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Harriet takes a bit of a detour from the D Tour this week as she pops over to Lichfield in Staffordshire to meet pop legend Tony Christie and his wife Sue.

Tony is an ambassador for Music For Dementia and he shares his experience of living with dementia and how music is helping him thrive.

Music and sound plays an important role in so many people's lives and this episode explores those connections between nature, music and well being.

You’ll also hear from Sarah Metcalfe from the Utley Foundation who are sponsoring this episode and sharing all episodes on the M4D radio station.

You can listen to Harriet's playlist on Spotify. Each week she's adding songs to match her mood on her epic walk!

[SINGING] I missed my turning. I should have been up on another path. But guess what? I'm here.

The D Tour podcast is proudly sponsored by Macs Adventure. That's M A C S for Macs. Macs Adventure specialises in self guided walking and cycling holidays for independent, active people who don't want to be part of the crowd or restricted by set dates and schedules. They encourage you to go at your own pace whilst they support you with all of the routes and logistics for a worry free adventure. It's 8.30 in the morning on a beautiful day. There's not a cloud in the sky, there's a very slight chill in the air. That was a little duck on the canal. And I love canals.

I love walking by canals. We have a lovely canal in Chichester that I have spent many happy hours walking up and down. One of the things I like about canals is that you can walk along the same canal day after day and the water is never the same. It may look murky, sometimes it looks crystal clear, sometimes you can see all, sometimes it seems like you can see every leaf of the trees alongside the bank reflected in the water. And sometimes it's a beautiful pattern of ripples. And I love the birds, the ducks, the coots, the moorhens. And I always find it a very peaceful place to walk. Of course, the towpath is nice and flat, so it's lovely walking, easy walking, and it has a little bit of that sensation that you have when you're walking on the Sout West coast path in Cornwall, you always have the sea. Because I was walking east, I always had the sea on my left, and it was like a sort of constant in its different colours and different moods, but always there. And it's like that when you walk along a canal, it's just there. This beautiful water is a constant and it's very grounding somehow, which is funny because it's water, but somehow it's very grounding to have that water next to you. And as I'm walking, I'm just realising how calm I'm feeling. And I think it's a combination of the calm water of the canal, the calm air. There's no wind at all, the beautiful sunny sky. Even though there's that big roar of the traffic, I've got a deep calm, and this is one of the beautiful states of being that I find walking can provide me.

As I walk, usually on my own, I'm reminded of how sound surrounds us. The gentle ripples of the canal, the rustling leaves, the distant hum of traffic. There's music in all of it, a kind of soundtrack to this journey. It's a reminder that even when we're not consciously listening, we're always tuned in, connecting to the rhythm of life in ways we may not even realise.

04:36 [METAL GATE OPENING] I think that's the most musical gate I've walked through so far. It's kind of like bells ringing.

In today's episode, we're going to dive into that idea, how music, in all its forms, shapes our lives and brings us together. From the songs we remember to the melodies that lift our spirits, music has a unique way of connecting us to ourselves and to each other. There's a rhythm in everything we do, our movements, our thoughts, even the way we connect with the world around us. Music really does form the soundtrack to our lives. On that note, each week I've been adding songs to a playlist that reflect different parts of my journey. This week, I'm definitely adding Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush. That's because this week I had an amazing walk. I was with my daughter and we were walking along the Pennine Way from Hebden Bridge to Cowling, and we crossed Haworth Moor and Ickornshaw Moor.

And along that amazing route is a house called Withering Heights. And the whole area is very much associated with the Bronte sisters. They used to stay there a lot. And Withering Heights is said to be the inspiration for the house Wuthering Heights. That was the centre of the book of the same name written by Emily Bronte. So of course Lily and I had to do a bit of Kate Bush expressive dancing while singing Wuthering Heights when we got to that part of the walk. And I've got to say it was a very misty, rainy day. And a perfect, moody, atmospheric feel that really conjured up that strange mood of the book. Wuthering Heights. The second song that I'd like to add to the playlist is a totally different vibe. It's "Happy" and that song actually is associated with exactly the same walk. It just so happened that as we were coming down into the village of Cowling. Somewhere, it sounded like there was a party going on or something was definitely happening because there was a lot of music coming from somewhere. And the first song that was drifting over the moors towards us was the song happy. And we were kind of happy because. We were coming down into cowling and we knew that very soon we were going to be putting the kettle on and having a nice cup of tea. And cooking our dinner.

