To maintain individual wellbeing and building on the allowed daily localised exercise, between Monday 01 March and Friday 30 April 2021, five colleagues Philip Butler, David Harby, Chris Farthing, Chris Murrell and Paul Dodge spread between Manchester, Yorkshire and Leicestershire are each independently aiming to walk approximately 240Km (150 miles) to virtually match a trek across Peru to unlock the secrets of the Lost City of Machu Pichu.

Our local daily distances will be measured and mapped against the same in Peru, mirroring starting at the base of the snow-capped Andes mountains between Bolivia and Peru. We then virtually trek through the wildest and rarely visited areas of low alpine valleys catching sight of glaciers and turquoise lakes. Our virtual journey continues through local Inca villages, to spot llamas and a glimpse of the impressive Rainbow Mountain an important worship site since pre-Inca times. We head north towards the historical centre of the Inca empire Cusco, where we will pass ancient Inca ruins, temples and settlements before the winding valley turns into jungle. Here the path becomes less worn but moving forward could unlock the secrets of the spectacular Lost City of Machu Pichu and our final virtual destination.

We are doing this in support of the St James Place Charitable Foundation. As we all know, the pandemic is touching every aspect of our lives and for the charity sector it has had an enormous impact. With your support the Foundation will be able to continue to respond quickly and enable charities to adapt and continue their valuable support services. It really does make a difference and is a lifeline to many charities. All net proceeds from Our Virtual Mission will go towards the St. James's Place Charitable Foundation and will be matched pound for pound.

An early PanAm advertising poster found by the team captain, Phil Butler:

Summary of FINAL week 9:

Week 9, the final one of the 61 day challenge was shorter than others ending on Friday 30 April and covered days 57-61. Some signfiicant mileages were added by the team but the overall total was impacted by there being no Saturday and Sunday inputs.

Together the team covered 157.9 miles for the week. The cumulative final grand total for the two months of the challenge (01 March - 30 April) was 1759.4 miles. This exceeded the group target of 750 miles (150 x 5) by a whopping 1009.4 miles. Even accounting for Chris Farthing's associated 609 miles virtual cycling challenge across Vietnam, the team still covered a further 400 miles than expected!

We have also signifiantly surpassed the £1000 team target for the two months by almost 2.5 times.As of 30 April, the total donations received from very kind friends, family and colleagues reached £2455.96. Some further donations are set to arrive as promised by some once the challenge was completed.

With the entire team reaching Machu Pichu 'virtually' some great pictures of the famous Inca site were posted again, from close up within buildings to distant mountain top views showing the winding inca trail to the historic site.

Having covered the 150 miles target to Machu Pichu in the first month, David Harby tasked himself with targetting a further 150 miles - representing a 'virtual' return back to the start line at Rainbow Mountain and succeeded in beating this too.

The final chart below gives the individual daily splits for the team members:

The chart does not include contributions from our 'canine-chums' However, as always Wreckit Ralph was 'up for the challenge' and covered 151 miles with four tiny legs and did an extra 30 miles chasing balls, grouse and squirrels before getting some well-earned rest.

Our last week saw us take in the glorious local spring weather and routes that bore good resemblances to Peru's Inca Trail and even Machu Pichu itself through Philip Butler and Paul Dodge encountering the stone blocks at the old quarry near Buckton Vale reservoir.

To prepare for the close of the campaign, on day 58 (Tues 27 April) the team were finally able to meet up in person for a press piece, photo opportunity and team lunch kindly paid for by the Captain. We met first by the Peru Flag flying at the Carrbook ’pop-up Peru’ for a team shot and then moved on to the nearby Motttam farm shop - the home of a friendly and very photogenic and ‘on-message’ Llama called ‘Larry’ who was happy to have us close by and be in 'his' photos - at least after being tempted by applie slices from Sarah at the farm.

Team members have enjoyed the challenge and a 'Cusquena' beer to celebrate. Going forward we can remind ourselves of where we have been and what we have done with further bottles of this tasty Peruvian beverage, helped by Paul Dodge locating supplies in large Tesco's branches or at least that local to him. Great effort Paul!

