Channel swim hardest part of scout fundraiser for pair

Rob McArthur, 33, and Poldy van Lynden, 34, spent three months running, cycling, kayaking, swimming and stand-up paddle boarding to cover the distance and raise money for the Scouts.

So far they have raised £82,000 of their £100,000 target.

This weekend the pair from London have been in Guernsey, recounting their adventure and inspiring local young people to follow their dreams.

The trip started as a plan about three years ago to go on an adventure.

They had lots of ideas, but Mr McArthur was keen on a London to the North Pole trip.

After speaking to adventurers it became clear the best time to travel across the North Pole was in winter, but that would not work for the rest of the trip.

So instead they moved their end point to the Norwegian islands of Svalbard, set their start point as Marble Arch in London and then started training.

While it was the shortest stretch, the swim across the English Channel proved the hardest part of the journey.

The pair had to travel from their London homes to Brighton or Dover to train in the sea and neither had much experience of sea swimming.

‘It was the shortest part, but definitely the toughest,’ Mr van Lynden said.

‘I had never wanted anything more [to finish] in my life.’

Mr McArthur took 12 and a half hours, but Mr van Lynden struggled, finally finishing in 18 and a half hours.

‘It was awful to watch Poldy struggling,’ said Mr McArthur.

‘If he had not made it, it just would not have been the same.

‘He just made it.’

This was followed by cycling across Europe.

Mr McArthur said they underestimated the challenge.

‘It was an enormous effort, to cycle day after day,’ he said.

‘We just got to where we were staying each night, ate and then conked out.’

They were in a constant race to reach Svalbard before the autumn weather arrived.

After cycling, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding to reach Tromso in northern Norway, they prepared to row the final stretch.

But a weather report showed a storm in their way. Mr McArthur said it was a struggle to wait it out, but they finally made it onto the water and arrived in Svalbard at the start of September. They celebrated with a meal of bacon and eggs.

‘There was a huge sense of relief that we had made it to the end,’ Mr McArthur said.

‘There was a real mix of emotions. It had been our life for three years.’

Bailiwick Scout commissioner Nick Paluch invited the pair to speak in Guernsey over the weekend.

‘It’s a great opportunity for young people to see the big picture of what sort of things you can do,’ he said.

n To find out more www.arch2arctic.com.