A 16-year-old is preparing to walk more than 100 miles carrying Viking equipment, including a shield and period clothing.
Ryan Olsen, from Ellesmere Port and a student at Whitby High School, is taking on the challenge from Chester to York in memory of his late history teacher and fellow Viking reenactor, Hannah Freeman, who died from cancer in September last year.
He hopes to raise funds for the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.
Ryan is a member of the re-enactment groups Unknown Vikings of Chester and Hearth of the Valkyrie.
He will start his walk on Saturday, July 18, carrying Viking equipment and dressed in period clothing.
He said: "I wanted to do something that would make a real difference.
"Miss Freeman meant a lot to me, and this felt like a way I could honour her memory while helping other families facing blood cancer."
The teenager aims to complete the more than 100-mile journey on foot in 12 days, beginning at Whitby High School before heading to Chester and then on towards York.
His route will take him through Delamere, Wilmslow, Marple, Glossop, Penistone, Barnsley, Pontefract, Leeds, and Tadcaster.
He said: "Miss Freeman was the kind of teacher who believed in everyone, even when we didn’t believe in ourselves.
"When I started at Whitby High school, it was Miss Freeman who introduced me to my group of friends through her D&D Club.
"It was Miss Freeman who made boring history lessons feel like fun activities, and when she was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year, she passed on a collection of D&D worldbuilding that she had been working on for over a decade to my friends and I, I wanted to do something to honour that gift."
In preparation for the trek, Mr Olsen has completed several extended walks.
Last month, he finished a 23-mile trek from Waverton to Moel Famau in North Wales, his longest yet, which took 12 hours.
He documented the journey on social media, encouraging supporters to follow his progress.
His fundraising supports Anthony Nolan’s work in matching stem cell donors with patients in need of transplants and funding research to improve transplant outcomes.
His mother Steph said: "Ryan has really thrown himself into this completely.
"He's training hard, planning every stage of the route and pushing himself far beyond what most teenagers would ever consider.
"We're all incredibly proud of what he's doing."
Anyone wishing to support Ryan’s fundraising efforts can donate at www.justgiving.com/page/ryanswalktoyork.
Supporters can follow Ryan’s journey, training updates and fundraising progress through his social media channels and fundraising page.
He hopes his challenge will not only raise funds but also encourage others to join the stem cell donor register or support Anthony Nolan’s work in other ways.