Finally, team members were each asked to give a sign off piece for their respective last day (61) activity and their personal take on the entire challenge campaign, please see these below:

FINAL Day 61: Team members sign offs

Paul Dodge: Stamford Park - Lees out and back as prep for my Tatton Park 10K run. My last mileage totalled 6.9 miles, comprising a 6.78 miles run plus walk out and stretching to make up the difference. The trek over the last two months has been very enjoyable. I have used the need to reach Machu Pichu in 5 weeks - walking, jogging and running to increase my personal fitness and wellbeing, knowing that as part of the group I was attracting donations and subsequently raising funds for needy charities. 😄🎖️ Im on top of the world!

David Harby: A real milestone...in more ways than one! As the campaign draws to a close, I'm dellighted to report that I have passed my wanted personal target of 324 miles. Based on the real milestone marker on the outskirts of Loughborough showing 108 miles from the town to London, I have 'virtually' walked/jogged from Loughborough to London, back again and then down once more to the capital! Very pleased with that. Its been an absolute pleasure to team up with Philip, and meet new associates, Paul Dodge, Chris Farthing and Chris Murrell, 'virtually' initially and then via Zoom and face to face earlier this week. Can't forget the team mascot canine crew too - Wreckit Ralph, Lenny and Kevin, kept us going and smiling. Some fascinating sights both real locally and 'virtually' in Peru plus I have learned some new facts and located new walks to enjoy going forward, perhaps even for real in Peru when restrictions allow. Its been great to capitalise on the wellbeing activities I would have been doing anyway to generate very kind donations way beyond what I anticipated and the target set. Then to have St James Place match these to feed into various charities impacted by COVID just makes it even more worthwhile.

Is that another picture of Rainbow Mountain I hear you ask.....no just the Mountsorrel Quarry Spoils! 10.38 miles covered this afternoon between home, Swithland Water, Mountsorrel and back and capturing some Spring images on route again as a final sign off from the challenge.

Philip Butler: 3.2 miles trekked around Stalybridge today marking my last entry for the 2 months' challenge. Many thanks to the team for joining My Mission, was great fun virtually walking across Peru with like-minded people. The break from the rigours of running a business in the background have put a spring in my step, and I have tried to make it fun for us all at a difficult time. The money we have raised with the SJP matching makes a massive difference to people who are less fortunate than ourselves. Thanks for a great 2 months and for some great camaraderie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9434BoGkNQ

Chris Farthing: My last ride of the virtual cycle ride across Vietnam. 11.54 miles Zwift London on the indoor bike today. The event came at the perfect time helping to pass what hopefully is the last 2 months of lockdown. The experience has been most enjoyable and great to complete the challenge with such a great group of people. Thank you to Phil Butler Mr Captain for the invite, all at SJP for arranging and David for his efforts tracking the numbers and doing the daily blog plus finally all those who have donated.

Chris Murrell: 3.4 miles today. Someone sent my medal par avion. Here it is on my beach hut at our destination. Unfortunately the sun has gone in . Maybe that’s why it’s called darkest Peru!. I’ve enjoyed every mile. 👏👏 Thanks everyone.

Summary of week 8:

The penultimate week of the two months challenge and covering Days 50-56 saw all of the team 'virtually' join up at Machu Pichu.

This follows Chris Murrell stepping over the finish line at the beginning of the week (on Monday 19 April). Chris completed his personal challenge of trekking 150 miles with 150.4 miles, 100.2% of the target covered. At the end of the week (Sunday 25 April) team captain, Philip Butler also passed his own 150 miles target and the chequered flag with a final distance of 7.4 miles on the day and 103.9% of his target to finally 'break the back of darkest Peru'.

