Running Hadrian’s Wall: Dover Court Student Charlotte’s Journey of Resilience and Community Spirit

At Dover Court International School, we encourage our students to take initiative, show resilience, and strive to do their best. Charlotte, a Year 11 student, exemplified these values over the summer of 2025 by undertaking an extraordinary challenge: running the entire 135 km length of Hadrian’s Wall in the UK in just four days, alongside her father.

This remarkable achievement was part of Charlotte’s Community element for her Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award and also served as a fundraiser for Teenage Cancer Trust UK. So far, Charlotte has raised over £6,000, showing how personal goals can be combined with meaningful impact.

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award (DofE) is a global framework that takes learning and personal development outside the classroom. It is designed to challenge young people to dream big, celebrate their achievements, and make a positive difference in the world around them. The award encourages young people to discover their purpose, passion and place in an ever-changing world. At Dover Court, students begin their DofE journey with the Bronze Award in Year 9 and continue with the Silver Award in Year 11, gaining valuable experiences that build confidence, resilience and a sense of community.

We hope Charlotte’s story inspires other students to pursue their goals, take on meaningful challenges and make a positive impact. Here is Charlotte’s reflection on the experience, in her own words:

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The Hadrian’s Wall Path is a well-known walking trail in the UK; it’s well-marked and popular to walk. Most people complete the Path in six or seven days, rather than in four, like we did. Most of the Path follows the footprint and remnants of Hadrian’s Wall, which is an English Heritage site: it was constructed by the Romans around 122 AD, during the early Roman Empire, to mark the end of Roman territory and the beginning of Scotland.

The idea of following Hadrian’s Wall came from a conversation I had with my dad when I was five, on a holiday to the Lake District in the UK. Something about Hadrian’s Wall appealed to me, and my dad and I decided that one day, we would walk the whole distance of Hadrian’s Wall across England. So, this summer, we ran it instead, raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust UK. So far, our fundraising total is at just over £6,000.

The path is 135km long, stretching from Bowness on Solway in the West to the Segundunum Fort in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the East. The initial decision was which direction to run, and we decided that running west-to-east was best, so that any rain or wind was more likely to be at our backs.

There was a lot of planning and preparation that had to be done to make sure we could complete the run. I’ve learned a lot from my dad about creating and working on a programme to achieve specific fitness goals. We did a lot of stamina and endurance work, as well as cardio. I’ve been a middle- and long-distance swimmer for a while, but only started running longer distances earlier this year. The first time I ran 15km was on the treadmill, and it was a difficult mental barrier to overcome, as mentally, 15,000 metres sounds like a very long way. Since then, I’ve been able to complete half-marathon distances in decent times, and I’ve found that, like in swimming, I much prefer longer runs to sprint sessions and time trials.

The second step was to review topographical maps and research the best days: distance ratio. My dad was keen to attempt to run the Path in four days, so we decided to keep days 1 and 4 (the flatter days) longer so that we could have shorter distances to run on the hillier days, 2 and 3. We also had to figure out the travel logistics, such as the dates for travel, accommodation options, and where we would be able to start and end each day based on exit points from the wall path. My Mum and brother came with us as our ‘support crew’, and they met us at the end of each day with the car, which made the run a lot more manageable, knowing there would be food at the end of it.

I think one of my biggest takeaways from this experience is how much mental resilience matters. I found the mental challenge much harder than the physical one, and often I’d find myself getting overwhelmed, especially on days 2 and 3, because, while we’d already run a long way, it felt like we still had so far to go. We ended up completing two marathon distances on Days 1 and 4, and about 28km of hillier distances on Days 2 and 3.

There were many times, both before we started and during the four days, that I doubted I could finish in the four days I’d set myself. But with communication, teamwork and the support of my dad, we were able to do it. Ultimately, I think my main learning is that I’m capable of far more than I thought I was, and that if I’m determined on achieving a goal, then there’s no reason I can’t achieve it.

Charlotte, Year 11 Student at Dover Court International School

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Charlotte’s journey is a powerful example of how the Duke of Edinburgh Award encourages students to step outside their comfort zones, develop new skills, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. At Dover Court, we are proud to support students like Charlotte as they grow into confident, compassionate, and resilient young individuals, prepared to take on challenges and make a positive impact in the world around them.