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Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer, Motivational Resilience Speaker, Author and Mental Health Activist

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Climb The UK

Taking mental health to the top of all 100 UK counties

On July 23rd 2017 I completed my biggest journey yet and raised over £25,271 for mental health charity Young Minds UK. Climbing to the highest point of all 100 UK counties in 72 days, with 48 ceremonial counties in England, 13 historic counties in Wales, 6 in Northern Ireland and 33 historic counties in Scotland.

[COUNTER_NUMBER id=15716]

#ClimbTheUK involved cycling between the highest points before walking up (sometimes cycling to them directly) and even kayaking across to the Isle of Wight before mountain biking to its’ highest point. I was entirely human-powered barring any essential ferries.

By touching every corner of the UK, the challenge gave the opportunity for people of all ages to get outside and take part, climbing their own county high point, or perhaps their first mountain. Over 1,000 students were engaged through six talks at schools and events mid-challenge.

Why Climb The UK?

My daily updates not only show-cased the wonders of UK adventure but shared an open account of mental ill health, helping to reduce the stigma; one conversation at a time. The extreme physical challenge aimed to break down the idea that mental illness is a sign of weakness – instead, talking about is the greatest sign of strength.

People see the adventurer, athlete and ‘confident’ person speaking on stage but need to see the human side too. Many are afraid to seek help and speak out, which is the first step to overcome mental health challenges. Even then, many still don’t get the understanding or support they desperately need. It took less time to complete Climb The UK than to get a proper assessment through the NHS mental health services. That isn’t good enough.

This is why I chose Young Minds UK to campaign, provide training, research and ultimately provide better support for young people facing mental illness.

Massive thanks to all who donated: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/climbtheuk


Try it yourself!

View the full list of UK counties and schedule for my county tops challenge #ClimbTheUK here>

You can still view the entire day-by-day route from my live tracker here>

What kit did you bring?

I was self-sufficient for the duration of the trip - see my blog post here for the full list: https://alexstaniforth.com/the-5000-mile-adventure-kit-list/

Where did you sleep?

I stayed mostly in youth hostels and camping in a tent (including wild camping) - with hotels, B&B accommodation and the luxury of friends or family spare rooms for a few of the nights.

How many miles a day?

My longest day was 18 hours, the biggest day on the bike was 122 miles, and up to almost 20 miles on foot! View my daily tracks here.

How many people joined you?

I had around 150 individuals supporting me at various stages of the challenge for walks, cycles, simply saying hello, or putting me up for the night. Huge thanks to each and every one of you!

 

 

How do you define a county?

Good question and not a simple answer. Each country in the UK has different classifications. I will be climbing the 48 ceremonial counties of England, 33 historic counties (shires) of Scotland, 6 former administrative counties of Northern Ireland and 13 historic counties of Wales. Confused yet? Some county tops were on the border of two counties, hence the list adds up to 97 rather than 100.

Kayaking?!

Yep! Over to the Isle of Wight, about 4km each way, with support from Tackt-Isle Adventures. I hired a mountain bike from them which was waiting for me on the beach, and I left my own bike at Lepe Country Park beach.

 

Did you have a support vehicle?

No. I carried my gear on the bike and only used motorized transport in the form of ferries to N Ireland, Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Arran with a brief drive back to my route on the Isle of Wight when my bike broke. On two days I had some supplies carried by friends who were walking with me that day. Where speaking commitments meant I had to divert off route I always returned to the exact point I left off.

 

 

How fast did you go?

It was a mix of walking, running and cycling - usually walking up hills and running down them to save time. My average pace on the bike was around 13 mph.

 

Which was the hardest county?

Undoubtedly the Scottish ones... but you'll have to read my new book to find out more!

Can I have a go?

Go for it! However fast you go, whether you try all 100 or even a few of the county tops at your own pace - it's an amazing journey that showcases the best of the UK outdoors. I hope the info below is useful but I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.


 

How to Recover from a Major Endurance Challenge

September 28, 2017
Being knackered is something most of us will experience in some level, be it running a marathon, completing a major ...
Read More

Who Tries, Wins!

May 12, 2017
The week before a challenge is a feeling I know too well. You plan to have everything boxed off so ...
Read More
climb the uk training mental health week

I ain’t Prince Harry, but I am speaking out.

May 8, 2017
You probably already realised, but I ain’t no Prince Harry. Sorry ladies. I’m just a lanky guy with a stammer ...
Read More
CLIMB THE UK

Climb The UK – A route to all 100 UK counties!

