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 Not only did we Hike or Bike the 5415 miles, in the month of June, but the team raised an amazing £10,691 to help respond to the humanitarian catastrophe facing Nepal. Heartfelt thanks to every one of the team and to everyone who so generously donated.
 'Hike or Bike - Miles to Save Lives in Nepal' What are we doing? Walk Run or Cycle 5415 miles, the distance between London and Kathmandu, to raise funds to help support the 5 Health Posts, established by the Nestling Trust, as they struggle to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in their local areas, and care for the sick and suffering, as well as providing food for the starving. Why? Nepal faces a humanitarian crisis. Cases of the Covid-19 Indian variant are spiralling out of control and the fragile Health Service is overwhelmed. Hospitals in the cities are running out of oxygen and are overflowing with people being turned away, and in rural areas thousands have no access to medical care. Months of lockdown has caused loss of livelihoods and people face starvation. Who? The Nestling Trust and supporters are combining our miles as we 'hit the Hippy Trail' throughout the month of June - leaving Tower Bridge London on 1/6/21 and hoping to arrive (virtually) at Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu on 30/6/21. TNT Team: Who we are: Liz Bord Nicola Coupe Mike Gaiger James Hamblin Sue Hamblin Jan Hide and Sandy (NZ and Rarotonga) Prakash Limbu Bikram Malla Tarjan Subba (Scotland) Chadra Pun Ang Tshering Sherpa Suresh Rana (Singapore) Binod Poon Deepak Reece Devaney Kajiman Pun Loak Limbu Isaac Campbell Ganesh Burathoki Dekraj Thapa Arjun Thapa Katherine, John and Henry Cox Stu Owen and Selina, Ella and Jakey (Team NZ North Island) Nick Reid Hilary Stone The Wellyboots and Linda Ali Thomas Anne Wilson Dan Lawrence(USA) Claire Phoenix Karen Page Janey Jeffries Lewis Team Andrea and Simon ,We have arrived! The Nestling Trust Team has Hiked and Biked the 5415 miles - the distance from Tower Bridge in London to Swayambhunath Stupa, high on a hill in Kathmandu. Nick, Claire and Sue climbed the final 365 stone steps leading to the Stupa this afternoon.
The campaign challenge has been achieved within the month of June, thanks to the astonishing efforts shown by so many in this incredible team. Heartfelt thanks to all team members in NZ, Rarotonga, Singapore, USA, London, North Devon and Wiltshire plus the 14 Gurkha soldiers in various parts of the UK. You have all made this campaign possible. Thank you, most sincerely to all those who have donated, your support and generosity have spurred us on! So far we have raised over £3500 for the people of Nepal at this desperate time when thousands are suffering from Coronavirus in rural areas without medical facilities and medical care. Funds raised will help support 5 Health posts in Dolakha, established by TNT and Sitara, as they battle to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus, care for the sick and suffering as well as distributing food and soap to destitute families. Thank you so much. This morning the TNT Team completed 5597.9 miles since 1st June '21 - an outstanding achievement! Here we are in Kathmandu! We now have the 365 stone steps to climb to reach the Swayambhunath Stupa so watch this space for the triumphant arrival later today! Thank you to every Team member and to all those who have donated - we have raised a fantastic £3330 so far. Now where are those steps ??? 
Day 28 - we have crossed the nepal border and reached 5275 miles - Bardaghat in Lumbini province.28/6/2021
So excited to tell everyone we are now in Bardaghat, approximately 23 miles away from Lumbini, the birthplace of Bhudda. We could make a detour to visit Lumbini while we are here!
 As we come to the end of the last weekend of June we have hit the 5000 plus miles! Actually 5144.95 miles! We have reached the city of Bahraich in the Uttar Pradesh district of India on the Saryu river. What a fantastic team - Kathmandu is in our reach! An Indian saying found on arrival at Bahraich: Our deeds travel with us from afar, What we have been makes us what we are. Anonymous
 4734 miles completed and 697 miles to go in just 3 days! We Have arrived in Patiala, Punjab, India - in the foothills of the Himalayas. We must give one last big push to reach Kathmandu, Nepal, our destination in time.