Philip adds, ' I am delighted to say, I have now 'virtually' reached Machu Pichu having completed the mission while visiting the very appropriate Garden Farm down the road at Marple, home of a herd of Alpacas. So having to wait two months to see an Alpaca, three come along at once! Great way to finish the challenge and refreshed by a well-earned 'Cusquena' Peruvian beer!' That said, just like my team-mates, I will continue to capture extra miles in the run up to the 30 April end date for the St James Foundation campaign.

There is lots of chat on Carrbrook Facebook re the Peru flag returning, hopefully this and the sign placed nearby will encourage more donations from the local community and/or the 'visiting tourists' to the 'pop-up Peru' and surrounding area.

Collectively the team covered 191 miles in the week, fuelled largely by the impressive 'double digit' distances cycled by Chris Farthing both indoors and outdoors helped by the great weather in the week.

David Harby also added some reasonable distances on foot, aiming still to reach his personal goal of 300 miles by 30 April representing 'virtually' a return from Machu Pichu to the starting line. He is just 3.3 miles away currently. He actually hopes to get to 324 miles at least by the end of the month, more on why next week. He might have to resort to 'evening treks' again to get the miles in.

Paul Dodge also added some similar distances as he practiced for a separate 10kM run he has entered as well as joining up with the team-captain Philip occassionally to add extra distances to his log while encouraging Phil on.

We shouldn't forget our impressive canine companions. Team mascot, 'Wreckit-Ralph' and vice-mascot 'Lenny' have also gone the distance often at full tilt carrying a ball, or including a lengthy swim!!. They too have been encouraged on in the latter stages by their 'side-kick' 'Kevin', who despite his shorter legs has taken it all in his stride!

Cumulatively, for the eight weeks the team has now covered 1601.5 miles to beat the 1000 target. Similarly, some impressive new donations have been made in the week and takes the team well beyond the £1000 target with £2425.96 collected so far. The chart below gives the usual daily split for each member of the team in week 8.

We have one more week to go, a short one of five days, to reach the 30 April deadline for the St James Place Foundation challenge. More donations could come in when the challenge deadline is finally met and potentially fuelled further by the aformentioned 'Pop-up Peru' and the country's flag flying over Carrbrook village to 'flag' a notice highlighting the 'team butler' progress and ambitions to the local community and regular visitors to the area.

In addition to week 8 finally revealing some real local Alpacas and a sparrow hawk (?), the team has also come across a number of other creatures, 'virtually' in Peru. At Machu Pichu there have been crias - otherwise known as baby Llamas equivalent to the lambs in local english fields, the Hairless Peruvian Dog - the national dog of Peru famed for their bizarre appearance and massive butterflies at the Mariposario of Machu Picchu butterfly farm, just 5 miles away from Machu Pichu itself.

The warm weather in week 8 also really highlighted English seasonality at its best. 'Spring had definitely sprung' to reveal some great colours in the countryside with fabulous tree blossom, bright yellow fields of oil-seed rape and woodland glades full of bluebells. Something that Machu Pichu and surrounds of Peru could not offer.

Summary of week 7:

Week 7 made up of Days 43-49 saw the team reach a total of 136.9 miles for the week. This is a new lowest total since the challenge began consistent with three of the team already passing the finish line for the challenges. The other two are also extremely close to the chequered flag. Cumulatively, the team has now reached a total for week 7 of 1410.5 miles, 410.5 more than the 1000 (5 x 200) target by the end of April under the Challenge. As normal, the table below gives the daily split for each of member of the team.

This week, Chris Farthing has taken three well deserved 'days off' from adding more miles. He has already totally smashed the 609 miles target he had for the associated Virtual Vietnam cycle ride challenge, when reaching 674.7 miles, 65.7 above the target.

Paul Dodge and David Harby have both passed the 'virtual' finish line at Machu Pichu in Peru. David is also well on track for his personal challenge of making the 'virtual' return 150 mile journey back to the start line. At 108 miles he is just 42 away from achieving this by the end of April finish date set by the St James Foundation.

Paul has enjoyed the 'virtual' sights found at Machu Pichu and been out trying to find more 'real' Alpacas and Llamas near hism home n the North West and with some success, if only at a distance...

