TWO friends from Frome successfully completed a 120 mile trek in just under three days, raising £1,000 for local charity, We Hear You (WHY) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Tom Ayres and Ben Keates walked from the south coast of Devon to the north coast, carrying with them all their provisions, hoping to complete the trek in 72 hours.
The pair left the south coast at 5.30am on Friday 26th May and reached the north coast at 10pm on Sunday 28th, completing the trail in 64.5 hours.
Tom said, “It was unbelievably challenging but we were both so happy to finish with just over seven hours to spare.
“Apart from jogging/limping the final mile into Lynmouth, the highlight of the trek would have to be walking through the Castle Drogo estate to reach the northern edge of Dartmoor in the sunshine on Saturday afternoon, after an extremely hard morning.
“The low point was Friday night. After checking the forecast and seeing just a slight chance of rain in the night, we decided to pitch our tent on top of an exposed moor. We were then woken at 1am by the thunderstorms rolling in towards us and we had to leave our kit and tent and walk into the nearest village to seek shelter. The following morning was a long tricky slog through marshland in the rain on only two hours of disturbed sleep.
“I do think we were prepared enough, but I don’t think we would have managed it without the support we provided each other.
“I think it went so well because we have similar mindsets. We both have to finish something to the best of our ability. We were also extremely efficient with time, walking 16 hours a day stopping only to tend to our damaged feet and knees, and replace some of the 8,000 calories we were burning daily and sleep.
“We were quite nervous before we set off but I think the nerves helped because it meant we weren’t complacent at all.
“We’ve raised just over £1,000, we’d really like to get that to £1,500. People can still donate at http://virginmoneygiving.com/team/DevonCoast2Coast3
