Carlowrie Group business leaders take on epic Arctic fundraising challenge

At Carlowrie Group, businesses and charities work together to support each other and our communities to thrive. When the opportunity arose to take on a gruelling three day trek in the Arctic, leaders from across the group jumped at the chance to be involved and to use it as an opportunity to raise funds for The Breakfast Bothy.

Joining the trek were Carlowrie Group founder Andrew Marshall, his son Oliver, and business leaders from Edinburgh Street Food, Ronay Island, Innovative Partners Ltd and Carlowrie Castle.

Speaking to Keith Taylor, Trustee of The Breakfast Bothy and Operations Director at Carlowrie Castle, we heard about the ups and downs of the experience, and why he chose to take part in this epic fundraiser.

Preparing for the Arctic adventure

A little over a month before we set off for Northern Finland and we were all panic buying kit for the expedition and training off those extra pounds gained in the festive season. With temperatures often getting as low as -35C and 3 days of pulling all of our own supplies across a snowy landscape for almost 70 km, none of us really knew what to expect but were excited about what would undoubtedly be the experience of a lifetime.

Arriving in Rovaniemi, Finland, the beginning of the trek

On 23rd January we met early at Edinburgh Airport for the flight to Rovaniemi, connecting in Helsinki. We were met by the Breaking Strain team and taken to a hotel in the town. The thermometer in the town square read -19C, the cold nips your face and catches your throat, but we were well wrapped up and the excitement grew. We met the rest of our group and had a day's training, making sure that kit was present and correct and safety briefs. Frostbite and hypothermia are very real dangers here, alongside exhaustion and dehydration - it's a very dry climate surprisingly.

We set off on 25th early in the morning, pulling all of our own kit on pulks along the frozen river out of Rovaniemi. The next 3 days were perhaps the most physically and mentally demanding that I can remember, but also the most rewarding. 70km doesn't sound like a lot over 3 days but add the weight of a sledge and kit, snow boots, layers of clothing and walking in snow takes its toll. The night camping was an experience, tiny 2 man tents that we had to try and change layers in before getting into the special sleeping bags rated to -40C. Boots had to come into your sleeping bags separately or you risked starting the next day with a frozen pair. Breathing in the tent created moisture which formed a thin layer of ice on the inside, then fell as snow onto your face. Don't even think about trying to wash, brush teeth or visit the toilet!

One foot after the other for three days

The exhaustion in our legs and the aches and pains were shared amongst the group, walking became concentrating on one foot after the other and this curiously produced a calm - no confusion of thoughts and endless lists in our heads which was very refreshing. The sheer beauty of the landscapes - the frozen lakes and rivers, fairytale forests, the sunrise and sunset (there was about 6 hours of daylight when we were there) painting pinks and oranges across the snow. The northern lights dancing in impossible greens and pinks across the night sky, campfire cooked meals, mostly the spirit across the group helping each other to keep on going will never leave me. I can't remember a feeling like the wave of euphoria when I realised that we only had a couple of kilometres left to go on day 3. The sense of achievement and pride crossing the line and cheering the rest of the group over. The first beer and then a hot shower afterwards - best ever!

In short when I'm asked 'how was the trek?' I can say that it was one of the most amazing, unforgettable experiences - but it was a hard shift!

Thank you to our incredible guides and organisers

Huge thanks to Lee Peyton who runs Breaking Strain, the company who organised and ran the experience for us. Lee is an ex-firefighter based in East Lothian, and he and his team specialise in endurance events - the tagline on their own website tells us that they are 'not for the faint hearted', they lead groups in  ultra marathons, Treks in Kilimanjaro, the Alps and of course the Arctic.