I arrived for early afternoon, by which time Fletch had feasted on a not uncommon breakfast - half a box of corn flakes.

"I've been eating loads. It has surprised me how hungry I've been." he said.

I had meant to meet him at Edale a week earlier, where he celebrated his 100th day on his feet with friends from Sheffield, but he passed through more quickly than I expected…

He had fallen a little behind his pre-trip schedule. But then he hadn't bargained for the beauty of the Devon and Cornwall coast.

"It was so hot down there early in June and there was so much to see. It was beautiful. I knew I might not be there again in a hurry so it would not have done it justice to rush."

As he crossed the Cornish border back into Devon on the north coast, he suffered the worst weather of the trip thus far.

"It was much worse than the Gale Force 4 or 5 I had endured on the one bad night in Cornwall.

The tent pole had broke and two guy lines snapped, but I was OK.
"I heard noises outside the tent. When I investigated I found two women struggling to stand up.

"We thought you might be dead," said one, "we couldn't see you moving." I thanked them for their concern as my tent became a large piece of material flapping around me as I lay huddled in my sleeping bag waiting for the storm to pass.

"As evening approached I'd had enough. I decided to head for a Youth Hostel three miles away."
Fletch, who lives in Crookes and was president of the students union from 1993-94, promises to be more in touch with the weather forecasts as he tackles the Scottish highlands and climbs Ben Nevis.

He should wind up at his final island limit, the most northerly point at Dunnet Head near John O'Groats, for mid to late September.

That is where the walkathon is set to end but Fletch intends to stay outdoors to pursue a career in mountain leadership.