Elsa McCabe, 12, from Cowie, has embarked on her third major fundraising challenge for Scottish Autism, walking all 96 miles of the West Highland Way. The trek began on Thursday morning, July 30, with the group hoping to complete it in four or five days.
Previous Challenges
In 2024, Elsa climbed Ben Nevis with her mum, Kate, and family friend Arlene Ivatt. The following year, she and her mum completed a 5k-every-day challenge across a month. This year, the same trio reunited for the West Highland Way.
Elsa has already raised £1,500, exceeding her original £1,000 target, and has now increased it to £2,000.
Motivation and Preparation
Kate said: “This was something we had discussed during the Ben Nevis challenge, but at the time we felt Elsa might be a little bit too young to take on such a big challenge. When it came to deciding what to do this year, she was really keen and so we decided we would take on the West Highland Way.”
Arlene added: “I wasn’t able to join Elsa’s 5K challenge last year, so when the opportunity came around to be involved in this year’s challenge and to support her efforts, I was 100 per cent onboard. I’m hoping that we get lucky with the weather, ideally we want it to be not too hot and not too wet so hopefully the weather gods are smiling on us.”
Elsa said: “I’m really excited to be taking on this challenge. I’ve been doing a lot of walking in preparation for it, and I have been making up little treats to give us energy boosts along the way. I love keeping active and I will definitely be doing another challenge next year. But I will maybe have a rest to recover from this one first, although we might talk about ideas for my next challenge along the way.”
Support from Scottish Autism
Jane Kennedy, Scottish Autism’s income generation and partnerships lead, said: “We are delighted to have Elsa, Kate and Arlene taking on yet another inspirational challenge to support our services. Over the past few years, Elsa has helped raise thousands of pounds to support the work that we do on behalf of autistic people, their families and those who support them. We can’t wait to hear about how this challenge goes, and wish them the best of luck.”