Chris Murrell is extremely close to reaching Machu Pichu with just 1.1 miles to go, this should be surpassed in week 8. As well as enjoying the company of Lenny the 'vice team mascot', he is now escorting 'Kevin' a new canine-companion (loaned by his daughter) on his trek. Even 'Kev's short-legs' should be well able to make the last mile or so.

Team Captain Philip Butler is also close to the finish at 134.9, leaving 15 to cover by the end of April. He has been constrained by organising the return of the Peru flag to Carrbrook, checking locations for an intended end of challenge photo shoot and working with a local farmer to arrange access to his Llama on the same day. He has followed Peru's own Paddington Bear's lead in keeping fuelled by tucking into toast and marmalade each day and an adhoc Peru cake picnic for a sugar boost!

Much of week 7's 'virtual' Peru trekking, lead by Chris Murrell and Philip has been on the rocky, stony paths of the Inca trail in and outside of the jungle and close to the River.

This has been matched by similar isolated rough tracks in the team's local areas.

While Peru' historic buildings and sites are very different to the local architecture here in England, its striking to note that the Inca building skills exercised in the 15th Centry at Machu Pichu are matched by the achitects and builders of local churches and homes, being built a 100 or so years before in the 12-14th Century, albeit without the 'working at height' challenges of the Andes Moutains for the Incas.

Finally, one element that Peru could not match is the spring blossom that has appeared in the local hedgrows when trekking at this time of year.

Summary of week 6:

On Sunday 11 April (Day 42) Team Captain Philip Butler confirmed our Peru flag has temporarily been taken down and replaced by the Union Jack at half mast to respect the passing of HRH the Prince Philip. The flags will be swapped again from Sunday next week.

Days 36-42 beginning on Easter Monday saw the team log a total of 186.3 miles for the week. This is the lowest total since the challenge began being constrained by the start of the new financial year a key working period for some team members and for others being compelled to get gardening and other chores cleared. With the previous five weeks totals, the team has now covered 1273.6 miles to date through a mix of walking, running and cycling.The following table shows the week 6 daily split for the respective team members:

Of particular note, week 6 saw Chris Farthing complete his associated challenge of a 609 miles 'virtual' cycle ride across Vietnam. He crossed over the finish line on Saturday 10 April (Day 41) when he rode outdoors and amazingly doubled his regular daily mileage cycling through the Irlam/Urmston and Altrincham corridor and back home over 23.75 miles. The cycle hasnt been parked up for long as like other team members Chris will continue to cycle indoors or outdoors over coming days to the 30 April end of the campaign.

Team captain Philip Butler and Chris Murrell are close to joining David Harby, Paul Dodge and Chris Farthing on the other side of the 'virtual' finish line, both are tracking each other closely, are well past the 80% mark on their treks and very much on track to complete the challenge before the end of April. Their daily inputs have been similar and seen them 'virtually' travelling over the same ground and both trekking closely by the Urubamba River and nearby railway line before climbing up on the Inca Trail itself as this week's photos show:

Even Chris Murrell's regular companion, Lenny the Vice team-mascot has felt compelled to cover simillar ground (or more accurately water) on different daily walks again as photos have shown. 🐶

To support Paul Dodge and David Harby being 'virtually' at the Machu Pichu finish point, we have included photos each day from the fascinating Inca site - but as amazing as the views are the photos have been very similar.

Paul has varied his approach to getting miles in though; through a mix of daily walks, runs, or indoor cycling and the latter over 'rocky' roads as he has listened to one of his favorite groups, the Black Keys who have helpfully provided some relevant songs, such as 'lo/hi' .....that could represent the valleys and peaks of Machu Pichu.

David Harby has walked and jogged his way to a total of 221.5 miles since the start of the Peru virtual challenge of 150 miles, so now aims to reach a total of 300 by the end of the month to represent 'virtually' his making the return to the start point from Machu Pichu. 🤞

In closing, while many of the Peru pictures have been similar this week, to keep themselves motivated the team have found significantly different surroundings on their real local treks for the week, or in the case of Chris Farthing applied different virtual routes via his Zwift indoor cycling app.