April 21, 2017
My latest challenge nears closer – reaching the highest point of all 100 UK counties on bike, foot and kayak ...
Read More
Climb The UK #CTUK

Climb The UK 2017

February 22, 2017
I’ve dedicated the last few years trying to climb the highest there is. A journey that gave me so much ...
Read More
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Join my newsletter for new challenge announcements, blogs, events and a free sample of my new book 'Another Peak'...
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Alex’s Charity

 

 

 

 

Mind Over Mountains is a charity restoring mental health naturally through therapeutic outdoor experiences.

Read more and join us at: www.mindovermountains.org.uk

Contact Alex
alex@alexstaniforth.com

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alexstaniforth_

Climbing mountains and the mind.
Charity Founder @mindomountains
🌎 The Lake District #GetOutside
Athlete @inov_8 @ordnancesurvey @ellisbrigham

Alex Staniforth - Adventurer
Back where it all began. Running with my old man! Back where it all began. Running with my old man!

Last March I got my Parkrun PB at Keswick and this weekend got my slowest at Fell Foot.

The plan was to keep my heart rate under 145bpm to avoid another crash of fatigue, which meant walking most of the hills. It took the discipline of Yoda not to set off chasing people like the good old days, especially when my dad overtook me in the first km. 

I hated exercise as a kid. On holiday in France my stepmum bribed me with €2 to run a mile with him. That was a lot of money back then... I hated every minute but dad inspired me to enter a 10km race for charity, and the rest is history. Dad came to watch every race since, as I happily claimed the family record at every distance from 5km to marathon, whilst he retired to become a Parkrun tourist. 

Never thought he'd beat me again, but never forget where you started.
.
#LongCovid #TheComeback #MatchingJackets #parkrun #loveparkrun #fellfootpark
#LakeDistrict #lakedistrictuk #runninginspiration #Fellfoot #windermere #parkruntourist #fatherson
Much-needed adventure inspiration from @mrmarkbeau Much-needed adventure inspiration from @mrmarkbeaumont on his Faster tour at Rheged last weekend. 

Mark is the fastest person to cycle around the world in 80 days (that's 240 miles a day... for perspective) amongst many other records. He's been a huge personal inspiration and kindly endorsed my 2nd book.

So much resonated, but a few favourite takeaways: 

- Trust the process, the bigger picture will always take care of itself. 

- Remove the faff. His team had to ensure he was on the bike by 4am, not 4:05am. That would have added an entire day to his record.

- Mark had 40 people working on his world record. He knew that if he failed, the whole team failed. 

- Good times won't last forever, but that means the bad ones won't either... 

Thanks Mark. Grab his books, talks and films if you're needing some adventure inspiration! 

#faster #worldcycle #ultracycling #markbeaumont #inspiration #80days #mindset #cyclingheroes #rheged #ultracyclist 
@speakersfromtheedge
214/214 Wainwrights complete! Somehow it's taken 214/214 Wainwrights complete! 

Somehow it's taken 12 years, 8 months and 25 days since my first summit, Souther Fell, aged 14 (swipe for evidence). For those who don't know, the Wainwrights are a list of 214 summits created by legendary writer Alfred Wainwright. There was no better hill to finish than the aptly named 'Great Cockup', with a great crowd of friends.

The record is 5 days 12 hrs 14 mins... If only we hadn't stopped for a sandwich 😂 

Meanwhile @thehodfather666 is currently climbing all 214 with a 4 stone hod of house bricks, to raise money for @mindomountains.

However fast you go, there's something strangely addictive about this collection of fells. It's been a fun project to explore the Lakes and maybe one day I'll start again to see how fast I can get around... 

📸@danobeaumont

#GreatCockup #Wainwrights #LakeDistrict #Hillwalking  #GetOutside #Lakes #peakbagging #wainwrightswalks
A big welcome to the first CEO of @mindomountains, A big welcome to the first CEO of @mindomountains, Ian Sansbury! 

When Chris and I founded the charity in 2020 we never imagined how big it would become. From the flagship event with @adventureuncovered to delivering 27 events last year, supporting 300+ people with their mental health, including the NHS, Police and Ambulance Service.

Leadership is about creating a vision, and building a great team to achieve it - like our wonderful trustees, team and 50+ freelance staff who continually go above and beyond. 

It’s also knowing your strengths and weaknesses, when ironically it's compromised my own mental health sometimes too. As the charity grows I'm not the right person to take it where it needs to be, so it can reach everyone who needs our help.

Feeling like a proud parent sending their kids off to start school, with less crying, but I'm super excited to see the charity grow and support even more people with Ian’s expertise. 

I’ll remain heavily involved as a trustee (and Chief Interference Officer) to support the team, tell the story and raise money through daft adventures… 

Thanks to everyone who's been part of the first chapter. Onwards!

#NewChapter #MyBaby  #MentalHealthCharity #MindOverMountains
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