Day 1: Thursday 19 October - Heathrow Airport

The whole group met up with the Help the Aged representative, Julie Roberts, and their Kuoni Tour Leader at Heathrow to get on their overnight flight to begin their amazing journey. The flight was delayed by a couple of hours which gave the trekkers a chance to have a couple of drinks and get to know each other better.

Day 2: Friday 20 October - Beijing to Simatai Lodge

The group all arrived safely in Beijing and got straight on a coach to take them to their first destination, Simatai Lodge, where they’ll be staying for the next three nights. From here our trekkers had their first glimpse of the Great Wall – an unforgettable sight as it stretched and snaked across green mountains as far as the eye could see. 

In the evening the whole group sat down for their first Chinese dinner together and had a welcome briefing from Help the Aged and the Kuoni representative where they were all fully briefed on the challenge ahead. Tonight was an early night so everyone could get ready to start the trek tomorrow (perhaps helped to sleep by a glass or two of Chinese beer!)

Day 3: Saturday 21 October - Trek Gubeikou to Jinshanling

Today was the first day of trekking and the first time for the group to experience the Great Wall! We started the day by taking part in some warm up exercises so we were all ready and raring to go!

Then we were off. We started our trekking from Gubeikou until we reached the Wall itself. Once on the Wall we trekked for a further 2½ hours and completed 25 towers, all successfully.

We then started to descend and reached a village, where we met some of the villagers and bought lots of local goodies, then hiked back to Jinshanling Village where our coach met us for a transfer back to Simatai Lodge. The weather is a bit wet and windy here, but it’s meant to clear by tomorrow hopefully.

Once back in the lodge we all sat down for another delicious, traditional dinner to fill our tummies ready for our 33 tower feat tomorrow. Congratulations by the Help the Aged and Kuoni representatives were handed round for a great team effort on the first day of trekking. To finish a very enjoyable day, the team had a briefing for the next day’s challenges and then we all relaxed in front of the campfire.

Day 4: Sunday 22 October - Trek Jinshanling to Simatai

Today we meant business. We trekked for 6 hours, all on the Great Wall! Everyone enjoyed the particularly spectacular views, but took it steady as they were many uneven steps and some loose rubble.

The Wall today was beautiful. The sun was out, although it was very windy – but that meant we could see the wall all the way to the horizon. A great time was had by all and the entire group were blown away by how beautiful the Wall is.

Tonight, everyone got an early night for our long day trekking ahead tomorrow – all uphill...

Day 5: Monday 23 October - Trek Simatai to Gangfang

Today was the longest day trekking so far. We set off early and the sun was shining for us without a cloud in the sky. We walked back to the wall at Simatai, and trekked the East Section of the Great Wall which is a very steep section with huge steps!

Once at the top of the East section, the group saw some amazing views of the wall as we reached our highest point and the wall stretched deep into the horizon.

We later moved off the Wall and trekked to Gangfang Village, where we met more locals and gave pressies to all of the kids. Then most of the group went down the zipwire and on the speedboat back to the lodge. We all felt like we were in a Bond film!

Once we had finally arrived back at the lodge, we met our coach and transfered to Wuzoulou Lodge. In the evening all the trekkers were fully briefed by the tour leaders on what the following day will hold for them.

Day 6: Tuesday 24 October - Trek Wuzoulou Mountain

After our normal warm up routines we had our biggest and toughest day of trekking ahead of us. Today we walked to the summit of Wuzoulou Mountain, which stands at a very impressive 1100 metres. It was an extremely steep and tough walk, so to motivate themselves, the group sang songs, such as 'Climb every mountain' from The Sound of Music!

As we climbed we were trekking through shrubbery and forest to parts of the wall built during the time of the Ming dynasty. At the top we stopped for lunch and enjoyed spectacular views of the reservoir below.

The day was very challenging, but team spirit was high, so the group worked together and experienced another fantastic day of trekking. At dinner everyone was in high spirits; the group has bonded well and was laughing and joking about their hard but unforgettable day. Everyone had a few beers to celebrate their achievement.

Day 7: Wednesday 25 October - Trek Black Dragon Pool Park

The sun was shining for our happy trekkers today. After a transfer from Wuzoulou Lodge to the Black Dragon Pool Park we began a gentle trek up the Black Dragon Pool gorge for 2½ hours, which was not as intense as yesterday.

From the plateau at the top of the gorge we then went off the beaten track on local trails with the guide and descended down the other side of the mountain. Some of the track was closed due to a rock fall onto the road so it meant we had longer to sunbathe at lunch!

The trek continued to Jingling Valley where we walked up to a waterfall and ascended by climbing up a tread metal stairway that is secured to the side of the rock face.

Finally we then descended and walked to the Waterfall resort hotel where we met our coach and were transported to Mountain Bar Hotel for our overnight stay.

Tonight is Karaoke night! This is our chance to see who really stands out in the crowd. You never know, we may have the next winner of the X-Factor with us! Tonight we will stay in villas at the Mountain Bar Hotel.

Day 8: Thursday 26 October

This final day of trekking started at Mutianyu - one of the most challenging sections of the whole trek – this section finishes with many steps up a steep incline of approximately 70%!  Everyone agreed that this testing part of the trek was worth all the hard work, as they were rewarded with the most breathtaking views of the whole challenge.

We ended the trek by walking through a finishing line of balloons and a glass of sparkling cider, China’s very own equivalent of Champagne! We were then treated with a ride back down the wall in either a toboggan or a cable car, far easier on those aching legs than the journey on the way up!

The group spent the evening savouring the delightful sights of Beijing, including a trip to some intriguing food stalls (where they could sample roasted cockroach!) and enjoyed a well earned massage and glass of cold beer.

Day 9: Friday 27th October - Back to the big city

Today the group have been exploring Beijing. They visited the forbidden city and some traditional Chinese tea rooms. They have also been shopping for souvenirs from their unforgettable trip. Tonight everyone celebrated their achievements over the gala dinner of Chinese duck and a glass of wine.

Certificates were given out to each trekker, with special awards given to particular team members for great achievements. Also the group got to watch the video which was filmed everyday during the trek. After dinner, those who wanted to party the night away headed to ‘bar street’ to make sure they made the most of their last night in China together!