By Plasteurope.com correspondent

Mike Boswell, director of UK polymer distributor Plastribution (Ashby-de-la-Zouch; www.plastribution.co.uk) is a pretty active guy, but he took a step – well, hundreds of thousands of them, to be precise – into the unknown recently when he traversed the length and breadth of England to stand at the highest point in each of the country’s 49 counties. And it was all in aid of two very worthwhile charities, Mountain Rescue and Air Ambulance.

“Our trip was called the English Highpoint Challenge,” says Mike. “The inspiration came about when I read an article in an inflight magazine in the USA about the US High Pointer club. From that I conceived the idea of visiting the highest point in every English county, non-stop.”

Mike set out with his friend Jeremy Webster of Marbles Communications to visit the 49 highest points of every English county, from Northumberland in the northeast to Cornwall in the southwest, non-stop over five days – and nights – from 15 to 20 June 2024. They arrived at each location by campervan, driven by John Oakley.

Starting and ending in the county of Cumberland at Scafell Pike, the highest point in England, Mike and Jeremy trekked up hills, hummocks, moors, and mountains, marking each highpoint with a photograph to prove they were there. Plasteurope.com joined them at Leith Hill (pictured), the highest point in the county of Surrey, in southeast England, before seeing them off as they made their way westwards, and ultimately to Cornwall.

The highpoint for Mike? “Scafell Pike was physically and literally the high point. But the emotional high came on the Thursday afternoon after we had completed the penultimate high point of Whernside. Then we knew that we could complete Green Hill and return to the summit of Scafell Pike again to complete the challenge.” 

Did he learn anything new about himself from taking on such a strenuous endeavour? “This was a real test of physical fitness and mental resilience and is the toughest challenge I have undertaken so far. I guess it has further enhanced my confidence to deal with tough challenges and overcome the unexpected and adapt. 

“It was very much a team effort, with both Jeremy Webster, my fellow walker, and John Oakley, ‘our man in a van’, who was essential to achieving our objective.”

And at the time of writing, Mike and Jeremy’s trekking efforts have raised more than GBP 10,000 (EUR 11,820) for their chosen charities. Congratulations!