Tackling the Inca trail for charity

Rhod Gilbert is to trek to Machu Picchu for charity.

The comedian, who has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and journeyed across Patagonia, will be raising funds for Cardiff's Velindre Cancer Centre, of which he is a patron.

This year's 11-day trip will take a rarely used Inca highway through the Peruvian Andes to reach the 15th-century citadel, almost 8,000ft above sea level.

In 2013, Gilbert and a team including fellow comics Barry Castagnola and Clint Edwards climbed the 19,340ft to Kilimanjaro's peak in an adventure that he said 'left him a broken man'. The footage they shot was subsequently made into a BBC One documentary.

And last year Gilbert led more than 60 hikers – including Welsh rugby legend Shane Williams and Manic Street Preachers members James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore – in a six-day trek through the mountains of Argentina.

Gilbert said: 'Our last trek was a tough challenge, but ultimately it was very rewarding - as a group we raised over £500,000 and had a ball. A hard ball, but a ball is a ball, that's what I always say.

'The camaraderie was exceptional, and helped carry everyone (sometimes literally) through some difficult days trekking through jungle, snow and rivers.

'This new five-day trek looks equally tricky, especially as some of it will be at altitude, and I know from struggling to the top of Kilimanjaro how tough that makes things.'

The comic is also seeking other would-be adventurers to join September's quest – with the requirement that each raise at least £5,800 in sponsorship. Sign up here.

And he said no one should be 'put off' by the challenge, adding: 'If I can do it, anyone can.'

Published: 13 Jun 2016