Summary of week 5:

Days 29-35 saw the team log a total of 202.6 miles for the week. With the previous four weeks totals, the team has now covered 1087.3 miles to date through a mix of walking, running and cycling.The following table shows the week 5 daily split for the respective team members:

Week 5 encompassed the UK Easter holiday period between Good Friday and Easter Sunday with its spell of unseasonal 'summery' sunny warm weather.

Easter in Peru, known as Holy Week (Semana Santa), is one of, if not the, most widely celebrated holidays in the country. While in many countries Easter is primarily celebrated on Easter Sunday, in Peru the entire week leading up to it is a festive celebration. Holy Thursday and Friday are national holidays so students and workers can have a rest from work and spend time with loved ones. Semana Santa includes a number of distinct daily events:

Seven Churches: On Holy Thursday, a procession leads groups through seven churches to represent the stations of the cross. Also on the same day, Priests in many cities and communities will wash the feet of 12 elderly people. This represents Jesus washing the feet of the 12 apostles.

Red meat is prohibited through Semana Santa until the feast on Easter Sunday. Holy Saturday takes a celebratory turn as parties start to break out to honour the resurrection. It is typical for there to be parties and street festivals through the night on Holy Saturday in some areas.

While in most rural areas you won’t find it, in the coastal capital city of Lima, many traditions from the U.S. have trickled in, like Easter chocolate, and perhaps a Easter egg hunt for kids in some Lima households.

Some traditional meals you’ll find on just about every family table during the Holy Week include the 'Feast if 12 Dishes' to honour Jesus’ last supper, served traditionally on Holy Thursday. While there is no particular set menu for the 12 dishes, it typically includes 6 savoury and 6 sweet. Since red meat is not permitted, fish consumption spikes during this week. On Easter Sunday, Peruvians break the red meat fast with the very meat-heavy Chiriuchu consisting of a variety of meats, cuy (guinea pig), meat jerky, fish eggs, and corn.

The team had its own special event on Easter Sunday when Paul Dodge made it 'virtually' to the finish line at Machu Pichu after completing his personal 150 miles target. His 6.18 milles covered on the Sunday took his total to 150.9 miles. As per David Harby, he will continue to add miles until the 30 April end of the challenge campaign.

Flagging our trek to Peru!

On Day 34, (Saturday 3 April), the Peruvian national flag procured by the team captain Philip Butler was mounted to his local village flagpole and unfurled. This and an explanatory notice on the adjacent notice board added a day after will hopefully help encourage many of the Easter tourists as well as those residing in the area to donate to the Foundation’s charities via the team’s shared justgiving page. 🤞 It will also keep the team motivated and prepare them for an end of challenge team photo session at the flag and to contribute to local media interest secured by Philip Butler. This is proposed to take place after the end of April ( subject to Government COVID restrictions ending).

A Zoom call was held between 4 available members on Day 30 to review plans for the get together, as a first and perhaps last that the team will have for this challenge event, bearing in mind some have several miles to travel and others have regular work restrictions to contend with

Chris Murrell is now closing in on Philip Butler with there being less than 2 miles ''virtual' difference between the distances that they have walked. Much of the 'virtual' travel for the pair over week 5 was alongside the railway track at Carr Pachar Ollantaytambo just above the Urubamba River.

Both have been accompanied by their pet dogs, 'Wreckit Ralph' ( team mascot) with Philip and 'Lenny' (vice mascot) with Chris M. Both Phil and Chris Murrell have pulled in some great local area pictures. Chris M and Lenny covering distances around open water. This doesnt match closely with his 'virtual' locations in Peru, however it in turn has revealed some more fascinating ancient Inca ampitheatre style terraces.

Phil on the other hand has found some nice looking motor vehicles on his home patch but not many in Peru!

Chris Farthing continues to 'pile the miles' for his associated virtual trek across Vietnam, principally still through indoor and outdoor cycling including a particularly impressive 29.98 miles outdoor ride to Tatton Park and back. He had no pet /mascot with him, but did encounter an impressive herd of Red deer on route.

