Pen-y-ghent, on the route of the Trailtrekker

Feeling lethargic after all that turkey and booze? How about a little stroll to get rid of the festive languor – say 100km?

Yes, it’s time to start thinking of long-distance challenges, and there are two in the Yorkshire Dales, one of which is being run for the very first time. The good news is, you have until May to get fit for them.

The Trailtrekker is an Oxfam fundraiser and with it comes a hefty cash burden: entry per team of four costs £200 and you will have to pledge to raise a minimum of £2,000 cash for the charity, which sounds like harder work than trudging more than 60 miles.

The Oxfam site has hints as to how you might go about this however, so if you fancy the challenge, check it out.

The route, which must be completed in less than 30 hours, starts in Skipton, North Yorkshire, then passes through Gargrave, along the Pennine Way to Malham, staying on it over Fountains Fell, Pen-y-ghent, Horton in Ribblesdale and Cam Fell.

It then takes the Dales Way east then south to Beckermonds, Buckden, Kettlewell, as far as Conistone Dib, where the route goes to Kilnsey, over Malham Moor and Boss Moor before descending to Hetton, skirting Sharp Haw and back to its start point at Skipton.

Obviously, competitors will have to be fit and able to walk 100km by May, and be capable of night navigation across remote moorland and Dales. A typical walker is likely to encounter the start of darkness somewhere in Upper Wharfedale and be walking on headtorches for the next six hours.

The Yorkshire Dales Trailtrekker is a first, but its southern cousin, the Trailwalker, has been run by the Queen’s Gurkha Signals since 1997, across the South Downs. Another 100km challenge, its proceeds are split between the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Oxfam. Details of both are on the Oxfam website.

The Dales event takes place on the weekend of 30-31 May, just three weeks after one of the longest established challenge walks, the Fellsman. Another 100km route, this time taking in a wider horseshoe of the Yorkshire Dales’ peaks, the 2009 event will be the 47th.

Mark Hartell in the 2008 Fellsman

Once again part of the Ultra-Running Championships, the route starts in Ingleton and ends in Threshfield, in Wharfedale. On the way, the Fellsman crosses Ingleborough, Whernside, Gragareth, Great Coum, Blea Moor, Great Knoutberry, Dodd Fell, Middle Tongue, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside – 3,350m (11,000ft) of ascent.

Undoubted king of the Fellsman is long-distance expert Mark Hartell, who now has 11 victories under his belt. An under-the-weather Hartell completed last year’s event in just over 12 hours, but he has been known to knock off the 100km in two hours less than that.

Lesser mortals, walking at a reasonable pace, can expect to finish in around 24 hours, having navigated the glutinous horrors of Fleet Moss and Middle Tongue in the depths of the night.

Entries for the Fellsman open on 1 January and the hike takes place on 9 and 10 May next year. Cost per entrant is £23 up to 1 April, after which it goes up to £32.  Details are on the event’s website.