Too Big to Walk?

Click here for information about companies involved in the programme.

On Monday, August 7th an extraordinary journey began for eight seriously obese people. These over-weight people, from all walks of life, decided to take their obesity into their own hands and embark upon a walk from the south coast of England to Edinburgh in a bid to lose weight, get fit and inspire others. The hikers hope to complete the 560 miles to Edinburgh in eight weeks.

The march comes as Britain faces an obesity epidemic; half of the population are overweight and a fifth are clinically obese, risking early deaths. The solution appears to be simple: eat less of the wrong foods and do more exercise. Yet for many people binning junk food and getting off the sofa seems to be impossible. So the walk aims to give the participants a clear goal to focus on.

The route will take the walkers through some of the most picturesque areas in country. Starting in Devon they will walk through Taunton, Bristol and Chepstow before continuing north through Monmouth, Worcester, Birmingham, Stoke on Trent, Manchester, Preston, Blackpool, Morecambe, Carlisle, Hadrian's Wall and Hawick, before arriving in Edinburgh.

The four men and four women - who are aged between 20 and 44-years-old and weigh up to 32 stones - come from across the country. They have a variety of reasons for taking part in the walk, from health fears to a desire to gain confidence to change their career or have a relationship.

They have all undergone medical checks to ensure that they are capable of completing the walk safely and are being advised by a trained physiologist.

The walk is being filmed for a three-part Channel 4 series, The Great British March, coming soon.