MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM - Sally Webb

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? Provide lots of goodies and surprises
2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member? Not so much a main job as anything that may need doing.
3. What did you want to be when you were younger? A doctor
4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Determined
5. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Rihanna- California King Bed
6. What three things could you not live without? Trackies, hoody and a cup of tea
7. If you could have one superpower what would it be? To fly
8. What would we find in your fridge? Salad and milk
9. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? Jessica Ennis- she just seems a really nice person and is an amazing athlete

Strathvaich Forest

Yesterday the team were in the heart of the Strathvaich Forest where they climbed another 5 munros. The day proved to be a very successful and worthwhile recce especially when tracks on the map were non existent in reality. The support team spent the morning replenishing food supplies, a never ending task! Just to give you an idea, in a week the team have been through, 15 loaves of bread, 6kg pasta, 2 kg rice, 50 bags of crisps, 36 yoghurts! The mountain bikes were then ridden up hill for the team to enjoy a free wheel at the end of the day! The night was spent in an idyllic spot on a private beach overlooking a castle ruin on the edge of Loch Assynt, a bit of a mossie tourist attraction. The day was finished with a refreshing swim in a very chilly Loch.

Today was the last day of training. Alex and Tom climbed Ben More Assynt and Conieval whilst Lucy joined Ceri up Ben Klibrick which will be climbed on the final day of the Munro Mission in September. The trip will be rounded off with a visit to the BLESMA care home in Crieff tomorrow before they head down to Edinburgh for the DecAid Massed Pipes and Drums event.

The Skye's the limit...

The Munro Mission team is in high spirits after another fabulous day on the Isle of Skye! In the morning the camp was packed up after their guide Graham suggested a nicer camp site on the beach. Afterwards Ceri, Tom, Alex andLewis,Bonnie and Lucy from the support team climbed Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alasdair on the south end of Skye. Once again, the team were under the wing of Graham Paterson from SKYE HI, who took the team exploring and showed them more 360 panoramic views of Skye's beautiful scenery. Well worth the very hot climb in the blazing sun this morning! 


The team only experienced a bit of rain on the top of the 3rd Munro which made the rocks very slippy, and they came off the mountains down a scree filled and near vertical gully known as The Stone Shoot. But the highlight of the day was watching low flying RAF jets from above!


The team returned to the beach site at 3:15pm and decided to move up near Ben Wyvis tonight (a 3hr journey) instead of getting up at 3am tomorrow. They also managed to pack up the vans in a record 20mins!


The team are really enjoying themselves, spending a lot of time laughing (and taking the micky out of Lewis and his Yorkshire accent), which can be a bit dangerous whilst scrambling up Munros! Lewis is glad to have climbed his first 3 Munros, and Tom says that "everyone is quicker, fitter and working better as a team". All in all the team have had a fantastic time on Skye, and Ceri is glad that the RAF jets are keeping a close eye on them!


If you fancy joining the team on their adventures in August, take part in the Munro Mission here and enjoy special discounts exclusive to Munro Mission participants. You can also track the team via their GPS spot tracker.  

A scramble on Skye

This morning, Tom, Alex, Ceri and Lucy met their guide for the next few days, Graham Paterson from SKYE HI. They met at his beautiful house in Carbost at the foot of the Cuillin Hills, overlooking Loch Harport, and talked through the plan for the next two days on Skye. At 10:30am, complete with helmets, the team had a gentle start which quickly turned into a much harder climb. They made it to the top of the 1st Munro up on the ridge in 3hrs, however much of it was spend in all fours! One particularly hairy moment involved the team on all fours on the ridge with an 800m drop on both sides! The team would therefore like to give a huge thanks to Graham for keeping them all alive!

Below is a picture of the ridge the team climbed taken from their campsite.

Once at the top the team had fantastic 360° panoramic views of the Isle of Skye, and could even see Ben More in the distance, the Munro climbed yesterday whilst on Mull. They also got some brilliant photos of them at the top with their NiteWatches on!

After their climb, the teams spent time exploring caves, and Lucy has already got her eye on a few wild swimming spots that she is yet to persuade the rest of the team to join her in! All in all the Munro Mission team have had a fantastic, exciting (and dry!) day. 

