Three Forts Challenge

On 28th May 2016, 16 brave students and five even braver teachers left the comfort and refuge of their overnight stop in Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel and stepped out onto the South Downs Way to begin their first tentative steps into the wilds to West Sussex. The challenge was to complete 22 miles in 10 hours.

The persistent series of thunderstorms throughout the morning added a tropical flavour to the adventure but, with the sun out in the afternoon and the route passing through increasingly glorious and evocative landscapes, the entire team completed the challenge in… 9 hours and 54 minutes!

Blisters, trench foot, toe nails dropping off and exhaustion were suffered by various members of the team at various points but the celebratory pub feast in the fantastically names “Devil’s Dyke” was a great way to round off a memorable day.

There were, in fact, 5 forts on the route – iron age, Norman and medieval. The enormous Cissbury Hill Fort was a particular highlight and we chose this as our lunch spot to “fort-ify” ourselves for the rest of the route.

So far almost  £1500 has been raised toward the work we will be doing in Kenya and Gambia. Thanks to everyone for their support. The virgingiving page http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/3fortschallenge will be open for another month.