So if you'd like to find out what else is on the playlist, you can find it on the dtour.uk website. That's D T O U R dot UK and it's also available on Music for Dementia Radio www.m4dradio.com We're going to hear from Sarah Metcalfe from the Utley Foundation later in this episode. The Utley Foundation has been generous enough to sponsor this episode and share it each week on their m station. Music for Dementia is an incredible organisation, raising awareness about the life changing effects that music can have on people living with dementia. Their work to make music an integral part of dementia care is truly inspiring.

So I'm just thinking about how music and walking and nature intersect. And I guess there's two ways. When you're walking, especially if you're walking over a long distance, you have a rhythm. You walk in a rhythm, don't you? You can probably hear my feet now. And that rhythm itself can be, for me, the inspiration for a song. So the rhythm just suggests something somehow. But also music and walking, for me, kind of perform the same function. They're a way of expressing myself, they're a way of releasing emotion.

So when I write music, I get totally caught up in the music. It's a totally 100% mindful experience. Time stops still and I. You're just in the composition. And walking can be like that too. Sometimes when I'm walking, time stops still. I'm just kind of almost on automatic and my mind kind of goes into some blank but very, very peaceful flow.Harriet Thomas

[SINGING]

I remember watching a video recently that reminded me how deeply we're connected to sound, even from before we're born. It spoke about how our brains and bodies are actually wired for music. From the moment we start to hear, music becomes this powerful tool that shapes how we feel, how we communicate, and how we remember. It's not just a background noise. It's something that can lift us up, help us focus, and even soothe us when things get tough, help us to cry, scream, love and hope. It supports us with all of our emotions, positive and negative. Sound is a constant in most of our lives, whether it's the songs we sang as children or the tunes that instantly take us back to a moment in time. Music has this incredible ability to connect us.

I think that's why, especially for people living with dementia, music can be such a powerful tool. It doesn't matter if you play a whole song or just hum a few bars, the impact is there. It's about those little moments of connection, of remembering and of feeling something familiar. In fact, if you're deaf or hard of hearing, you can literally feel music on the skin. Because music is, of course, a sound wave. Music is much more than just something we listen to. It's part of who we are. And as we move through life, just like I'm moving through this journey, the rhythm of it is always there, helping us to feel grounded, connected and a little more alive.

It brings me back to this story that Anne McKiernan told me in the Biddeford music memory cafe a few weeks ago now.

A retired GP, Richard, who's amazing, went off and did a course on storytelling, reading poetry. And so I, of course, invited him to come to our Christmas party. So Richard came and he was reading poetry and, you know, he'd chosen some lovely stuff and people were joining in. And then he said, now I'm going to. And he's very quietly spoken, I'm going to sing the next poem. And amongst the cafe members, there was one lady who used to come with her partner and her sister and brother in law. And this lady used to be a great singer. Years ago.

She used to sit with her eyes closed, so you couldn't really have much of a conversation with her. But I knew her well and she loved coming. And he started to sing. The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat. And as he carried on, we realised suddenly that there were two voices and no one moved. It was just spellbinding, he realised, and he leant forward slightly towards her. She had her eyes closed and she was singing with him. He had reached down into that moment and she sang the whole thing with him.

The power of music. I really do feel that story through my whole body when Anne tells it. Today's episode comes with a very special treat. After 30 days of walking, I took a literal detour off my route to visit Lichfield Cathedral, where I had the incredible opportunity to meet the legendary Tony Christie. As many of you know, Tony has been living with dementia, yet his musical gift remains as strong as ever. Meeting Tony and his wife Sue, was such a highlight of this journey. They were incredibly generous with their time, especially considering there were tv and radio crews there filming us? Yes, us. Little me and music icon Tony Christie.

