AFTER 70 days of planning the logistics of paddling ten nautical miles and climbing to the highest peak in every county of England and Wales, an Islander has returned to Jersey “emotionally drained”, but with an impressive amount of money raised for two charities.
Kevin Mansell took on the challenge this summer to coincide with his 69th birthday in August, marking the start of his 70th year with a bid to visit 70 counties in as many days.
One of the Island’s most renowned canoeists, Mr Mansell selected a range of lakes, rivers and canals for his paddling routes, racking up a total of 710 nautical miles, and keeping his hiking boots nearby for 228 miles of walking to the respective “county tops”.
Highlights included the views from the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales, with the added bonus of two county tops situated just over a mile apart, and the nearby crossing of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
“It’s a world heritage site on the Llangollen Canal and that was really special because you were about 130 feet above the valley – the views were pretty good from there too,” he said.
“Another one was the Cheviots in Northumberland, I’d forgotten how beautiful it is up there, you get views into Scotland and I saw four people all day.”
It wasn’t all mountains and wilderness, the route also included a circular paddle on Rutland Water in England’s smallest county, and a section of the Regent’s Canal in London.
With his birthday the lone day off, Mr Mansell had to work hard on the planning to ensure he kept on target, with poor weather forcing some a few changes to the schedule.
“Before I got back to Jersey, I don’t think I realised how tired I was – I think I was more emotionally drained than anything physical, because for 70 days, my brain had just been working flat out, thinking about where I needed to be, what my schedule was, where I should park, how I would get to the hotel, where to go for food – it never really stopped.”
In some cases the paddle and the corresponding county top were achieved on the same days, but for some larger counties the two were separated by several weeks in order to minimise travel time.
“I had a spreadsheet to tick off what I’d done each day, he said. “Storm Floris meant I had to change a few things at the beginning of August, but generally I was able to stick to the schedule and finish on the day I’d planned.”
The challenge culminated on top of Snowden when Mr Mansell was joined by his wife Nicki, several other family members and friends from the Jersey Canoe Club for his final ascent.
An important element was to raise money for two charities: Dementia Jersey and Fanconi Hope. The latter cause supports those with Fanconi Anaemia, a rare, life-limiting genetic disorder which claimed the lives of Mr Mansell’s nephews, Toby and Marcus Carr. The challenge began near the Carr family home in Cornwall, and the total raised has now passed £5,000 for each charity.
Those who know him won’t be surprised that Mr Mansell, who acquired his first canoe aged 13, has no plans to hang up his paddle, with ambitions for trips to New Zealand and Greenland next year. As well as continuing to clock up the nautical miles close to home – “sometimes we forget just how good the paddling is on our doorstep”, he observed.
The twin fundraising pages remain open and can be accessed by searching online for Kevin Mansell and Justgiving.
