MORE than 40 descendants of one of the men who walked the inaugural Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk will undertake the route in commemoration.

Sarah Watson is the great-granddaughter of Rev John Wynne-Edwards, who set off from Giggleswick School in July 1887 for a walk in the hills.

Jack, as he was known, was a master at the school. He set off with a fellow teacher at 2pm, heading up Ingleborough intending to have tea at the Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale.

After tea they decided to carry on up Whernside. Back at Ribblehead they then walked the several miles across rough country to Penyghent, reaching the summit at 10pm and arrived back at Giggleswick at midnight.

At 10 hours, this was the first recorded ‘Three Peaks Walk in under twelve hours’.

To commemorate 130 years since that first timed walk, Mrs Watson has organised for herself and her relatives to walk some, or all, of the classic Three Peaks route.

"Alastair, my husband and I have been hill walkers all our lives," Mrs Watson said. "We have visited Austwick regularly throughout our lives and love the surrounding country which has so many family memories for us.

"We love the challenge of walking the Peaks and we take the opportunity to recharge our batteries, enjoying the rhythm of walking and the magnificent views from the tops. It is a very special place for us as family have owed and lived in houses in Austwick and many of them are buried in the graveyard there."

Mrs Watson, who lives in Bristol, said that she was 'really pleased' to be able to bring together so many strands of her family to walk the route.

Jack’s descendants are arriving from all over the UK and Canada to join in on the walk, which will take place on Saturday (July 29). The day will be rounded off with a family party at Clapham Village Hall.

"There will be a few who I have never met before," she said. "I walked it for the first time in 1981 with Professor Vero Wynne-Edwards, son of Jack and my great-uncle. I have walked it several times since then with my own family, celebrating my 60th birthday last September by completing it in just over 10 hours."