Tony's spirit and the way he continues to share his music is deeply inspiring. His story is a testament to the fact that life doesn't end with a dementia diagnosis. He still performs beautifully, saying it's in his soul and that his ability to sing remains unaffected despite the challenges that he faces. That really moved me. It's a powerful reminder of how music reaches deeper than words, connecting us to who we are, no matter what we're going through. There's a special reason why we met at Lichfield Cathedral. Not only is it close to where Tony and Sue live, but Tony's grandchildren were choristers there when they were younger, so it holds a special place in Tony's heart. Tony also recently performed some of his biggest hits in front of a packed audience of 250 people as part of a dementia friendly service. This event was filmed for BBC's Songs of Praise, helping to raise awareness of the positive impact that music can have on people living with dementia. Raising the profile of dementia is something I'm deeply passionate about. I mean, I'm walking 900 miles just to do that. And moments like these show how important it is to continue sharing these stories. It's not just about raising awareness, it's about showing that people living with dementia can still live full, vibrant lives, whatever that means for you. I mean, not all of us are pop stars. So here I am talking to Tony Christie, the legend.

Do I sound just a little bit starstruck?

I was actually talking to a verger in the cathedral earlier on today, and he remembers your performance. And we were talking about how much singing has happened in this cathedral, like, over the centuries, and how the music is kind of absorbed in the stone.

It is, yeah. It is an amazing cathedral, I've got to be honest. And to actually go in there and say. And people say, will you sing? And we'll record. And I'm like, oh, my God, me sing in this cathedral? What next?

Whatever next? I would love to sing in that cathedral. I must say. It looks amazing. And I know that you're obviously, you know, you're a world renowned, incredible singer and performer and you have entertained people, you know, given so much pleasure over the years using your art. And I feel that now your art has a new meaning, in a sense, that you are telling people how important music and singing is for the brain and to keep us active and to keep us young and to ward off dementia.

Well, I'm an ambassador for Music For Dementia.

Yeah.

So, you know, it's important because I have. Three years ago I was diagnosed with dementia, the beginnings of it. So it's. I mean, you know, I do forget people's names, you know, little, little things that, you know, the main thing that upsets me was that all my life I've been a crossword addict, cryptic crosswords. And suddenly I discovered about three years ago, I suddenly having problems doing cryptic crosswords. And then I went to see the doctor, lady doctor, and she had me my brain scan and all this business, tests and they came and they said, yes, you've got a thing on your forehead front there. And it's part of a dementia.

But I think that the way you live your life is such an inspiration to anyone who's also had that dementia diagnosis and the wider public, because I feel like what you're showing people is that even if you have a diagnosis of dementia, you can still carry on, you know, life is still worth living. You can still contribute so much and enjoy so much.

Absolutely. I mean, it hasn't affected my singing at all. It's not affecting my voice, to be quite honest with you, for I have a screen on when I'm working with my lyrics for the songs because I do, you know, when I've recorded so many songs and albums and do album tracks, I can't remember lyrics, you know, and I'm not going to spoil the show for the audience. So I have a screen with my lyrics and I've done that for 15-20 years.

I can identify with that a lot. So I write a lot of children's music songs, a lot, and as soon as I've written one, it's gone and people will say, I love that song you wrote. And I'm like, can you play it? Because I can't remember it because I'm on to the next song. So that's how it is, isn't it?

It's very difficult, particularly when I'm doing songs from my albums which I, you know, people say, will you sing that song from album? Yes, I can, if I've got a screen in front of me with the lyrics.

I think. I don't think that's unusual. I think there's many singers. I came from a sort of singing jazz in functions and weddings and, you know, in that niche there's lots of singers who will have the lyrics up on their iPad, you know. So I don't think you're unusual.

No. I mean, some of the biggest. I mean, some of the biggest singers in the world, the Tony Bennett's and all this. I've been to see them and then. And they've had the screen in front of them with the lyrics.

