Three men are tackling a 109-mile walk across North Yorkshire in just five days to raise much-needed funds for the RNLI.

Martin Sharp, his 21-year-old son Dominic Furness, and his friend Andy Arter are taking on the long-distance Cleveland Way walk, starting in Helmsley, on Saturday, June 17. The national route is usually completed in nine days, but the trio are planning to tackle it in five, finishing in Filey on Wednesday, June 21.

The hike will go past a number of RNLI lifeboat stations, including Staithes & Runswick, Whitby, Scarborough and Filey, which will benefit from their fundraising efforts. And the group will be going live on social media each day so supporters can follow their progress.

Martin, a health and fitness coach and business consultant from York, said: “The Roman legion only marched a maximum of 20 miles a day so we will have to walk further than they did to beat the clock and reach Filey on day five. I’ve walked long distances before but never for five days in a row but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and enjoying the stunning scenery.”

If everything goes to plan, the three hikers will be walking 21.5 miles from Helmsley to Osmotherley on the first day before tackling another 22.8 miles to reach Great Ayton on day two. Day three will involve a 24.5-mile walk to Runswick Bay, followed by a 19.2-mile hike to Ravenscar on day four.

The final day will involve a 20.2-mile walk from Ravenscar to Filey where the trio will finally get to take their walking boots off and have a rest. People can support their efforts and donate to the RNLI through their Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/page/lifeboat

Martin, who runs the fitness and lifestyle coaching business Sharp Fit For Life, is no stranger to setting himself tough challenges. Earlier this year, he headed to Austria and Sweden and took part in two international snow sculpture competitions with talented snow sculptor and tree surgeon Justin Scott.