Chris Farthing has now 'virtually' cycled along the coast to reach Qui Nhon, a large, prosperous coastal city. Quy Nhon (pronounced ‘hwee ngon’) boasts a terrific beach-blessed shoreline and grand boulevards. Its seaside appeal and tidy, litter-free streets make it the kind of place that affluent Vietnamese couples choose to retire to, spending their final days ocean-gazing and promenade-walking. Quy Nhon is also the main gateway to lovely Bai Xep, a pretty cove beach 13km to the south where there's a collection of fine guesthouses popular with independent travellers.

On a more general note, having completed the Peru trek challenge David Harby continues to provide different pictures of interest from Machu Pichu as likely will Paul Dodge going forward, supported by others from their local treks around Leicestershire and Stalybridge.

Summary of week 4:

Days 22-28 saw the team log a total of 200.8 miles for the week. Along with the previous three weeks totals, the team has now covered 884.7 miles to date through a mix of walking, running and cycling.The following table shows the daily split in week 4 for the respective individuals.

Following Chris Farthing smashing the Peru trek target of 150 miles ,on his indoor and outdoor cycles, he is now only 185 miles away from his greater target of 609 miles for a 'virtual' Vietnam mission. Chris has pulled in miles through 'virtually' covering other Countries and cities on his Zwift app. All has helped secure donations of £440 thus far, 220% of his £200 personal target.

David Harby has also reached the finish line for the150 miles personal Peru trek target and all on foot, through walking or jogging. He is also at 237% of the individual £200 target for donations, having also personally raised £475 to date. To cover his last 3 miles, David returned to his local high spot, Beacon Hill in the Charnwood Forest to get 'as close as possible' to conditions at the 'virtual' destination of Machu Pichu. Beacon Hill has the highest altitude locally - if not quite the same height as the Andes! It doesnt have any signs of Inca history of course but it was a Bronze Age hilltop fort settlement and represented by a wooden statue close to the Beacon fire basket. Beacon Hill was a better match with Peru in having a herd of white and black Alpacas in the farm next door! The hill is also a great vantage point to see for miles, allowing for a photo looking beyond Derbyshire to the skyline towards Manchester and Yorkshire where team mates are pursuing their own targets, as well as one of the famous 'Old Man of the Beacon'.The Virtual Peru Mission page does not allow for David to log any further miles beyond the end destination but he will continue to add miles and hopefully donations over the next month as well as helping the team maintain the shared storyboard until the 30 April close.

The rest of the team are closing in on their own targets and Paul Dodge appears to be the next in line and very close to the end goal with almost 82% of the mileage covered in his home area by the end of week 4, putting him 'virtually' very much on the Inca trail and closing in on Machu Pichu. He has but reached his £200 target too being at 99.4%.

Philip Butler and Chris Murrell are both doing well with the added pressure of 'the day job' impacting the time and distances they can cover each day but both well set to achieve the needed miles and donations by the end date for the challenge of 30 April 21. They are being supported by the Team Mascot ( Wreckit Ralph) and vice-mascot (Lenny) who are both doing their best to get their own miles in and while ball carrying too...impressive.

Philip as Team Captain couldnt find any Guinea Pig at the Casa de Campo De Casio Supermarket in Cusco to feed the team, but did succeed in locating Peru Chocolate in deepest darkest Lidl!..... Just in time for Easter next week.

Finally, Peru continues to yield some fascinating locations, towns and streets etc. Some look far less robust than the amazing sophisticated 15th Century dry-stone walls at Machu Pichu that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar and still in very much in place.

Summary of week 3:

Days 15-21 saw the team log a total of 229.2 miles for the week. This with the previous two weeks totals, has seen the team cover 683.9 miles to date through a mix of walking, running and cycling.The following table shows the daily split in week 3 for the respective individuals.

