Scottish World Cup Fan Walks Across US (Los Angeles > New York)

He has done this before. Two years ago, he walked 1,000 miles from Glasgow to Munich ahead of Euro 2024, raising more than £70,000 for charity. This time, the walk is longer, the audience is bigger, and the fundraising target is much higher.

The money raised through the Tartan Trek will support SAMH’s mental health services in Scotland, including its network of walk-in support hubs known as The Nook.

His response to Americans who said it could not be done

As Ferguson’s journey picked up attention online, it also collided with a running joke: social media users mocking Europeans who underestimate the size of the United States and assume they can casually walk between World Cup host cities.

Ferguson responded on Instagram by pointing out that, in his case, the joke had become an itinerary.

“For months now, Americans have been telling me, ‘You cannot walk to New York City from here’. Well, if there’s one lesson you should learn in life, it is that you should never tell a Scotsman what he can, and cannae do.”

The line landed because it was funny, but also because he had the receipts: months of walking, day after day, across a country that is famously not built around the idea of popping to the next city on foot.

The mental health message behind the Tartan Trek

Speaking to STV News, Ferguson said the World Cup atmosphere is part of the motivation, but the fundraising remains central.

“My focus this time is obviously being in Boston to soak in the atmosphere of the World Cup, but also crucially on the fundraising and making sure we raise as much as we can for SAMH,” he said.

He added: “All along the way, everyone I’ve met through these challenges has a story with mental health. That is what has solidified to me why I’m doing this.”

That is the quieter part of the spectacle, and probably the more lasting one. The kilt, the route, and the World Cup timing have helped make the trek visible. The conversations along the way seem to be what have kept it grounded.

For Ferguson, reaching Boston would mark the end of more than three months on the road and the start of Scotland’s tournament experience. For SAMH, the hope is that the attention turns into serious support for services that people actually use.