A YOUNG couple have completed an incredible endurance challenge after spending almost three months circumnavigating Wales on foot.

Lara Powell, 21, from Cwmbran, and her fiancé Adam Berry, 23, decided to take on the monumental challenge to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Research, Mencap and Mind.

They set off on their journey from Sedbury on June 1 and walked the roughly 1,027 miles along the Offa's Dyke path and then back down the Welsh coastal path to their starting point, finishing on Monday.

Miss Powell said: “I come from a very sporty family, so it’s a rite of passage to do something big and adventurous.

“I had always wanted to do a big challenge, and for some reason, I thought the Welsh coastal path wasn't enough.

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“I roped my partner in to doing it with me. He’s not an outdoorsy person. He’s a proper city boy – being from Cardiff.

“In the end, it was a compromise – I said if he did this, he could choose the honeymoon.

“It took about six weeks before he was fully won over, but I feel like I’ve turned him now and we might even do something like this again.”

Miss Powell chose to raise money for three charities which had a personal meaning to her.

“I worked in a school for disabled children for a little while and that raised my awareness of the work that Mencap did,” she said. “Myself and other members of my family have struggled with mental health issues, so that’s why we chose Mind, and I have suffered a bereavement in my family from cancer, and during that time Macmillan were so supportive of my family. They were three very poignant charities in my experience.”

The couple were treated to some of Wales' finest weather after setting off along the Offa's Dyke path.

South Wales Argus:

(Adam Berry in the rain along the Offa's Dyke path. Picture: Lara Powell.)

“The Offa's Dyke path took 13 days, and for 12 of them we had downpours,” said Miss Powell. “But the Welsh coastal path was incredible.

“In the north we had stunning weather. It was all going great until we got to west Wales and our tent sprung a leak and we had to fix it on the go.

“The hospitality we received going around was amazing. Some campsite owners offered us discounts on campsites – with them donating the difference.

“The support we have received from our friends and family has been incredible. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us and donated to the charities.”

The couple spent a total of 83 days hiking around Wales.

South Wales Argus:

(Lara Powell and Adam Berry after completing their circumnavigation around Wales. Picture: Lara Powell.)

Miss Powell said: “After the first couple of weeks it hit us that this would be our life for the next few months.

“When we got to the end, we had been living this life for three months. You build it up in your head to be this massive thing, but of course the end of the coastal path wasn’t the end of our walk, as we had to get back to our starting point.

“The moment we got to the end we both just broke down.”

The couple documented their journey on the

‘Circumnavigate Wales’ Facebook page

. All donations will be totalled up and divided between the three charities. To donate, visit

gofundme.com/f/um5d6-circumnavigate-wales