Week 3 (Days15-21) was one of contrasts. For much of the week, team-members found themselves 'virtually' in urban areas on or close to major roads, notably the 3S carriageway as well as the Via Expresa, CU173 plus towns such as Paucartambo and Choquechaka, before moving to open countryside areas and the start of the Inca trail itself.

The second half of the week saw some team members move to very different isolated rural areas, mountain paths, green valleys and the start of the Inca trail.

The open and isolated countryside was not all virtual! The team members' local areas provided some great trails allowing for long walks while limiting unnecessary contact with others and any associated COVID risks.

Seeing Llamas and Alpacas was not all virtual either! A llama was spotted in Stalybridge and Alpacas found in Barrow on Soar, darkest deepest Manchester and Leicestershire!

More conventional English animals and birds were seen of course, even if some were trying to get a great selfie picture, despite their chums being less interested!

Something that could not be matched was the amazing different ancient archaelogical Inca sites of Peru that team members ’virtually’ encountered:

Patallacta: An archaeological site, located in the lush and green Urubamba valley, is made up of an ascending sequence of terraces adapted to the topography of the area, these platforms were dedicated to the cultivation of agricultural products for the Inca and his royal ayllu. Patallacta Perú was found by Hiram Bingham in 1912, shortly after arriving through the ruins of the great Machu Picchu.

Ollantaytambo: In the Sacred Valley of south Peru, set on the Urubamba River amid snow-capped mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Major sites within the complex include the huge Temple Hill and the Princess Baths fountain.

The Maras Salt Mines and Moray Ruins: Maras is a town near the city of Cusco in the Sacred Valley of south-eastern Peru. It's known for the Salt Mines, thousands of individual salt pools on a hillside, dating back to Incan times. West of the town is Moray, an Inca archaeological site on a high plateau featuring a series of concentric terraces. Surrounding trails offer views of the snow-capped Urubamba mountain range.

As a further contrast for week three, Chris Farthing who having smashed the Peru miles target on his cycle continues to focus on completing his associated 609 miles total for a 'virtual' Vietnam trek. This has generated some great images:

He has now cycled to the coast reaching Nha Trang, a high-rise, high-energy beach resort. Nha Trang enjoys a stunning setting: it's ringed by a necklace of hills, with a turquoise bay dotted with tropical islands.A sweeping crescent beach of white sand defines the shoreline, backed by an impressive promenade dotted with parks and sculpture gardens. Inland there's a cosmopolitan array of boutiques and dining options.

Halfway through his Vietnam mission, Chris Farthing arrived 'virtually' at Ba Ho Waterfalls is one of Nha Trang’s must-visit attractions, comprised of three natural waterfalls that ends with a clear lake surrounded by a dense rainforest.

Back to the main Peru virtual mission most of us are completing on foot each day, either walking or running. With thanks to 'Capn' Philip Butler we now have the flag of Peru to share and display to remind us and others of what we are tackling.

Philip's sidekick and our team mascot, 'Wreckit-Ralph' has found the extended daily exercise (walkies) a bit tiring. If needed we have a good back-up reserve in Chris Murrell's labrador, armed with his ball.

Summary of week 2:

Days 8-14 ending on Mothers Day 14 March 2021, saw the team log a total of 203.5 miles for the week. This with the first week's total of 251.2 miles, has seen the team cover 454.7 miles to date through a mix of walking, running and cycling. The following table shows the daily split in week 2 for the respective individuals.

Chris Farthing on his indoor cycle, has smashed his 150 miles Peru target by targetting various virtual routes using Zwift to include France, London and Vietnam. This is as part of his associated Vietnam My Virtual Mission and target of 609 miles. On day 14 Chris had 'virtually' reached, Dalat, where the weather is spring-like instead of tropical hot and the town is dotted with elegant French-colonial villas and the surrounding farms cultivate strawberries, coffee and flowers in place of rice! With more than 380 miles to cover, Chris will keep pedalling!

Some of the team are trying to fit in their regular work with it limiting the time and distances that can be covered each day. However, their local areas are revealing some lovely countryside that is helping everyones' wellbeing.

