The Mighty Hike

Team Best of Suffolk take on The Mighty Hike!

Team members from Best of Suffolk and Best Escapes took on a half marathon hike along the north Norfolk coast over the weekend.

Starting in Cromer, the all-female team took on the 14.2 mile hike along stunning-scenery ending in Blakeney.

Find out their ups and downs, why Norfolk, and why Macmillan Cancer Support by reading on…

The North Norfolk Coast Mighty Hike

The sun was shining on Sunday 21 May in North Norfolk as our team of fundraisers set off on a 14.2 mile hike for charity.

What is a ‘Mighty Hike’?

The ‘Mighty Hikes’ are a series of fundraising charity walks organised by Macmillan Cancer Support.  There are 12 walks in total, and they take place all over the country.  Hikers opt for either a full or half marathon. Designed to be challenging, some hikes include steep hills, dramatic scenery or stretches on sand or shingle. Hike locations range from the Thames, to the Giant’s Causeway, and from North Norfolk to the south coast from Brighton.

So, why Norfolk?

You may well be thinking “Why are Best of Suffolk in Norfolk?!”. Well that’s because we were walking on behalf of both Best of Suffolk, an our sister brand Best Escapes. Best Escapes specialise in stylish places to stay in Norfolk, and the hike was the perfect opportunity to get out there and see all that North Norfolk has to offer.

Who took part?

Five team members of Best of Suffolk and Best Escapes took part in the Mighty Hike.  They were;

• Tamar Martin – Quality Assurance
• Abi Charter – Marketing Manager
• Hannah Glennon – Business Development Manager
• Kyrah Martin – Customer & Owner Relations Expert
• Taylor Norman – Senior Customer & Owner Relations Expert

We were also joined by Claire Pegg, who works for Sykes Holiday Cottages (Best of Suffolk’s parent company) and used to work for Best of Suffolk, and her friend Charlie!

What was the route?

The team started in the 8:40am wave of walkers from Cromer.  Sticking closely to the North Norfolk Coastal path, the route clung to the coastline.  Soon we were in Beeston and tackled the ‘Beeston bump’.  This particularly steep section of the coastal path involved several steep steps to the summit. Worth it for the views at the top though!

After Beeston came Sheringham, and the opportunity to walk alongside the pretty painted beach huts.

We carried on along the coastal path to Weybourne and after 7 miles we were at the half-way pitstop. Time for a quick snack, drink, application of plasters and we were soon off again.

The stretch ahead was our most-grueling! 3 miles along the shingle-beach at Salthouse. It was not for the faint hearted, but we stuck together as a team and powered through.

After what felt like an eternity, we left the beach and headed inland to Cley-next-the-sea.  The solid footpath most welcome underneath aching feet!

After passing Cley windmill we carried on along the footpath and headed in the beautiful town of Blakeney. Along the quay and round into a large playing field where we crossed the line as a team!

A Huge Achievement

After crossing the finish line, we met up with Claire and Charlie, and get our medals and a glass of fizz.

Fundraising

Each team member signed up to raise £250 for Macmillan Cancer Support. By the time they had crossed the finish line, they had already raised £1345 as a team.  Donations are still coming into the team’s Just Giving page.

Cancer will affect 1 in 2 of us over our lifetime, and Macmillan provide essential support to those affected. The £250 fundraising target for each team member will pay for a Macmillan nurse for a day, and the team were motivated to help fundraise to provide support for those in need.

Best of Suffolk and Best Escapes Team

So how did the team feel afterwards?  Abi Charter, Marketing Manager at Best of Suffolk and Best Escapes comments “Working hard to successfully deliver wonderful holidays for guests and happy owners means we work so well as a team. In addition to working hard, we all like to play hard, push ourselves through challenges and raise funds for good causes. The Mighty Hike 2023 was an experience!”

So….the big question is, would the team do it again? Abi continues “As a team, we bonded over steep hills, stunning scenery, seeing seals, blisters, a 3-mile stretch of shingle, nosebleeds, being taken out by paragliders, pushing ourselves to the limit, and we stayed together as a team, encouraging each other through it all. Over the weekend hikers combined forces to raise over £1.2 million for the charity, there was a real community spirit, and we all felt proud of what we had achieved.”

And as for the next challenge…watch this space!