My mum had dementia, and her big passion was gardening. And that's something that she continued to do, you know, and it continued to give her pleasure and it was meaningful for her. And that's where we would always go into the garden. I knew that was her happy place. And I think you're the same with singing. It's like singing is your essence. Music is your essence.

Yeah, it really is. Well, that's one of. One of the things, when I went to see the doctor about it, she says, you're very lucky because you're in the music business. And music is one thing that helps. It takes people's brain away from worrying, and if they hear music, they listen to the music.

Yeah. There's a lot of neuroscientific evidence to show that when we're participating in music, our brain is firing on all cylinders. And that's really, I think, what is the benefit of music apart from also, I think, its ability to connect us.

Yeah, I think so, yeah.

And I think one of the problems sometimes, perhaps with dementia and maybe just getting older, generally, is a feeling of isolation. But I think through singing, we. We somehow join together, don't we?

Absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yes. As I said before, the doctor, the lady doctor, told me that you're very lucky because you're in the music business.

Yeah.

And music is one of the things that diverts the brain away from, you know, you listen to music, you forget about all the problems you're having.

I really agree with that, and I kind of wish that we would all have, like, a nationwide sing in the morning, just like we used to have. You know, how you used to have singing in the morning at school? You know, I think if everyone just sang in the morning, like, together, did a nationwide sing off in every single morning, I think people would be happier, I think they'd be healthier, and I think we'd get on better.

I don't think my neighbours would like it.

I think your neighbours are probably about the only neighbours in the nation who would like it, because they've got Tony Christie as a neighbour.

They've been to our house today. This morning, sat at our kitchen table.

It's clear Tony's music and energy are as vibrant as ever. But behind every great artist is a fantastic supporter. And for Tony, that's his wonderful wife, sue. In fact, Sue invited me back to her kitchen table once I had finished chatting with Tony at the cathedral. Sue has been an incredible force. She even revealed she's a huge fan of Oasis, which brought a big smile to my face.

I am in the kitchen of Sue Christie, which has been so lovely, because after 29 days of walking and camping and staying in hotels, it's so nice to be in a real life kitchen, which is somebody's home with fruit on the table and kettles and bottles of oil and, you know, toasters and recipe books and everything that is just flowers, just. It just says home. And it's so lovely to be here with sue, and Sue has given us a lovely lunch of sandwiches and cake and tea. So it. It's like being at your mum's house, basically, and it's really gorgeous. Yeah. So I was speaking to Tony and he was telling me about how you met and it's such a romantic story. Was it romantic for you as well?

Yes, I think it was. Not at first, because, I mean, I was asked to go and see him in a club because I was working for a group of nightclubs and they wanted to book Tony, but they wanted a woman's point of view. And so I went with an Irish show band and they were friends of Tony's and I just thought, oh, he's a pop singer. And, you know, when I walked, I walked down towards the front of the stage and he'd already started to perform. He turned round to his bass player and his bass player laughed and I thought he was being rude, I thought he was being cheeky and erm. He didn't tell me straight away what he'd said, but he did keep ringing me to ask me out and I wouldn't go out with him. But after about two or three weeks, I said, okay, and his bass player told me what he'd said to him. I said, I thought he was being a bit rude and he said, no, he wasn't at all, he says, he turned round to me and said, I've just seen the girl I'm going to marry.

Tears all round. I love the way that you were sent to get a woman's point of view. And I guess. I guess he got a thumbs up then, didn't he?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I booked him for myself.

And I also love the way that you. This is such a family affair, isn't it? You know, Tony's whole career. I was reading somewhere where Tony was saying how, you know, you always come with him to gigs and then when you had, when the kids were small, you know, you maybe weren't able to come all the time and how that was so hard for him. Because he just wanted you to be there, you know, when he came off stage. And it's just such a beautiful story. And I just love the way his career is your joint career. It's like. It's really lovely.

Yes. Yeah. Well, I've travelled with him now for years because naturally the kids are grown up now. They've got their own kids. And it's easy. It's better for both of us. I'm not worrying about him.And he like, he likes me there.

