Adventure athlete and mental health advocate Becky Gilmour completed a remarkable journey last year by skateboarding the entire Wild Atlantic Way, a coastal route stretching approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) along Ireland’s west coast. Gilmour, 26, who hails from Banbridge, Northern Ireland, became the first person to complete this feat on a skateboard, carrying a 15-kilogram pack that included her tent, supplies, and occasionally paint.

The Wild Atlantic Way extends from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal, northern Ireland, down to Kinsale in County Cork in the south, featuring terrain with a cumulative elevation gain nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. The route’s challenging weather and difficult hills tested Gilmour’s endurance and resolve. Despite limited skateboarding experience and a concussion that sidelined her the previous year, she covered between 20 and 60 kilometers (12 to 37 miles) daily, often skating through storms and damp conditions that made it difficult to dry her gear.

Gilmour undertook the journey to cope with the grief of losing a close friend to suicide during the COVID-19 lockdown, when she was unable to attend the funeral. The experience prompted her to undertake a challenge that also aimed to raise awareness about mental health issues. She raised £15,000 for the suicide prevention charity Samaritans, emphasizing that every £10 donated funds a potentially life-saving call to the organization.

Throughout the six-and-a-half-month expedition, Gilmour avoided walking up hills despite the steep inclines, preferring to skate them as a way to complete the challenge on her own terms. She occasionally extended her journey by visiting coastal islands accessible by ferry or paddleboard. Early in the trip, she experienced a significant fall on a mountain road, which led her to adopt a more cautious approach to the challenge.

Beyond the physical demands, Gilmour said the support from strangers she encountered along the way made the journey feel less solitary. She reflected on those interactions as some of the most memorable moments of the expedition. Since completing the Wild Atlantic Way route, Gilmour has continued her adventure pursuits, currently engaged in a solo paddleboarding trip across Ireland, covering approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Gilmour has built a social media following exceeding 30,000 on Instagram, where she openly discusses mental health and shares insights from her adventures. She credits her travels and physical challenges as key components in managing her mental health and honoring the memory of her late friend.