On the 9th of September, I set off on an attempt to walk the Dales Way in a day to fundraise for Y Care International. This involved walking approximately 80 miles non-stop, starting in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District at daybreak and finishing at the Old Bridge in Ilkley the following day. I expected to be in pain and delirious by the time I finished. Here's a summary of how I got on:

I set off from the edge of Lake Windermere at 7.06 a.m. on Tuesday. The first 10 hours flew by, these were the parts I was least familiar with so I was busy map-reading. Roughly 11 hours in I thought disaster had struck when I developed sharp muscular pains in my foot; however, I was relieved to find these subsided (temporarily) after adjusting my shoes.

I am indebted to my father who gave up his time to meet me at various checkpoints on Tuesday. In doing so, he was able to provide me with clean water and fresh clothes before leaving me in the evening.

Walking at night did prove a challenge, especially in parts where the path was less well-defined, but the moon was bright enough to give me a shadow and I could have even walked without a torch at some points. I was cautious to avoid livestock and dogs which did chase me a couple of times. One three-legged dog even accompanied me for about a mile down a track on what appeared to be its scent-marking duty.

I can't deny that being alone in the dark did knock my morale. A low point was sitting in the toilets in Kettlewell just to stay warm at 5 a.m. eating cold pasta with my fingers as I'd forgotten a fork. However, the thought of how much worse millions of others my age have it in the world and the help people have given them by donating to Y Care International kept me going. I'd had the benefit of attending a training weekend for International Citizen Service a couple of days before which meant that these thoughts were fresh in my mind.

By the time I'd reached Grassington (60 miles in), the sun had risen and I'd developed myriad blisters on my feet. The last 20 miles were painfully slow, I started using walking sticks to take the weight off my feet only for blisters to appear on my hands. At this point I had to listen to music to keep up my cadence.

I finally hobbled over the finish line at 15.55 on Wednesday, completing the 81/82 miles (depending on whether you read the sign in Ilkley or Bowness) in 32.8 hours. Fitness-wise I didn't feel too bad although I think not sleeping had started to take its toll as cows seemed omnipresent.

I'd had so much chocolate and sweet things for energy that by the end I was craving savoury. Therefore, I celebrated finishing by having some beans on toast, showering then going to bed.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me or offered support in other ways.

Y Care International is the international relief and development agency of the YMCA. It works on projects for young people from all over the world to help them stay healthy and safe, learn the skills needed for work, prepare for emergencies and improve justice systems (see http://www.ycareinternational.org for more information).

This fundraising is part of International Citizen Service (ICS) which brings young people together to work with local volunteers in communities that have specifically requested their help. In October, I will be going to Guatemala to spend 10 weeks volunteering with Y Care International on a development project. Before then, I need to raise £800. Your donations will not only fund Y Care International's work in Guatemala, but in other countries in Africa, Asia and Central America. NONE of your donation will be used to fund my expenses; however, £10 could provide a homeless young person with nutritious food for 2 months.

ICS also aims to inspire young people to become active citizens involved in long term community development. Therefore, I will be volunteering in the UK upon my return.

Donations can also be made by texting AYCI90 £(amount) to 70070. The code has a capital 'i', not a 1.

This walk will be a gruelling challenge but your donations will keep me going.

Any donations will be much appreciated by me and, more importantly, by the communities you are helping.

Thank you for your support.