The man who has walked and still is walking, the Peak District,
Britain, Europe and the World; he has no equal.
Peak district walk guides. Essex walk guides. Hertfordshire walk guides. Books by John Merrill. Day challenge walks. Pilgrimage guides.
The man who has walked and still is walking, the Peak District,
Britain, Europe and the World; he has no equal.
John Merrill
Walk Guides
"Hiking the sacred paths and trails of the world for others to follow".
"The miracle of life is not to fly in the air, or walk-on the water, but to walk on the earth"- Chinese saying.
Email - [email protected]
"For every mile that you walk, you extend your life by 21 mins."
photo - John Merrill on the summit of Stake Pass, on the Cumbria Way - May 2022.
25 mile challenge walk in the Peak District.
THE WHITE PEAK CHALLENGE WALK
Pioneered, devised, inaugurated in August 1982 by John Merrill. The first guidebook to the walk, by him, was published in March 1983 and has been subsequently updated, enlarged over the years. The last time in July 2021.
More than 42,000 people have now walked the route and raised more than £250,000 for a variety of charities.
The is John Merrill's first and original Day Challenge Walk of which there are more than sixty.
Special White Peak Challenge Walk embroidered badges and signed certificates are available to successful walkers.
See badges and certificates page.
se also the Walkers Roll of Honour page.
- the start of the Day Challenge Walk series.
The fine traditional market town of Bakewell is the central point of the Peak District, and a logical starting point for a challenge walk in the area. My aim has been to create, as with all the others Day challenge walks that have followed —
I. A circular walk, using footpaths as much as possible.
2. A walk that could be accomplished within a day—10 hours.
3. A challenge, making the route as rugged as possible, but one that is within everyone's capability.
4. To combine as much scenic variety and history in the 25 mile circular route as possible.
Bearing these points in mind, the walk takes you through limestone scenery — plateaux and dales; across gritstone moorland and past rocky outcrops; and along river valleys and dales. The paths are in the main well defined. Several of the well-known areas such as Monsal Dale will be seen from different angles providing stunning views. En route are numerous historical sites and ancient monuments. You pass through several villages where there are shops, cafe’s and inns o ‘help you' on your way!
| first walked the route over three mornings just before Christmas in appalling conditions—wind, cold and rain. As | walked | checked the route, making careful notes. | have since walked it thirty-two times—usually in eight hours—and can assure you that it is a splendid circuit!
By the end of 2020 more than 42,500 people have completed the walk in an
average time of |0 hours. The longest on record is 16 hours, and the fastest —running—is 4hrs |4 minutes; this was their third attempt! Many have used the walk to raise money for charity, and so far approximately £185,000 has been raised for various charities.
white peak challenge walk
John Merrill's White Peak Challenge Walk embroidered badge and signed certificate.
Please fill in form giving your names, dates, and times, for the certificate.