We did it!! 40 miles, 14hrs 30 – and (discounting the initial attempt) got there with minimal drama. 

Perfect weather, 17 degrees and cloudy - it had been dry for a week so whilst the miles of bog were challenging and slower in terms of foot placement, they weren’t knee-deep sock soaking affairs. 

We had only one navigational error in the midst of the moors when we realised we were walking straight towards the Ministry of Defence’s RAF Fylingdales monitoring station and hastily back tracked whilst pondering whether they were listening in to our scintillating chat.

Highlights were seeing an Adder and reaching the pub at the half way point. Lowlight was walking straight past the pub because stopping was too painful for blistered feet and sore legs.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our challenge, it genuinely helped us keep putting one foot in front of the other when we were absolutely knackered.

The compassion and generosity of our friends and family will enable Pace to keep supporting families with absolutely critical advice and support. 

"You have been my absolute rock through this, I don’t know what I would have done or where my son would be now without you." Parent

"The Pace Parent Support Worker is already making a real difference around how we support, not only exploited children, but also their  parents and siblings. Her work has already led to the arrest and charge of a suspect and enabled us to better safeguard an exceptionally vulnerable child." Detective Inspector, Central Merseyside

UPDATE - Attempt #1 - 25th June 2021

"Light rain and drizzle" the forecast said... as we set off from Osmotherley at 5:45am with the rain hammering down and visibility down to 100m due to the mist we began to suspect this wasn't entirely accurate. 

We set off across the moors, the rain getting heavier and the mist thicker as we went. We made pretty good time - despite nearly getting blown off the side of Cringle Moor and the guide book flying away into the mist - completing the first 20 miles, and almost all the route's ascents, in 6 hours. We stopped for a sandwich (brie and cranberry) and realised as we tried to open the backpacks that we couldn't feel our hands, my teeth wouldn't stop chattering and Lou's lips were blue. We backtracked to the Lion Inn pub to see about getting warm and found the relentless needle-sharp rain and hail had got through our waterproofs and we and our packs were soaked through... With incipient hypothermia, no dry clothes and a possible 9 hours walking through the rain-soaked boggy section remaining we very reluctantly decided discretion was the better part of valour so we beat a tactical retreat, down but not out...

Attempt #2 will be on the 8th August - we are hoping for more seasonal weather! 

Thank you so so much to everyone that has sponsored us, and sorry we didn't make it across on the first attempt - it was a very rubbish decision to have to make, especially given the fantastic support we've been shown and the fact we were raising money for Pace. Rest assured we will keep trying until we make it across!

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On Friday June 25th Andy and I are going to navigate and walk the 40 mile Lyke Wake across the North Yorkshire Moors to support Pace.

Carrying all food and water for the walk, the plan is to reach the coastline by the time the sun goes down, but we have timed it with a full moon in case our woeful map reading skills lead us astray.

We are doing this to support Pace, a national charity who support, advocate for and empower families affected by child exploitation. 

Everyday we are humbled by the courage of affected parents, who live through the trauma of their child being exploited, who do everything in their power to keep their child safe, fight for justice that is so rarely served and bravely campaign so that other families don't have to go through what they have.

Pace helps families through every step of this journey with trauma-informed, non-judgemental emotional support when they are in crisis, practical advice about safeguarding their child and collecting evidence and advocating for their families in the justice system, police or education.  

If you would like to know more about Pace's support - read David's story - https://paceuk.info/davids-story/

Please help us give parents the absolutely vital support they need.

"I wasn't sure how I'd ever turn my life around, so thank you. The support has been invaluable. I honestly don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been there at that point in our lives."