Stay tuned to hear more about the team's adventures on the Isle of Skye. To keep an eye on their movements, click here to view the team via their GPS spot tracker. 

If you fancy doing a bit of scrambling with the team in August, click here to join the Munro Mission and receive some fantastic discounts exclusive to Munro Mission participants!

A view from the top....

Yesterday Ceri, Alex and Tom climbed Stob Coire Easain, and then summited another 4 Munros, cutting short the route from day 3 of The Munro Mission by 2 Munros. On their return, the high-spirited team were met with tomato soup (to keep them going until supper!) before getting the car ferry to the Isle of Mull. On arrival, the team enjoyed the stunning (and almost deserted) surroundings. Driving along the single track with ironic signs warning of ‘congestion’, the team arrived at the very basic campsite which was to be home for the night.

This morning, Ceri, Tom and Alex Team cycled 30 mins to Ben More, the only Munro on an island other than Skye. Support team members Lucy and Bonnie met the team at the bottom and climbed Ben More with them in record time. It took them only 3 hours to get to the top and back again, while the guidebook suggested it should have taken 3 hours just to get to the top! Some good videos were taken on the summit where the team enjoyed the first proper view of the trip; fantastic panoramic views of Mull. The team would like to thank NiteWatches for sponsoring Ben More, the first Munro of the Munro Mission in August. A NiteWatches team will be climbing this and the last Munro on The Mission, and so if you would like to join them then please visit their website where you can receive some fantastic discounts exclusive to Munro Mission participants!

At lunchtime Ceri, Alex and Tom cycled back to the ferry and had a fantastic lesson in kayaking from Tony Hammock at seafreedomkayak. After their kayaking lesson from Mull to the mainland, the boys rejoined the support team to drive the 3.5hrs to Sligachan campsite on the East coast of Skye, where they have been able to have the first shower of the trip! The high winds made making risotto on a camping stove quite difficult, but thankfully there was no rain and only a few midges. The team are all in good spirits, enjoying getting tough days under their belt and increasing their confidence.

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 the team will be meeting Graham, their guide for all 11 Munros on Skye that the team will be climbing over the next two days. Watch this space for more news!

To follow the team's progress, click here to view their GPS spot tracker.

A tough first day...

Yesterday, the team had a long first day on the mountains, mimicking day 2 of The Munro Mission. After another very early start, and weather that seemed to be on their side, the boys set off up Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in the British Isles. At about midday the heavens opened, the wind picked up and it became quite cold. But the weather deterred no one and the team continued on to climb another 7 Munros.

As the day drew to a close, the support team attempted to bike into the bothy near Corriechoille that was to be home for the night. However the path was incredibly steep so the bikes were ditched and the support team made it on foot, getting very wet in the process.

Despite the unpleasant weather and long day and very wet boots, the team had high spirits on their return to the (rather busy) bothy. After a warming bowl of chilli expertly prepared by the support team, the team had a good (and dry!) nights sleep.

Today the team are already on their way up Stob Coire Easain, and will summit another 6 Munros after that as per day 3 of The Munro Mission. To follow the team's progress, click here to see the team via their GPS spot tracker. 

Click here to join the Munro Mission team in August or to sponsor a Munro, and receive some fantastic discounts exclusive to Munro Mission participants!

Munro Mission Team Arrive in Scotland!

The Munro Mission team (consisting of Ceri, Alex, Tom, Sarah, Lewis, Lucy and Bonnie) set off from Exeter at 7am this morning to begin the final team training stage of the Munro Mission. After 9 long hours of travelling, the team finally made it to Glen Nevis, just East of Fort William. With the weather on their side, and like a well oiled machine, the camp was set up, dinner was made and tomorrow's route was finalised.

Tomorrow's training is likely to be the most challenging day of the trip as Ceri, Tom and Alex will be mimicking day 2 of the actual Munro Mission, summiting a grand total of 7 Munros in one day! The team will be filming a video diary each evening to give you a glimpse of life on the Munro Mission so watch this space!

If you would like to follow the team's progress during the day, then click here to see the team via their GPS spot tracker. 

