13th May - We finished!  25.5 hours which, considering the terrain was not a bad time!  Mo had to retire die to injury but Rach and I crossed the finish line at about 9.30 this morning.  We had the most spectacular weather both day and night.  The walk was very tought, very demanding and a serious mental challenge but feeling of achievement walking over the line is overwhelming.  What an experience.  Lots of stories to remember and lovely people thank for support.  We've got blisters on blister, toe nails removing themselves, hip flexors that just don't work and knee joints that won't flex.  It will take a few days to recover I think!  Bed now!

11th May - Yikes! We are off to London!  We start our 100km walk from London to Brigton tomorrow at 8am!  There's still time to sponsor me.  Thanks to so many generous donations I reached my original goal of £1000 so I have increased it to £1500 in the hope that I may drum up some more support for Macmillan!  Despite being really well prepared and trained we are nervous and excited at the same time.  We can't wait to get started on this challenge.  Wish us good luck!  Brighton, we're coming for you!

5th May 2012 - Final week before the event!  We have tapered down our training now and ensuring we have all our kit for our back packs.  This week we are resting more to prepare our bodies for the challenge.  Weather looking good at the moment although it is possibly going to rain between 4am and 8am on the Sunday morning which will not be so much fun.  But hey - we are hoping to be on the home run by then...fingers crossed.  We are still aiming for 24 hours completion.  We are mentally and physically fit for this event and now we simply can't wait to get on with it.  We are starting at 8am from the Old Deer Park in Richmond - just off Twickenham Road - if anyone wants to pop down and see us off! 

28th April - 2 weeks to go!  Even though it insists on raining, Rach and I are committed to training.  We are banging out between 35 and 50 miles per week come rain or shine.  Our walk today was tough but spectacular.  Offas Dyke path from Brockweir to Chepstow then Wye Valley Path back to Brockweir.  I only managed to fall over once and get my pole stuck between two large rocks which Rach found highly amusing.  Given the conditions I am surprised we didn't have more accidents.  It was wet and exceptionally muddy!  Photos added from the trip! This week, thanks to the kindness of friends and family I have broken my fundraising target of £1000! Thank you!

22nd April - 3 weeks to go!  The generosity of strangers just amazes me.  Rach and I walked 10 miles today stopping off at Dean Heritage Centre for a great cuppa.  We met Rob & Luciana Mills who so kindly donated £10 each to us after we explained what we were doing!  We have never met them before but they were such lovely people to bump into.  Luciana was hit by a car recently and is just starting to get out walking again.  Good luck with your continued recovery! Should you both want to visit Rach's just giving page visit www.justgiving.com/rachel-james3 I have added your kind donation to this just giving page.  Rach will do the same on hers.

7th April - Easter Saturday....what better excuse to work off the gorged Easter eggs than to take a nice long walk!  Bigsweir Bridge to Monmouth and back.  It was a day for firsts.  First time we have ever walked to Monmouth, first time over the Monmouth Bridge on foot, first time I have heard a goat moo like a cow (seriously), first time we lost the track we were following and ended up on the wrong side of the River Wye! and first time I have suffered the dreaded blisters.  Shin splints still causing me and Rach problems and I now also have big toe pain.....5 weeks to go!  Training is going well, we are in really good spirits and looking forward to the challenge.  Thank you to everyone who has donated to Macmillan so far....we are so grateful.

1st April - This is no April Fool's Day joke.....Rach and I actually got up and started our walk today at 6.30am!  We decided on the Forest of Dean cycle track and completed the 10 miles in just under 2 hours and 40 minutes....Fantastic to be out and about that early and listening to the world wake up.  The bird song was amazing today.  We even saw a wild boar en route but he wouldn't hang around long enough for a picture.  I am relying heavily on good sign posting for the event proper.  My sense of bearing truely is terrible!  Pictures added for today's trek.  Completely bitten by the walking bug.  Banging out 10 miles is no hardship now!  What a fab way to start the day....Well done to all the Forest of Dean half marathon runners, some of whom we met on the way round...I am so much happier with our walking option though!

21st March - Okay, so we are in full swing with walk training now....we are unstoppable!  Despite the fact I was fighting a cold and Rach is experiencing serious shin splints we keep going.  We are breaking in new boots, testing out our new kit and preparing our strategy to finish the challenge.  It's all very tense here at Tup HQ. Fundraising is going well.  Thank you to everyone who has been so generous and supportive so far.  In addition to the funds raised on justgiving, I also have another £125 on paper.  I really hope to hit the £1000 barrier by event time.  We are walking from St Briavels to Monmouth and back along the Wye Valley (20 odd miles) on Saturday if anyone fancies a stroll.....we will try to resist the half pint refreshment in the pub en route! I am now starting to add photos to this page...Rach on imaginary horse.  There will be more.....

14th March - Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am still alarmed when I see this event referred to as an endurance challenge......I get the impression this is not the gentle sauntering countryside walk I had secretly hoped for!  This is a serious challenge!  I realised, after my first 5 mile high speed training walk that 100km is a very long way!  Not only that, much of it will be completed in the dark!  The aim is to try and finish the distance between 24 & 28 hours.  You can find out more about this endurance challenge at http://london2brightonchallenge.com/

I have two mad companions for this challenge, my sister Rach and our good friend Mo.  We are the Three Trotting Tups!  Anyone familiar with Forest dialect will know exactly what tups are.....

My aim is to raise at least £1000 for Macmillan Cancer Support who are such a deserving charity.  I need as much help and encouragement as I can get in completing this challenge so your sponsorship and generosity will be most appreciated.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

I would be so grateful for anything you can donate.  It really is going to a great cause!