Patiala - also known as The Royal City or 'The Beautiful City', here is the Moti Bagh Palace and the Shree Devi Kali Temple. However during our brief stop here we might simply purchase a pair of Patiala salwar, for which the areas is famous and very confortable for walking in the heat! Now time is of the essence so off we go again!
Meet Dan who has joined us on our virtual journey from Oregon in the USA. Despite soaring temperatures in Oregon of 46 degrees this week end, Dan is hopping on his bike to helping us reach 5415 miles! Thank you Dan and welcome.  Today we arrived virtually at Gurajat Khan in Pakistan, 100 miles from Islamabad. So grateful to all Walkers and Hikers! I know how time consuming this campaign is and it is fantastic how everyone has made such a huge effort to clock up the miles! To mention a couple, we are especially lucky to have a team of Gurkhas, headed by Bikram, by our side! They have already completed 1581.12 miles, such determination and enthusiasm, I have total confidence we will reach our goal. Jan and Sandy have been burning rubber in Rarotonga, achieving 527 miles between them since the 1st June!    Gujrat an ancient city of Pakistan is located between two famous rivers, Jhelum River and Chenab River. It is the capital of Gujrat District of Punjab province. Because of close proximity to the rivers, the land is good for cultivation of rice and sugarcane as main crops. It is 120 Kilometers from Lahore and 174 Kilometers from Islamabad.
Day 18 - TNT Team has arrived in Kungirot, Uzbekistan!
3311 miles completed so just another 2104 miles to go to reach Kathmandu - we can do it! 
Seven people have died and many others are missing after flood water swept through various regions of Sidhupalchowk district on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Five days into the monsoon season and incessant rain has caused many landslides and destruction in Helambu and Melamchi areas. Workers on site of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project were swept away by the Melamchi river floods and an unknown number are still missing. Oh joy! Our trail allows us to dip a toe into the Caspian Sea, the worlds largest inland body of water - we'll be paddling in the northern shallows of the Caspian Sea where it reaches Kazakhstan. .Now where to find that famous caviar? 
 The Nestling Trust would like to thank Liz Bord and Liz Evans most sincerely for all their hard work in creating and organising the Village Treasures Competition. It was a great idea and so many people have said how much they enjoyed exploring the villages in search of answers.
The winners were John and Katherine Cox. We would like to thank them for so generously donating their prize back to the Nestling Trust. The total amount raised to help further the work of The Nestling Trust in Nepal was £600 which is an amazing amount for which we are most grateful, and we thank everyone who took part. Here are the answers to the competition: 1 The Warrington field Lavington Lane - to the right of the entrance gates 2Ebeneezer Baptist chapel high street WL -Back of churchyard on the right 3 Art School, Daunsey’s school high street WL -middle gable end below first floor window 4 81 High Street LP -on back of outbuilding seen from Russell Mill lane 5 Quill cottage 9 Russell Mill lane LP- date to left of first floor window 6 Lavington Lane left hand pavement where road falls away 8th post down picture reversed in printing! 7 All saints church WL - right hand gate at footpath entrance on corner of All Saints road and church street 8 52 High street WL -right side of house when facing right AboveV R post box and below wall tie 9 Littleton House Farm, 68 High Street LP - on top rung of front gate 10 Littleton House Farm, 68 High Street LP - above front door 11N/A 12 Millennium Cross, WL , on green left of entrance to Sandfield- east side of cross 13 78, High Street LP - on the left of front door, right of letter box. 14 Littleton Lodge, 39 High Street LP - top window on left gable end. 15 Little Orchard House, High Street WL - on left end wall when facing house. 16 Vine Cottage, 30 High Street WL - right half of roof top when facing cottage. 17 All Saints Church WL - on south side of tall tomb on left of footpath from west entrance. 18 All Saints Church WL - on memorial bench in graveyard, left inside entrance gates. 