Yeah.

Yeah. And we have fun.

Yeah.

We enjoy it and it makes work easier. Well, work isn't work to Tony. He loves, he just loves his work.

Yeah.

Yeah. Without it, he'd be miserable.

Yeah. And I guess that's why, obviously, he's had his diagnosis for dementia and, but he's still performing. He's still recording. So this morning we were, I would say probably about 2 hours, myself and Tony were talking to various people from the press and stuff like that. So that in itself was like one kind of little job, if you like. And then after that, he went straight to the studio to do his recording.

So it sounds like a schedule that would be busy for anyone, let alone someone who is. Am I right in saying he's 81?

Yes.

So someone who's 81 and someone who's had a dementia diagnosis. And I think that's such an inspiration because I think it's great that people know that he has a diagnosis, because I think he's showing people and raising awareness about how you can have a dementia diagnosis, but it doesn't mean that life has to end.

That's right. Yeah. I mean, on stage, he's exactly the same as he's ever been. His voice is powerful. He's got a very powerful voice for a little man. It's incredible. You can't believe it when people first see him, and especially when they know he's had this diagnosis, they don't expect him to be as he was. But he's better. He's really get. He just gets better and better with age. It's incredible. His range is incredible. And he moves around on stage. He's hobbling about with a bad knee off stage, but as soon as he gets on. On stage, he's moving around like, you know, a 20 year old. It's incredible how much younger he looks when he's up there and he's Tony Christie and not Tony Fitzgerald.

And you were saying earlier you had that phrase that music is healing. Music is a healer. And obviously we can hear that in what you're saying about how when Tony's on stage, he. It's all. It sounds like you're saying he almost gets this sort of buzz of energy or life from some other source, you know, the music gods. Yeah, the light switch on. Exactly. And which makes it all the more relevant that Tony's also an ambassador for Music For Dementia. And I know he's passionate about spreading the word that music is, like you say, it's a healer. And, you know, we can use it, whether or not we have dementia, to invigorate us, to bring vitality, to exercise the brain, keep us young. And I heard the song that he recorded. In fact, I was watching the video on YouTube for Thank You For Being A Friend, that he recorded for music for dementia. And if anyone hasn't seen it, it's worth just look on YouTube. Tony Christie, Thank You For Being A Friend, because it just, that little video just seems to express so many values, like your family values, the power of music, the camaraderie, you know, with sting being there.

And it seems to sort of represent what Tony stands for.

Yeah. In fact, that song's taken over from Amarillo now. He always ended the show with Amarillo, but there was one night when they wanted, they would crying out for more, more, more. And he said, let's do thank you song. And it went down so well. They've kept it in ever since. And that finishes the show. It has everybody on their feet.

It's wonderful.

It's funny, isn't it? Like, as the wife of a world famous singer, you know, I guess he gets all the limelight when it comes to singing. But how about you? And do you sing? Do you sing in the bath or.

No, I. Well, I do sing. Yes, I do sing, but I am tone deaf. But I still like to sing. And we love music. We have music around us all the time. Most of our kids can sing really well. They take after their dad and not me, thank goodness.

But we all enjoy music. And it's always been a part of our lives. I think it is most people's lives. I find it strange when people don't have music around them and don't find that joy from it. It's alien to me.

I love folk music. I love singer songwriters. So I love, I love the old stuff. I love Joni Mitchell. I love Simon and Garfunkel and Paul Simon. Oh, I love Tracy Chapman. Yeah.

So I kind of like all the singer songwriters, acoustic-y kind of vibe. How about you,Sue?

Oh, crikey. I like all types of music. I like classical music, I like rock music, I like reggae. I like all types of music. I do like big band, I do like Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett,

Frank Sinatra, I mean, gosh, who wouldn't love? I mean, wow, what a voice. Yeah.

Tony does at least one Sinatra song in his act, and he also does bojangles, which he storms. Amazing. Yeah, he really is fantastic. I really loved Oasis. I didn't like their manner, but that's. It's just a Manchester musician manner, you know, I know a lot of musicians like them.

