West Sussex Olympian taking on three-part Devon ‘triathlon’ for 65 Degrees North charity

Woppy, wife of Major General Andy Keeling CB CBE - vice-president of 65 Degrees North, will take on a one-mile swim, a 117-mile walk followed by a challenging cliff climb. All this is taking place in Devon over eight days.

First, the mile swim on May 13 will see Woppy set out from Great Mewstone Island to the shore at Wembury beach in south Devon before she takes on the marathon walk along the Two Moors Way which crosses both Dartmoor and Exmoor. The expedition is scheduled to end on May 20th with the climb at Baggy Point on the north Devon coast.

“I really wanted to raise funds for 65 Degrees North, as having joined them on several of their expeditions I strongly believe in their cause,” explained 64-year-old Woppy, who lives in the village of Heyshott near Midhurst.

“I am very nervous about the swim but have been training hard during the winter and it’s a case of pushing yourself to new levels. The swim should take me anything between 45 minutes and an hour.

“I’m a keen walker and I will be looking to cover 18 or 19 miles a day on the Two Moors Way. With the cliff climb at Baggy Point it will mean an abseil down before a 40-metre climb out.”

Woppy is no stranger to physical challenges having been part of the Great Britain Cross Country Ski team at the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Woppy had aimed to raise £1,000 but has now raised just over £3,000.

For anyone wanting to contribute to Woppy’s Just Giving page the link is: justgiving.com/page/woppykeeling