People who rock

Record-holder Alex Staniforth

I ran out of ways to say, “that was the worst day of my life”.

One was walking up Morven in torrential rain and being so cold I had to get changed in a phone box. Then, I had to bail after 60 miles cycling down the A9 because of the spray of timber wagons and coastal headwinds pushing me all over the road.

I worried for a while it would be too easy.

When choosing the challenge it needed to tick a few boxes and one of those was a physical and mental personal challenge. It turned out to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.

I didn’t really have any choice but to keep going.

You can’t call mum for a lift when you’re up a Scottish Munro in awful rain. I have my own mental strategies, but a lot of people were supporting and believing in me. People with mental illness climb their daily mountains, so I had no excuse for giving up.

When things go wrong (and a lot did) there is always a solution.

All that matters is how we respond. My friend Rich coined a saying, “relentless forward momentum”, which became a mantra for the challenge.

You often remember the weather or tiredness most.

But Goat Fell on Isle of Arran was probably my favourite hill. It was like walking on the beach – you can smell the coast. Despite the warm fog it was a beautiful experience with the summit all to myself.

The generosity and support I received across the UK was humbling.

Over 140 people walked and cycled with me, with others posting flapjacks to Youth Hostels I stayed in, giving supplies, providing accommodation and donating to my cause which doubled the original target of £10,000.

Three hills that surprised me:

The Cheviot in Northumberland, which was moody and eerily silent on the summit. Then, Leith Hill in Surrey with the Shard and Heathrow visible in the distance; and Trostan in County Antrim.

I’ve discovered there is so much amazing stuff to be done closer to home

which is more inspiring than being sat alone in my tent halfway across the world. To justify the risk and sacrifices for a big Himalayan expedition you have to really, really want it. So much in life is out of our control.

Himalayan mountains don’t give a damn about how hard you’ve worked. The journey there often brings more than reaching the summit itself. Well I think so – I've never actually reached one to find out!

[Alex has made two attempts on Everest and one on Cho Oyu. See his book, Icefall, for more.]

I’m currently giving myself some time to recover

and working on my next book, Climb the UK. I want to continue supporting mental health as so much more needs to be done.