19 All Saints Church WL - from church, cross footbridge, under 2nd tree on left of path 20 All Saints Church WL -north door, just round from footpath leading to footbridge 21 All Saints Church WL- under the large east window , left tombstone of 3 lying down 22 Pagnell Cottage, Pagnell Lane, LP - date between front middle and right 1st floor windows 23 Driveway leading up to 41 and 43 White Street WL - left hand side 24 Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, High Street WL -middle large arched window on north side 25 Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, High Street WL - right of front porch 26 West Lavington Manor, Church Street WL - part of door in bottom corner of garden wall, towards Duck Street 27 All Saints Church WL - right hand side of entrance gate from White Street 28 24, High Street, WL -on top of right corner of fencing, next to car lot 29 The Old Bank House, 145 High Street LP - left side of entrance gate 30 GR post box in wall of Cliffs Hall, oppositeLavington School playing field 31 The Old Manor, Church Lane WL - ball on top of left gate post 32 Right of driveway to 1-11 The Farm, High Street LP - wall of land, stone just to left of telegraph pole. 33 55/57 High Street LP - right of the two ground floor windows of 55 34 sunnyside WL gate and post to footpath on the right after passing 1 sunnyside 35 61 high street W L on side of building right of entrance to Hooks Court 2nd bolt to left of door 36 All Saints graveyard white street WL railing around the Holloway family burial on the left top railing behind the tombstone for John and Eliza Sainsbury 37 119 high street LP on front of portico on front door 38 Dauntse y house9 church street WL top fr ont of stone porch over main road entrance door 39 plaque on left of roadside wall of1hooks court WL on the right of the entrance to home farm 40 24 white street WL house number on front of wall right of driveway 41 All Saints church WL tombstone close to the church in the north east corner and facing church street 42 The old manor church Lane WL down lane towards the footbridge in garden wall on left 43 5 Dauntsey court WL road side of house middle between first floor windows 44White street WL heading toward Rickbarton just passed 24 White street 45 Little Oak 1Cheverell road LP to the right above ground floor bay window on high street side of house 46 All Saints church WL in west facing wall to the right of south door 47 56. High streetWL door on main road side on left hand side of door frame 48 AllSaints graveyard white st WL on Mary Brewers tombstone 49 bottom ofLavington lane footpath entrance on the left leading to Dauntsey manor right hand side of entrance gate 50 Orchard house109 high street LP on front door 51 west Lavington manor church st WL top of arched gateway to the south oppositeWhite st 52 All Saints church WL top of turret left above front door 53Bottom of Lavington Lane steps to the right leading up the path to Eastfield in wall 54 98 High street LP to the right of the front pillar with house number on it 55Wynshore House white street WL brickwork in ditch going under driveway right hand side 56 top of front wall of the Haven care home 65 high street LP left of main entrance 57 Fern cottage 53 high street LP roof top main road end. We have left the Ukraine behind and made a discovery in Russia. Racing tractors has become a real sports holiday for agricultural workers in the Rostov region - the centre for tractor sports. The "Bison-Track-Show" is now world famous - what a great idea! . Tempted though we were (imagine the miles we could cover by tractor!) we resisted the easy option and continued our Hike or Bike onwards through the Forest-Steepe and across the border into Kazakhstan.
We have reached Lozova, in the Ukraine, having already hiked/cycled/run through Poland, passing through the old towns with cobbled streets and Gothic churches - a fleeting visit to Warsaw, the capital but no time to visit the grand famous castle!
 Lozova Brandy - to revive the spirits if not the legs!  A wave to villagers in National Costume and we'll be on our way  Members aged 9 - 83 years!
Fantastic to have you join us on our virtual journey from London to Kathmandu, albeit hiking through the spectacular scenery of New Zealand. We'd love to see more photos! ......... so after four days of pounding the bridleways, tracks, roads and cycle lanes of the many local areas in which we live, congratulations to everyone - together we have completed 614 miles! This means we have reached Jüterbog. It is a historic village in north-eastern Germany, in the district of Brandenburg, on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Flaming hill range, about 40 miles southwest of Berlin. The town is surrounded by a medieval wall and home to the Bratwurst cafe known for the best bratwurst in Juterbog! Yum bring them on! 
No time to sightsee we are off again!
