitmedden Gardens on Sunday afternoon.
His mission from the outset was to shine a light on the closed heritage properties looked after by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) across the nation; the future of these precious places hanging in the balance whilst the doors are closed, resulting from the COVID crisis.
During the course of his long walk Edoardo's own job with the National Trust for Scotland was made redundant , and one morning, last week, just before he hit the road for the day, he was interviewed by video call for a newly created role within the NTS.
During the course of his walk, with the help of the Scottish Government and a re-think on the part of the NTS, seven of the properties he visited are due to reopen again very soon.
The Haddo House Homecoming has to be a very small, private celebration, due to Covid restrictions for outdoor occasions, but Edoardo humbly asks that if you would like to celebrate with him, for achieving this mammoth marathon (19 marathons actually!) you can offer your support on his JustGiving page - Hitting the Road for the Love of Scotland.
All the money raised will go to help Scotland's historic properties reopen
Hitting the Road for the Love of Scotland final homecoming can be found at https://www.facebook.com/HittingTheRoadForTheLoveOfScotland/
& Instagram: @hittingtheroad4loveofscotland
