Pensioner's Near-Drowning During 700-Mile Charity Walk in Wales
Janet Baldock, a 67-year-old grandmother from Wiltshire, embarked on what she envisioned as the adventure of a lifetime: a solo 700-mile trek along the Wales Coast Path to raise funds for Support Dogs. However, her journey took a terrifying turn last summer when she nearly drowned in a remote estuary in Carmarthenshire, just five weeks shy of completing her four-month odyssey.
A Gruelling Charity Mission
Janet, a retired psychotherapist and former cabin crew member, set out in April with the goal of walking the entire 730-mile route, aiming to collect donations for the charity that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities. Her husband, Nigel, supported her daily by dropping her off at her starting point each morning and picking her up after she covered approximately 15 miles, equivalent to a half-marathon every other day for 16 weeks.
"I thought I would need lots of rest but I didn't need it," Janet recalls, expressing surprise at her own stamina and fitness levels. "And the weather was amazing." For the majority of the trek, she enjoyed the scenic coastal views and the physical challenge, underestimating her own resilience.
Disaster Strikes in Carmarthenshire
By July, Janet had reached the Gwendraeth area in Carmarthenshire, with the entirety of South Wales still ahead. However, the coastal path's reliance on infrequent or damaged signage led her astray. "My book said, turn left, and I couldn't see any turning left. So I thought, well, I'll just walk on," she explains. Instead of ascending towards the road, she inadvertently veered down towards a treacherous estuary.
"I was lost. I thought 'oh, this doesn't look very good', because the estuary is all bog and swamp," Janet says. With the tide receded, the terrain initially seemed manageable, and she attempted to navigate the perimeter, jumping over channels of water in hopes of reaching a field.
A Terrifying Ordeal
The situation quickly escalated when Janet encountered a ditch slightly wider than her stride. With a herd of cows advancing, she decided to press ahead, stepping on what she believed was a piece of wood in the water. "So I stepped on the wood, and whoosh, I went down right up to my neck in filthy, stinking water. And I couldn't get out!" she recounts.
In the fall, she flung her phone onto the embankment to keep it dry, but struggled to reach it as the slippery banks offered no purchase. Trapped and alone, with no one for miles around, Janet didn't waste energy shouting for help. "There was barbed wire under the water and I got caught in it. As I was trying to grab hold of the grass, the barbed wire kept on pulling me down," she describes.
For 15 to 20 minutes, Janet fought for her life, genuinely believing she would drown. "I thought, 'oh, this is it really, I'm going to die right here'. I was absolutely terrified," she admits. Adrenaline eventually allowed her to wrench the barbed wire free and wedge it beneath her body to gain height, enabling her to haul herself out of the water.
Aftermath and Recovery
Emerging from the estuary, Janet was bleeding profusely from a severe cut on her left leg and in agonising pain. "It was absolutely horrendous. And I thought 'oh, if I'm not going to die of drowning, I'm going to die of sepsis now'," she says. Using her first aid kit, she patched herself up, changed into dry clothes from her backpack, and squelched two miles to the nearest farm for help.
The farmer's wife welcomed her inside, and the farmer drove her to a nearby church where Nigel was waiting. "I had a bath, and I slept for about two days," Janet recalls, refusing Nigel's pleas to go to hospital as she was determined to finish her walk. Despite suffering from PTSD, panic attacks, and leg pain for weeks, she resumed her trek after two days of recuperation.
Triumph and Recognition
Janet completed the entire Wales Coastal Path between April and August, bypassing Anglesey but finishing her 730th mile on her 68th birthday. She raised just under £2,000 for Support Dogs and was named the charity's fundraiser of the year. "It was a complete and utter surprise to be awarded," she remarks. "But I've got to give a big shoutout for the support dogs, because they do amazing work."
Despite the near-fatal incident and a 12-inch scar on her leg, Janet cherishes the experience. "I'm not going to walk 700 miles and have nothing happen to me. But it was the best time of my life," she reflects. "I'm Welsh, and I left Wales when I was 20. The path took me past the house where I was born in Port Talbot and my grandmother's home. So I loved the chance to get back to my roots."
