Just wanted to let you know about a fabulous website I  helped me a lot when I was doing my charity walk in the autumn. www.pacerpole.com kindly donated a pair of walking poles to help me get up Mount Toukbal in North Africa. Read more about the trek here – http://www.tishtashtoys.com/trekmorocco/?cat=6

The array of walking poles and trekking poles available today are similar in concept and form to the first wooden staffs used thousands of years ago. Their new-and-improved status has relied on either upgrading internal shaft components, or using high-tech materials to make them lighter staffs to carry. Generally their distinguishing external features rely on the colour of the shaft paint and their name. Pacerpoles are different. Their form and function are based on applying anatomical and biomechanical research analysis to the transmission of effective upper body power to improve overall walking performance – which is why the Left and Right contoured handle shape puts Pacerpoles into a category of their own; they are in fact designed for walking – for use as a trekking pole in the mountains and for general walking, as well as for Fitness walking where a slightly longer stride and quicker rate needs to be maintained to gain the many health benefits of sustained regular brisk walking. Whether walking across low level terrain or mountain ranges – or at speed on a track for a fitness programme, Pacerpoles have been designed to allow your body to perform at its best; this can be for a few miles, a few hundred, or a few thousand.