Daily Mirror

My peak practice pays off

Hiker’s record 214 summits in 14 days

- BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG jeremy.armstrong@mirror.co.uk @jeremyatmi­rror

A BRITISH adventurer has set a new record for hiking up 214 peaks in the Lake District.

James Forrest walked 328 miles and climbed 118,000ft on his 14- day, 11-hour hike up all 214 summits listed in Alfred Wainwright’s famous Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.

Hiking an average of 13 hours a day, he said it had been the “challenge of a lifetime” as he beat the record of 25 days set by Jack Roberts in 2017.

James, 37, said: “I am ecstatic with the time I’ve set and so relieved to have finished.

“I hope the enduring memories of this expedition will be the times when the sun did shine and I relished the peace, beauty and escapism of Lakeland. I hope my journey has inspired some people to seek out the mountains and adventures.

“They can have a massively beneficial impact on your mental health.”

The author and journalist of

Cockermout­h, Cumbria, says he faced torrential rain and high winds on his expedition and added: “Just make sure you pick a good weather window.”

Hiking alone with no support crew or pre-arranged help, James carried all his kit and camping equipment in a large rucksack.

James says he was a “bored office worker” when he decided to quit and climb every peak in the UK and Ireland.

In 2017 he climbed all 446 mountains over 2,000ft in England and Wales – the so- called Nuttalls – in six months, the fastest ever.

In 2018 he climbed all 273 of the 600 metre (1,969 ft) mountains in Ireland and Northern Ireland, known as the VandeleurL­ynams, in eight weeks, another record.

And he completed a “1,001-mountain challenge” by climbing all 282 Munros – mountains over 3000ft in Scotland – in 2019.

 ??  ?? ON THE UP James Forrest
ON THE UP James Forrest

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