Click here to join the Munro Mission team in August or to sponsor a Munro, and receive some fantastic discounts exclusive to Munro Mission participants!

MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM - Becky Roby

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated?  Whilst training for the Munro Mission I discovered that I find everything very amusing when I'm tired, so my way of motivating people will be to laugh when things get hard.  


2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member?  Hopefully supporting the runners, joining them for as long as I can on the mountains.  I’m recovering from a broken ankle, so it depends on how the ankle holds up. If I’m not in the mountains with the guys then I will definitely be back at base camp preparing dinner and setting up camp etc.

3. What did you want to be when you were younger?  I wanted to be a jungle explorer.

4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Chabal

5. What are you inspired by? High-level athletes

6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Phil Collins, 'you'll be in my heart'

7. What three things could you not live without? Dr Who, my bike, rugby

8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? To breath under water

9. What would we find in your fridge? At the moment there is very little there… some cheese and butter I think is all I have.

10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? Definitely Stalin.  The man has got a lot to talk about.

MEET THE TEAM - Alex Robinson

1. What will keep you going on the Munro Mission? Motivational tunes on the IPod and the thought of a fantastic evening meal expertly rustled up by the support team!

2. What did you want to be when you were younger? An explorer

3. How would you describe yourself in one word? Mad

4. What are you inspired by?  Having regrets when I’m old

5. Which song will motivate you most up the Munros? A tough one as there are 4 top contenders; Gonna Fly Now from Rocky, Highway to the Dangerzone from Top Gun, Now We Are Free from Gladiator and The Ecstasy of Gold by Ennio Morricone from The Good The Bad and The Ugly.

6. What is your top track on your I-pod at the moment? Thunderstruck, AC/DC

7. What three things will we find in your rucksack on the Mission? A rather striking/very fashionable lime green windproof jacket, spare socks, Kendal mint cake.

8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? Spiderman’s climbing ability

9. What would we find in your fridge? Leftover pasta, mozzarella, lots of fresh fruit and veg.

10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?  Either Sir Edmund Hillary or Captain James Cook.

11. What will you most want after a days Munro climbing?  A warm bath and a pint

BEAR GRYLLS - Explorer

"DecAid is doing vital life changing work to help those British soldiers injured in the line of duty. I admire both the soldiers and DecAid's mission so much, and I feel a real sense of duty to get behind them and help them in their goal. Rarely have our troops needed support like they do today."

MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM - Casey Fuke

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? Keep reminding them that what they are doing is amazing and all worth it!!
2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member? I’m hoping to navigate for the team as well as put up tents and cook for the hungry team
3. What did you want to be when you were younger? A Secret Agent
4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Active
5. What are you inspired by? By people who push boundaries and do these amazing challenges whilst holding down normal jobs and use intrinsic motivation to keep them going.
6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Fleetwood mac - On your way
7. What three things could you not live without? My toothbrush, my trainers and my friends
8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? Time travel
9. What would we find in your fridge? Lots of vegetables
10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be? My Great Great Great Great Grandparents...

Tiso support the Munro Mission

Sign up to participate in the Munro Mission and receive 10% off at Scotland's leading outdoor supplier Tiso. 5% will also be donated to the yearlong national appeal DecAid.

You can join the team for one leg, one Munro or a whole section of their route. The team will begin on the Isle of Mull on 1 August and gradually work their way north climbing all 283 Munros. They will finish at Ben Hope, Scotland's most northerly Munro 49 days later on 18 September.

Stand up and show your support for our troops, join the mission by joining the team in this incredible challenge and receive a fantastic discount on your kit at the same time! Click here to get involved.

MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM - Charlotte Elson

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? Remind them of why they're doing what they're doing (should they need it) and how much it means to the families left behind.
2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member?  I'll make sure I'm doing whatever needs doing gets done
3. What did you want to be when you were younger? The list is endless and quite varied...A ballet dancer/policewoman/lion(ess)/pilot...
4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Bumpkin
5. What are you inspired by? Friends
6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Fast car - Tracy Chapman (Michael Collings is my hero)
7. What three things could you not live without?  Friends, cheese and lip balm
8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? To read peoples minds
9. What would we find in your fridge? Cheese and plum tomatoes
10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? Gerard Butler, and ask if I could have his babies OR Barack Obama and give him a high five.

