Each year, Clare and Laurie Daykin aim to complete a challenge to raise money for the NSPCC. Last year we completed the 24-mile Hike Against Cruelty to Kids (HACK) around the (rather hilly) area of Buxton in Derbyshire. This year we chose the 20-mile HACK around London on 21 September.

Whilst this year’s challenge was somewhat less hilly and muddy than last years, not to mention 4 miles shorter, it was more challenging in other ways. We probably walked an extra 3 miles getting to and from the hotel to the start of the walk, not to mention the additional hour we walked for when our map reading skills went slightly awry and we ended up walking the wrong direction through Hyde Park. This required us to double back on our mistaken route, in order to locate Check Point 1 and added an extra 2.5 miles onto the route! The morning was peaceful, with the walk starting at 8.30am, there were relatively few people around and the temperature was cool. However, as the day went on, the temperatures rose and the crowds came out. The last 5 miles took us significantly longer than any other stretch at 2 hours, due to fighting through the London crowds near the river. However, we completed in a respectable 7.5 hours (I’m convinced we would have been faster had we not taken the large detour at the start!). The important thing, however, is the sponsorship and thanks to our very generous donors, we collected £408.75 (including gift aid).

UPDATE, 30/10/13 – We have now collected £432.50 (including gift aid) for this very worthwhile cause.