Hiker climbing every English mountain in a month will finish journey on Scafell Pike this weekend

Laurie is raising money for charities that he says are close to his heart. Credit: Laurie Crayston

A man who hopes to climb every mountain in England in a month will reach the finish line this weekend.

Laurie Crayston, from Frizington, set off on his challenge earlier this month by ticking off the three mountains in Dartmoor before gradually moving north.

He has summited all peaks in the Yorkshire and Cumbrian Dales, the Pennines, and Northumbria and is now working his way through the Lake District.

The 32-year-old will finish the challenge this weekend by climbing Scafell Pike. The total distance of the hiking challenge is 850km (528 miles). He will have climbed over 50,000 metres (164,000ft), over five times the height of Mount Everest.

Laurie said: "There are a total of 192 English mountains - these are peaks that meet the consensus height threshold for a mountain, namely 600 metres (1,969 ft). The current record for climbing these is my own - 77 days and 3 hours, but this was set in winter, and it wasn’t non-stop so there’s plenty of scope to go much, much faster this time!

“The wild can be a barbaric place at times and there is no greater opponent to test yourself against than nature. I’ve found out so much about myself and my abilities through these challenges and gained a wealth of self-confidence in the process."

He is raising money for Samaritans and the Cumbria Community Foundation along the way.

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