Support our troops, support DecAid

Make sure you watch our fantastic new video. It's only 2 minutes!

MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM - Henry Munns

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? Sing and be jolly
2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member? Guide and Sherpa
3. What did you want to be when you were younger? Astronaut
4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Horseradish...
5. What are you inspired by? Helping to improve living standards for all.
6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Spem in allium by Thomas Tallis
7. What three things could you not live without? Labour Party, My Dog Brodie, National parks
8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? To be able to Fly
9. What would we find in your fridge? Pesto, bacon, Chocolate milk
10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? The Founding Farthers of America because I would love to pick there brains about how they devised the US constitution, an amazing document.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes - Explorer

"The 1,600 mile route must be one of the most demanding physical challenges within the UK"

MEET THE MEDIA TEAM - Sophie Archibald

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? Keep reminding them of how good it's going to feel when they summit the last Munro!
2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member? Smile lots and attempt to be funny to keep morale up.
3. What did you want to be when you were younger? It changed on a weekly basis but professions included a puppy trainer, dolphin trainer and dancer.
4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Chatty
5. What are you inspired by? My family
6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Britney Spears, Till the World Ends.
7. What three things could you not live without? My family and friends, music and FOOD.
8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? The ability to teleport.
9. What would we find in your fridge? Sainsbury's value chocolate mousse, something Asian and vegetables that I have probably forgotten about that are past their best....
10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? Michael Macintyre, because he's hilarious and looks like he gives good hugs..

To see Sophie's full profile click here.

Pipes and Drums

As well as the Munro Mission, DecAid is running other events all summer! The first of these is Massed Pipes and Drums which will take place in Edinburgh on the 26th June 2011.

This is set to be a fantastic day out for all the family, all the details can be found here.

Lots of hard work is being put into this event, and we are currently searching for 100 volunteers to ensure the day runs smoothly. So if you are over 18, will be in Edinburgh on the weekend of the 25th/26th June and would like to get involved please email Jamie Graham at jg321@ex.ac.uk. 


We hope to see you there! 

MEET THE TEAM - Ceri Green

1.  What will keep you going on the Munro Mission?   The support team
2.  What did you want to be when you were younger?   A Policeman
3.  How would you describe yourself in one word?   Happy
4.  What are you inspired by?   Enthusiasm
5.  Which song will motivate you most up the Munros? Ipod on shuffle
6.  What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? Down Town
7.  What three things will we find in your rucksack on the Mission ? Malt Loaf / Fruit&Nut Mix / Map & Compass.
8.  If you could have one superpower what would it be? Supersonic Hover capability
9.  What would we find in your fridge?   A light that always comes on when the door is open, magic / Good food
10.  If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?  Muhammad Ali
11.  What will you most want after a days Munro climbing?   A foot massage & a brew

Click here to find out more about Ceri

Which Munro are YOU going to climb?

JOIN THE MISSION - JOIN THE TEAM


With just over 8 weeks to go there's no better time to get your team together and to start training for your Munro challenge. You can join the team for one leg or a whole section of their route, it's up to you. Just make sure you click here to register and you will get a discount on any Nite Watch at the same time!

MEET THE SUPPORT TEAM LEADER - Sarah Keane

1. What will you do to keep the team motivated? With lots of yummy food and cups of tea! As well as the occasional surprises of their favourite items, mini cheeses, cans of coke, tea, showers and a comfy place to sleep!


2. What can you see as being your main job as support team member? My main job will be co-ordinating the support team, bikes, kayaks, tents and cooking lots of high protein, high carb. food!

3. What did you want to be when you were younger? A teacher

4. How would you describe yourself in one word? Tall

5. What are you inspired by? FOOD!

6. What is your top track on your i-pod at the moment? "We R Who We R" by Kesha

7. What three things could you not live without? Lentils, kidney beans and brown rice...more like chocolate, tea and cake! 

8. If you could have one superpower what would it be? To fly

9. What would we find in your fridge? Cheese, milk and butter

10. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? I would like to meet 49 lovely hotel owners who would like to have the team to stay this summer

Click here to find out more about Sarah