Philip Butler, the team captain has also benefitted with being accompanied by the team mascot - 'Wreckit-Ralph' who has enjoyed 'walkies' under all types of weather and conditions.

Week two saw the team think about Peruvian food and drink and trying to locate some to help focus minds to the virtual journey we are under. Starting with wine from neighbouring Chile we quickly identified that cosmoplitan city Cusco had a McDonalds offering much the same as anywhere else in the world, even if only in Spanish! Cusquena the popular Peru lager was successfully tracked down by Philip Butler and first delivery of 10 bottles quickly secured.

As with the previous week, the second one has revealed some great insights into Peru's geography, nature, people and culture albeit virtually. This has included CUSCO the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, and the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city and the gateway to Machu Picchu to COVIDUC - an unfortunate sounding location as we all remain currently under the Pandemic constraints and TIPON a sprawling early fifteenth-century Inca construction situated at 3,400 metres above sea level. The complex covers 239 hectares and is located 22 kilometers southeast of Cusco.

Day 14: Mother’s Day (14 March 2021)

Peruvians are very enthusiastic about honouring Mother's Day! (Día de la Madre) In Peru, they praise and honour all mothers on the second Sunday of each May. On Mother’s Day, young Peruvian children buy small gifts and cards for their mothers and read them poems. Families also get together for recreation and high tea. It is not uncommon to see children of all ages going the extra mile, organizing surprise parties, preparing special meals and taking advantage of every opportunity to make their mothers feel special.

Summary of week 1:

Total of 251.2 miles logged by team members.The following table shows the daily split for the respective individuals.

Chris Farthing is making his contributuon through cycling most days and submitting impressive distances as part of an associated virtual mission of travelling 609 miles across Vietnam.

For the Peru trek the team all started at Vinicunca, also called Rainbow Mountain. Rainbow Mountain, is in the Andes with an altitude of 5,200 meters above sea level. It is located on the road to the Ausangate mountain in the Peruvian Andes, in the Cusco region, between the districts of Cusipata, province of Quispicanchi, Pitumarca and the province of Canchis.

In the middle of the 2010s, mass tourism came, attracted by the mountain's series of stripes of various colours due to its mineralogical composition on the slopes and summits. The mountain used to be covered by glacier caps, but these have melted recently due to global warming.

Other key milestones 'passed' include Hatun Ch'aqu ia mountain about 5,000 metres (16,404 ft) high, situated south of the river Pukamayu ("red river") which flows to the west as a right affluent of the Willkanuta River. An intermittent stream originates east of the mountains Hatun Ch'aqu and Tuqtu. Its waters flow to the river Ch'illkamayu in the south. Ch'illkamayu is also a right tributary of the Willkanuta River.

Members ‘virtually’ reached Quiquijana and enjoyed sight of the majestic condors who soar above the awe-inspiring Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons.

Much of the initial 'virtual' trek has been along the main 3S road /motorway and in the Cusco region.

Some of the team have taken in the The Huacarpay Lake and Wetlands in Cusco situated at an altitude of 3,020 meters. This High-Andean wetland includes four permanent and one temporary lagoon, two swamps and two rivers. It is part of the Pikillaqta Arqueological Park and the National Tourist Reserve. Huacarpay is one of the most vital wetlands in the Cusco Valley in southeastern Peru thanks to its picturesque qualities, ecological value, and socio-economic potential.

It boasts almost 60 resident avian species and vital resting grounds for migratory birds. Huacarpay provides significant food and refuge to various threatened avian species such as exotic storks and falcons. Other bird’s worth mentioning are the very attractive Sparkling Violetear, brightly-coloured Rush-Tyrants, Yellow-winged Blackbirds, and the elusive Plumbeous Rail. You'll also find several species of flycatchers, ducks, and members of the Fringillidae family here. Some of the seven species of raptors can be seen flying once the warms up.

To contribute to the virtual Peru trek, we have taken in some great British countryside and landmarks when on our daily exercise and met a few characters on route: