Challenge background
What does walking Hadrian's Wall involve?
What is so special about it?
Supported charities
How you can help
Training update
Walk updates new for 19th to 21st May 2008
On with the challenge!
Presentation ceremony 

Challenge background

Picture the scene. You have tested your endurance to the limit by climbing Britain’s three highest peaks in just 23 hours and 15 minutes. At the same time almost £1000 has been raised for the charity ‘Headway’. A fantastic success but where do you go next? This was back in 2007 when a team from Queen’s Leisure Centre successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge and this year they are back with an even bigger test.

What does walking Hadrian’s Wall involve?

The team of Jackie Keeling (expedition leader), Ali Mohammadi, Sean Silkstone and Rob Kohut are walking the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall, 84 miles, in just three days, less than half the recommended time. They start on Monday 19 May at Bowness-on-Solway and finish on Wednesday 21 May at Wallsend, Newcastle. View the route here. 

What is so special about it?

The building of Hadrian’s Wall began in AD 122 by order of Emperor Hadrian and took an estimated six years to complete. It served many purposes including repelling invasion, marking the boundary of Roman Britain and acting as a symbol of Roman power. It stood as a strong fortified defence boundary until the collapse of the Roman Empire in AD 410 and, although nowadays little remains of the wall, it is still an inspiring site.

‘It is a spectacular site to behold and we feel privileged to walk its entirety’

Jackie Keeling

Supported charities

Jackie and the team decided on this challenge after a close friend was diagnosed with cancer aged just 32. ‘It is a cause close to our hearts and we want to raise awareness of this terrible disease’ commented Jackie.

All money raised will go to Charitable Fund No 10161 - bowel cancer (part of Derby Hospitals Charitable Trust registered charity 1061812) and also to buy equipment for the Bowel Cancer Department at the City Hospital. The latter is one of the Mayor of Derby’s chosen charities for 2007/08.

How you can help?

You can support the Hadrian’s Wall charity walk in two ways.

1. Support the team

The walk will cost the team around £800 in total which must be funded out of their own pockets. If any individual or business would be interested in sponsoring the team please contact Jackie Keeling, expedition leader, on 01332 716620 for more information. Any support would be greatly received and examples may include:

• money for accommodation
• outdoor clothing
• food

2. Make a donation

You can make a donation to any of the good causes benefiting from this charity walk by visiting any council sports facility. The participating sports centres are:

• Queen’s Leisure Centre
• Moorways Sports Centre and Swimming Pool
• Springwood Leisure Centre
• Shaftesbury Sports Centre
• Derby College Sports Centre

When you make a donation of £1 or over and fill in the sponsorship form you can chose to be entered into a prize draw to win a free one month subscription to a Gym, Workout and Swim Goldcard. All you have to do is guess the exact time in hours, minutes and seconds that it takes the team to walk the distance of Hadrian’s Wall. Closest answer wins.

Training update

Training is now well underway so read on to find out how the team got on in Jackie’s own words.

Update 1
Date: 24 April
Section: Matlock to Derby, 22 miles in total

We left Derby at 7am and arrived at Matlock station bright and early setting off on our walk around 7.30am. The team was in high spirits and even the weather seemed to be on our side. However, after about 20 minutes the little spots of rain turned into a torrential downpour and by the time we reached Matlock Bath it was time to get all the waterproofs out and on!

The walk to Cromford was spent battling against the rain. We hope this is not going to happen when we do the three day walk because using a canoe to get from A to B is cheating! On reaching Cromford Canal we realised we were making good time and began to stride out towards Ambergate. The rain finally started to ease and we hoped that the worst was over and we could start to dry off then pick up some speed.

After lunch we came off the roadside to find ourselves looking up a steep uphill path through a wood. However, we all found it a blessing getting to the top of the hill and coming out of the woods, mainly due to the fact that we would then be walking on a level road and getting our first taste of sunshine. At the top we took a rest, Rob decided to take off his wet clothes and change into clean dry ones with the reassurance from Ali and Jackie that it was the last of the rain for the day.

Unfortunately, things did not get any better. We looked up and saw dark clouds looming on the horizon. By the time we reached the outskirts of Belper the rain got us again so more wet clothes was the order of the day! Feeling very damp and uncomfortable we left Belper with another nine miles ahead of us. Soaking wet, our feet were starting to suffer.

Our next stop came at Little Eaton. Jackie stopped to have a home made egg custard then we spent the last 4.5 miles with our heads down battling our own pain. Definitely no talking or smiling going on now! The relief on our faces came when we saw the Derby Cathedral dominating the skyline. If our smiles were like the sun everyone would have been in the Caribbean.

Once in the city we all went our separate ways to finish our individual challenges... reaching our own front doors. The 22 miles was over but our feet and legs reminded us of it well into the next day. We kept questioning ourselves why are we doing this and the answer always comes back to this. The money is going to a good cause and regardless of the pain and suffering we will finish the walk even if it is on all fours.

Update 2 
Date: 12 May

Well, it has certainly been an interesting few days!

I have somehow managed to get injured and have torn a ligament in my leg. So whilst I have been resting and keeping fit on my new Nintendo Wii Fit Board; Rob, Sean and Ali have been taking it upon themselves to train. Rob and Ali have frequently been out walking in the Derbyshire Peaks whilst Sean has been staying local but regularly running around the park and going on long bike rides across Derby.

This week we are all attending the gym and planning to have a go at a step aerobics session at Queen’s, which should be fun! Rob is also training in the pool tonight. On Tuesday we are going climbing at the new indoor climbing wall at Alter Rock and then it is time to pack our bags! Not long to go now!

Update 3
Date: 13 May
Activity: Step and tone class at Queen's Leisure Centre, 7.30pm to 8.30pm

We arrived at the class excited but not knowing exactly what to expect. Obviously, we did not want to show ourselves up in front of our customers so we tucked ourselves away at the back hoping no one would notice. Before we knew what was going on our steps were out with the raisers underneath and the music started.

The first few seconds were really easy which gave us a false sense of security. There we are, stepping on and off our blocks laughing at each other when it all got serious! Tania our instructor started the class spinning, kicking and changing directions thick and fast. Then Tania shouted turn. The whole class spun round to face the back of the room but unfortunately the four of us were still facing the front forwards!

We take our hats off to the class and had a really good session. I would definitely suggest anyone to give it a go. We all even developed our own techniques. Ali has his graceful twirls, Sean has his jazz hands, Rob has his deep lunges and Jackie had a rhythm completely unique to herself! A final ten minutes with weights and abdominal exercises and we were finished for the evening. A great final training session!

Walk updates

Update 1
Date: 18 May
Event: The official wave off from Queen's Leisure Centre

A group of around 20 staff, friends and family gathered together to wave off the team as they got ready to set off on their walk along Hadrian’s Wall. The Mayor of Derby, Councillor Pauline Latham, and her consort Mr Derek Latham were both in attendance to speak to the team members and give them their best wishes as they start out on the journey.

The group will initially head by car to Birmingham station then take the train up to Carlisle before travelling onto Bowness-on-Solway. The walk then begins at 6am on Monday 19 May.

Jackie feeds back from Hadrian's Wall as the walk gets underway

Update 2
Date: 19 May
Location: Bowness-on-Solway

Sunday’s journey by car and train took us five and a half hours to get to Bowness-on-Solway during which Ali decided to get out his playing cards to help pass the time away. We stayed in a lovely hotel called The Old Chapel which was a great place to get some rest and relaxation before we set off the next morning.

After leaving our rooms at 6.30am we experienced something we had never heard of before… sunny weather with just a few clouds! Aside from me falling over in a cow pat and having to change half way through the day we made great progress and by 5.35pm had reached our next hotel and covered 36 miles.

Absolutely exhausted, the four of us fell into the hotel with sore feet and blisters with the exception of Rob. Surprisingly we are all really looking forward to tomorrow. We have just found out that the hotel is providing a full English breakfast which definitely got the thumbs up from us all!

Update 3
Date: 20 May
Section: Once Brew to East Wall House

We covered 22 miles today. After setting off at 8.30am from Once Brew to excellent weather which lasted all day we ended up at East Wall House for 6.30pm. It was a painful experience for us all though with Sean having to walk all day with blisters on his heel and lots of hills that made me huff and puff. However, it was all worthwhile as we got our first glimpse of Hadrian’s Wall which was a pretty awe inspiring site so we stopped for a moment to take in the view and think about all the effort that went into its construction.

Later on Rob managed to get sunburnt on his face and earn himself a new nickname, the racoon, because when he took his glasses off we kept mistaking him for one! The banter was definitely keeping our spirits up as we were all suffering badly with sore feet and tight muscles.

As we arrived at our B&B for the evening, we took off our footwear, skin still attached to the socks from the blisters. It was at this point we realised, for the first time, it was getting really hard. We all sat down, looked at our feet, and realised we may be pushing our bodies too hard. It was time to do the walk over four days instead of our predicted three.

Update 4
Date: 21 May
Section: East Wall onwards

After leaving East Wall at 8.30am we set out on day three of four, covering 23 miles before we finally made it to our next B&B at 6.45pm. On occasions we were finding it a bit of a hard slog and our finish times are getting later and later as fatigue sets in.

Wednesday’s weather was slightly overcast which suited us perfectly and as we walked we stuck religiously to the remnants of Hadrian’s Wall. There are lots of large sections that are still intact and one interesting bit is that every mile along the wall we found marker posts where a turret once stood. Now just square foundations remain but there are notice boards that have been put up showing an artists impression of what they looked like. The whole group think it is a fantastic site to behold and find it exciting to be able to walk its length. What gets us thinking the most is the craftsmanship that went into its building and how difficult a job it must have been for soldiers to patrol it. The whole area is hilly, steep terrain with lots of exposed peaks. To carry the building materials up there was a phenomenal task. We have a shared respect for all those people involved in the building and maintenance of the wall.

Update 5
Date: 22 May
Time: 11am

Another early start on our final day of walking but the finish line is getting closer and closer. Yesterday was definitely the most difficult day we have had so far and we had to dig deep. Then again, it was something we always knew.

We are all quite sore and in some pain. I’m suffering quite badly with the soles of my feet while Sean is okay but has blisters on his heel. Rob is in old walking boots; due for retirement at the end of this walk, so there is not as much cushioning as normal and Ali’s only problem is a bit of exhaustion. Apart from that we are good. We have just walked over a really steep bit that I was fine on but as soon as I got on the flat I hit a rut and fell over! The lads gave me a bit of stick for that but it is all good fun. Besides, the banter and team spirit is one of the things that keep us going.

So far this morning we have covered between four and five miles. Only eleven more to go. We have just passed the last bit of wall and in one mile meet the River Tyne. From then on we follow the road down to Newcastle and the finish to meet friends, family and a big bottle of champagne!

Read the full complete write up of how the group got on here -  PDF 913k

On with the challenge!

So what happens when the going gets tough? ‘I will moan that it is too hard then Rob will tell me it was my idea in the first place!’ says Jackie.

This is a very tough challenge especially considering the team will be walking up to 34 miles a day. However, with support and motivation from all you out there enough money will hopefully be raised to make a positive difference to the lives of people suffering from cancer and their families.

For more information on the challenge contact Jackie Keeling at Queen’s Leisure Centre on 01332 641444 or e-mail jackie.keeling@derby.gov.uk

Presentation ceremony

Congratulations to the team who raised a total of £910.52. Everyone recently enjoyed a presentation ceremony and in attendance were friends, family, representatives from Derby Hospitals and Derby City Council.

Pictured includes Jackie Keeling, Ali Mohammadi, Sean Silkstone, Rob Kohut, Mr Bill Speake (Derby Hospitals), Councillor Pauline Latham and many friends, family and work colleagues.