Yeah.

But they're great musicians and they write the most fantastic songs, both of them. And I just love their voices. Yeah, I loved their voices together and I felt sad when they broke up.

Yeah. Especially as brothers.

Yeah. Yeah. But hopefully their mum will see them come together. Something that she's wanted, isn't it, for years. And I think it'll do really well. I know it'll do well because as soon as the tickets go up for sale, they're sold. Incredible. That's what music does to people.

They don't lose that memory. It's like Taylor Swift. She can do no wrong and she works so hard and she is. She just writes the most fantastic songs.

It's been, like, such a pleasure to sit here and talk to you in your lovely kitchen and feel so welcomed in your home. I mean, that's. That's very special because I'm a stranger to you, but you've just opened your door and let me sit here on your kitchen stool, eat a ham sandwich and have a chat with you. So it's massively appreciated and it really is a lovely pleasure to meet you. And when I'm walking 20 miles tomorrow, I'll be thinking, oh, I was sitting in Sue's kitchen, how lovely it was. It's really been a pleasure.

Oh, thanks for coming.

Talking with Sue was both heartwarming and eye opening. She makes it seem like caring for Tony is second nature and her humour and her warmth shine through. But it's important to remember that while she makes it look easy, there are definitely challenges that dementia brings to the family along the way. I know that from my own experience with mum. Luckily, Tony has a solid family support network and, as the doctor noted, their love for music is a huge blessing. Sue's stories remind us that however tough things are, there can also be times filled with love, laughter and moments of connection. So we've had a wonderful exploration of how music touches our lives today with incredible insights from Anne, Tony and Sue. Now, I'm really excited to share my chat with Sarah Metcalfe, the managing director of the Utley Foundation.

Sarah's team is behind Music For Dementia, an amazing initiative that's changing the game in dementia care. In fact, she knows Tony Christie well. Like he said, he's an ambassador for music for dementia and they recently supported the fantastic Songs Of Praise event at Lichfield Cathedral.

The Utley foundation is a private charitable trust that was set up by Neil and Nicky Utleye, who were a wealthy couple who wanted to do something and give something back. So they created the Utley foundation and very early on they funded a project working with people in care homes, bringing music to them. And they were just blown away by the results and thought, everybody needs to know about this. Everybody who is affected by dementia needs to know the effect that music can have. So they formed Music for Dementia, which is a cross sector campaign to raise awareness of the power of music and support others to use it in daily life for people living with dementia. We see music for dementia as sitting in the middle of all the fabulous organisations around the country that are doing incredible work with people living with dementia and bringing music to them. Orchestras, charities, library groups, individual carers who are working in care homes and in different settings. We see all these people doing this incredible work.

So we were absolutely delighted with that. And he recorded thank you for being a friend, which is the theme to the Golden Girls. And he just went above and beyond. He got all his celebrity friends. Mark Knopfler gave the studio for free. Sting came along and sang on the record. Nile Rogers sent in the bass guitar line. He just went above and beyond to involve as many people as possible in this record, which became the national anthem for thank you day.

And then it just was a natural progression for him to stay with us and keep talking about his dementia journey. The power of music, and the way that music is helping him to live as well with the condition. There's decades of research into the power of music to help people with dementia. Decades of it, always in quite small studies, but decades of it really consistently showing that music is neurologically special, that it stimulates so many different parts of the brain, not just the bits connected with hearing, but emotions, memory movements. If you brain scan yourself listening to music, just listening to it, then your whole brain lights up like a fireworks display. So that if you've got a condition like dementia or stroke or any sort of neurological condition, if part of the brain is damaged, the music can still reach lots of other parts and it kind of unlocks things. It's almost like it can go in through the back door to memories, to feelings, even to abilities that you thought somebody had lost. So there's decades of research about this and about the way that if you have dementia, it can help manage the symptoms of agitation and anxiety, which are such a big part of living with dementia.

