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–f o r 2 3 0 m i l e s !

A RETIRED history teacher from Swarkestone joined a former colleague in what is reputed to be the most arduous walking trail in the country – traversing 230 miles of rugged and remote terrain in the wilds of Scotland

Mark Field and Peter Shuttleworth, respectively former history and geography teachers from Trent College, took on the hugely challenging Cape Wrath Trail, running from Fort William in the Highlands all the way to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of Scotland

It was all in aid of Derby Mountain Rescue and along the way Mark and Peter camped out for most of their two week trip, carrying all their own provisions, endured days of rehydrated meals, fell in a loch, encountered a tick, traversed rugged and sometimes pathless terrain – but also spotted a Golden Eagle!

Recounting his experience, Mark said: “We were thrilled to have completed the 230 miles in a time that was a day and a half ahead of our most optimistic forecast of 16 days, into which we had built a contingency of another week

“It was a walk of spectacular beauty but also required digging deep into our reserves of endurance On the evening of day four for example, on the approach to Kinloch Hourn, I simply had to stop about a quarter of a mile from our scheduled evening destination for an energy bar to get me over the line

“I wasn’t aware of it at the time but I had ‘hit the wall’ It seemed a very apt expression at the time to describe how I was feeling No less apt than the unscheduled and relatively luxurious stop that followed, thanks to a very recently opened Bed and Breakfast, which, given the remoteness and inaccessibility of the spot, must have been virtually dependent on Cape Wrath Trail hikers ” Mark, 62, is no stranger to big walking challenges having also completed Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, The Pennine Way, Offa’s Dyke, Glyndwr ’s Way, The West Highland Way, The Limestone Way in the Peaks and, last year, the Cambrian Way

But he said the Cape Wrath Trail, which was a long time in the planning – including hours of discussion on what would be the best type of eating implement to bring (a long handled teaspoon!) – had been particularly challenging because of its remoteness and the need to carry food supplies for the whole distance, adding considerable weight in back packs

As for the charitable element, Mark said raising money for Derby Mountain Rescue was an obvious choice

“Loving walking and the great outdoors as I do, I have often felt reassured while out on the mountains and fells that there is a group of volunteers on call 24/7 365 days of the year willing to come to my and others people's aid should they run into trouble,” he said “Having retired and so with some extra time on my hands I thought that it would be good to combine my passions and at the same time help out a voluntary organisation close to my heart ”

To donate to Mark and Peter ’s extraordinary expedition, see tinyurl com/muycae5r