Thank you for visiting this page, which tells you a little about why we are asking you to sponsor a Three Peaks Yacht Race effort in Journeymaker (the red sail to the left).

If you're new to this, the Three Peaks Yacht Race combines yachting, mountain running and cycling into one of the greatest adventure challenges in British sport.

Teams comprise 3 sailors and 2 runners, and their aim is to sail from Barmouth on the Welsh coast to Fort William in Scotland, via Caernarfon and Whitehaven, climbing to the summits of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis on the way. (The athletes cycle from Whitehaven into Ennerdale and run up and down Scafell Pike from there.)

This totals just under 400 miles of difficult coastal navigation, passing through the tricky Menai Strait between Anglesey and mainland Wales, up the Irish Sea, notorious for it's changeable weather conditions and heavy seas and through the complex Western Isles off the Scottish Coast, passing the treacherous Gulf of Corryvrechan, infamous for it's boat-swallowing whirlpools.

As if that weren't enough, the runners/cyclists have to tackle over 14000 feet of ascent (and descent) to the three highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland on the way, inlcuding 72 miles of running and 18 miles of cycling.

All of this can take as little as 3 days or even less, leaving no time for sailors to sleep or runners to recover between mountains.

So why do it?!!

Because the Bendrigg Trust is a little known charity doing great things in between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, giving disabled and disadvantaged young people from all over the country the opportunity to take part in outdoor activities that those of us on the team and most people have been able to take for granted all their lives.

How do you go abseiling if you are wheelchair bound? How do you go caving when you suffer from debilitating conditions which restrict your ability to walk, let alone crawl around in the dark?

The answer lies with the Bendrigg Trust and its staff, who simply refuse to accept that these are barriers to partaking in such activities. Their determination to include young people with all forms of disability in every conceivable outdoor sport, from canoeing to climbing is matched by the financial demands of providing the facilities and equipment to make this possible.

We know that times are tough at the moment but we'd be very grateful for your support in our challenge to raise £10000 for the Bendrigg Trust. Please do take a few moments to make a donation; and please do add a comment to our page when doing so.

Finally, if you want to know more about us, the race or the Bendrigg Trust, please follow these links:

www.JourneyMaker2009.com

www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk

www.bendrigg.org.uk

With all our thanks.

Andy, Rob, Ian, Gordon and Niall