It's not just memory, it has these other symptoms as well. Music can really help with agitation and anxiety, it can help calm people down, it can help people be more alert and it creates happiness in the moment. People who have withdrawn into themselves and maybe haven't spoken for weeks or months, when they hear the right song, they can lift their heads, they can smile, they can sing, they find words through song. So, yeah, there's decades of research about that, but that's what it looks like when you see it in action. There was a minister, a Church of Scotland minister, who we trained the congregation up in the power of music. And she had gone to visit a woman who was in desperate distress because her husband, who had dementia, was very agitated and was becoming quite aggressive. And this tiny little Church of Scotland minister said she just remembered her training and she got out her phone and she just, she walked round and round the room with this man, just playing him his favourite music on her phone.

And just gradually he calmed down and he calmed down and he calmed down. And that whole situation was resolved through music in a way that I don't know how it would have ended up otherwise. And that's one thing that has always stayed with me, was that way that music helped turn that situation around. And then just real lovely moments when you see people who are visiting a loved one and they sing the most song and the person looks at them with love and connection, and you see these two people brought together again. I think in some ways those little moments are some of the most powerful, because those are the bits that are toughest. When you're living with dementia, when you don't feel that connection and you feel you've lost that person, music can bring them back and can reunite people.

It's day 31, the 900 miles D Tour, and it's a misty day. I can't really see that much, but I'm really excited because I'm moving from Staffordshire into Derbyshire and into the Peak District. So today I'm walking through Dovedale, which, according to Google, is the most popular. Oh, I've just started a rabbit. He's just run away from under my foot, from under my feet. Little, little ears and little white tail zoomed off. So, yes, I love this misty weather, by the way. I don't know, I always feel so good in misty weather.

And as I said, I'm going through Dovedale, so that's through the valley, so the mist won't bother me. I think I might be doing a bit of climbing today, but only to about 350ft. I think it should be okay. I think this mist will clear, but I'm really excited to be going through Dovedale, which is, according to Google, the most popular beauty spot in the UK. So looking forward to that and just looking forward to exploring the Peak District, which I'll be going through in the next few days, because I've never really been here, so this is really great. Feeling full of beans. I actually, I've got a longer walk today.

It's probably a little bit over 20 miles, because I stopped a bit short of my target yesterday because I was walking with my wonderful, wonderful aunt. And by the time we got to where she wanted to stop, which was a little bit, I don't know, maybe about 4 miles short of where I was going to stop, it was already sort of half five or so, and I didn't want to leave her there. She was waiting for her friend to pick her up for an hour or so. And I, I thought, no, no, no, let me just book into this pub where we were. We sat down had a lovely meal and the pub, which is called the Fox and Partridge in a village called Swinscoe. I can highly recommend amazing food, very hearty, very tasty, and the darkest hotel room I have ever been in. There was literally not a chink of light. I slept like a log, it was amazing! So, feeling very full of beans on this 1 September, which is the beginning of World Alzheimer's Month. So for anyone listening, I'd like to say if you want to celebrate World Alzheimer's Month with me, then book a little time in your diary. Maybe 15 minutes a day, if that's all you can manage. If you can manage more than more and go for a walk in those 15 minutes, or whether it's 20 minutes, half an hour, whatever you can do every single day for this month. Because keeping active walking is such a great way to maintain our physical health, our mental health and of course, our spiritual health and well being. Let's try and walk every single day in September. PS, I'm lost again because I was.

Talking and I missed my turning.

That's it from me for this week. Join me next week as I reach Sheffield and hit the 500 miles mark in my walk.

Now. I think there's a song about that. Right?

Does anyone have the telephone numbers of the proclaimers?

You can support me and Dementia Adventure by donating five pounds by texting DA5 to 70711. So just text DA5 to 70711.

And donate five pounds. The D Tour podcast is proudly sponsored by Macs Adventure. Macs Adventure specialise in self guided walking and cycling holidays for independent, active people who don't want to be part of the crowd or restricted by set dates and schedules. They encourage you to go at your own pace whilst they support you with all of the routes and logistics for a worry free adventure.