The 1,700-kilometre long Great Himalaya Trail returns at the end of the month and 59-year old Ian Whittaker, from Yorkshire, aims to become only the second person from the UK to complete the so-called 'trekking's holy grail' since it was launched in 2011. Exclusive with World Expeditions, the Full Nepal Traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail goes up to 6,190 metres above sea level and offers stunning views, including 8 peaks of more than 8,000 metres along the way. An undertaking not for the faint-hearted, it can be broken into seven smaller stages, from 18 to 34 days – however, Ian has committed to the full trek, which takes five months.

It was at the end of 2015 when semi-retired Ian, having just returned from the Snowman Trek in Bhutan, first heard about the Great Himalaya Trail:

“I only found out about the Great Himalaya Trail as a feasible, supported trek when the World Expeditions brochure dropped on my doorstep. I was instantly drawn to it and, once I read about it in more detail, I started making tentative enquiries. Initially I committed only to the first three sections but in the end I signed up for the whole distance!”

Born and Bred in Leeds – he now lives on the edge of Bradford with Pennine Moors – Ian's love for the outdoors started as a 14-year old, when he spent nearly a week camping with school near Coniston in the Lake District.
    
Now semi-retired, he has always been active, both walking and cycling, but with family life taking over it was not until his late-40s that he managed to realise his dream of going to Nepal. Since then, he has returned to the Himalaya repeatedly, completing the Annapurna Circuit on mountain bike, finishing the strenuous Rolwaling Trek, riding from Lhasa to Kathmandu and reaching the K2 Base Camp in Pakistan.

Commenting on signing up for this year's Great Himalaya Trail, he said:

“I just love being in the mountains – the physical challenges, their natural beauty and the company of like-minded folk – and I find there is some element of spiritual attraction to the Himalaya. I think – and my wife would probably agree – it is an obsession!

Whilst I do not dwell on it, nature can be very cruel but I am not afraid of the mountaineering challenges, as I know the Sherpas will make this as safe as is practicable.

Friends and family have been very supportive – many are in awe of the scale of the challenge, though some think I must be crazy”!

The Great Himalaya Trail 2017 starts on 26 February and finishes five months later, on 27 July.

Ian will be spending his 60th birthday, on 17 June, while on the trail: coinciding with day 112 of the trek, he will be far from any crowds, crossing the remote Niwas La Pass, 5,120m above sea level.

If successful, he will be only the second Briton to complete the Full Nepal Traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail since it became commercially available in 2011. So far, the only person from the UK to have done so is an amateur trekker from Epsom, Surrey, on the year it was launched (a British couple that committed to the Full Traverse in 2012 had to abandon for medical reasons while on the trek).

The Nepal Traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail – the longest and highest alpine walking track in the world once complete – became first available through World Expeditions in 2011, which remains the only specialist operator to offer commercially. Winding between the largest mountains and remotest communities on the planet, the Great Himalaya Trail will ultimately connect five Asian countries (Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan) but at the moment only the Nepal section (1,700km) is available to traverse, as it is the only part that has been walked and mapped thoroughly.