Good luck team as we head through the next week on our virtual journey through Poland and beyond. Please keep in touch with photos to share and happenings along the way! Watch this space for an update next weekend. 1st June '21 Members of the TNT Team live in Canada and New Zealand as well as the UK but today we come together at the start of an epic test of endurance - completing 5415 miles in one month! Here we are - our 'virtual' starting point - London's Tower Bridge.  Take care crossing the bridge! On 30th December 1952, Albert Gunter was happily going about his day job, driving the number 78 bus over Tower Bridge towards Shoreditch. To his utter surprise, the road in front of him seemed to drop away. The driver quickly realised that the Bridge was opening. A watchman was supposed to ring a warning bell and close the gates before Tower Bridge opened, but on that particular day, he somehow forgot to do so. Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, Gunter managed to jump the rising bascule. He successfully reached the north side of Tower Bridge, which had not yet begun to open, getting all his 20 passengers across safely - phew! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick, in Pembrokeshire, had no such problem - he cracked his first 10 miles warm up along the coastal path without even stopping for a dip in the sea - we believe him, despite it being a sweltering summers day!  Nurses at Marbu clinic care for villagers with Covid-19 In the remote villages of Nepal thousands live in areas without access to hospitals. 
ITV's report into the current nightmare situation in Nepal as the Indian variant of Covid-19 spikes out of control..
https://www.itv.com/.../covid-19-threatening-to-overwhelm... Article from The Kathmandu Post
Post Report Published at : May 12, 2021 Updated at : May 12, 2021 23:21 KathmanduNepal government's poor communication system has left many Nepalis confused about its vaccination campaign, the status of the country’s stock of the doses and its plan—if it is planning—to procure more jabs against Covid-19. Back in January, Nepal became one of the first countries to launch its vaccination drive against the virus, even as some western countries were struggling. The country was seeing a dramatic decline in the number of new cases. The KP Sharma Oli government acted triumphant, as if it had already won the fight against the pandemic. Complacency, coupled with negligence, missteps and poor governance, then led to a sharp rise in the cases. The country has been overwhelmed by the pandemic. Nepal’s health system is buckling under pressure. Hospitals are turning away patients because they lack beds and oxygen. Nepal’s plan to procure millions of doses of vaccines is currently in a state of limbo. edit.  Part of the report from Peter Beaumont of 'The Guardian' published on 6th May '21:Nepal facing ‘human catastrophe’ similar to India’s amid Covid surgeCountry appeals for international help, with vaccines in short supply and a reported 47% positivity rate
"Nepal is struggling to contain an explosion in Covid-19 cases, as fears grow that the situation in the Himalayan country may be as bad, if not worse, than in neighbouring India, with which it shares a long and porous border. Following warnings by health officials earlier this week that the country was on the brink of losing control of its outbreak, Nepal has appealed for urgent international help. As the country reported its highest daily number of new infections – 9,070 – the prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, who has been criticised for his handling of the crisis, asked the army to help manage emergency facilities to take pressure off the health system. With vaccines running short and hospitals overwhelmed, serious outbreaks have hit both the capital, Kathmandu, and the south-west and west of the country. The national positivity rate – the percentage of tests that come back positive – is being reported at a staggering 47%. Rates are even higher in some locations. Earlier this week Oli appealed to the international community for vaccines as officials warned that those who had already received a first dose of the AstraZeneca jab were in urgent need of second shots. The government’s haphazard vaccination campaign, with people queuing for hours in the capital, has been blamed for spreading the disease. Amid new lockdowns and the cancellation of most international flights, travellers told of checkpoints in Kathmandu en route to the airport. One of the worst-hit areas outside Kathmandu has been the city of Nepalgunj in the Banke district, close to the border with the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which experienced a sudden influx of thousands of returning Nepali migrant workers from India ahead of the closure of the border between the two countries. “We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe,” said Alexander Matheou, the Asia Pacific director for the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Netra Prasad Timsina, the chair of the Nepal Red Cross, said: “What is happening in India right now is a horrifying preview of Nepal’s future if we cannot contain this latest Covid surge that is claiming more lives by the minute.”  London to Kathmandu Virtual Trail - join the High Hopes Team!Help us reach the 5415 mile goal by achieving and logging your own personal target in the month of June 2021! For more information if you wish to take part please email: info@nestlingtrust.co.uk or phone Sue Hamblin 07973414601 Last year The Nestling Trust High Hopes Team reached the virtual height of Everest by climbing up local hills - this year we aim to walk or cycle the distance between Tower Bridge in London to the Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu. We hope to raise funds to provide medical care at this time of desperate need for families living in areas of Nepal where no medical facility exists.  |
