On one of the hottest days of the year so far, a Northumberland woman hiked 26 miles along the coast for Macmillan Cancer Support who have supported her and her family.

Deborah Kenyon, of Kirkheaton, took part in the sold-out Macmillan's Mighty Hike on Saturday (July 21), which saw her walk for 11 hours from Alnwick Castle to Bamburgh Castle.

So far, Deborah has raised just under £3,000 for Macmillan, who first supported her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

Deborah was diagnosed with another type of breast cancer in 2018. She is now in remission.

Her husband Gary was diagnosed with aggressive Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December last year. Last week, they found out he is now in remission.

“Macmillan were amazing, they were really good," Deborah said.

With temperatures reaching 27 degrees celcius on the day, Deborah described the hike as one of the toughest things she's ever done.

"At some points I didn't actually think I would make it to the end," Deborah said.

But she is so pleased she completed it, Deborah said.

She added: "It was really scenic, it was a lovely route to do."

The mum-of-two, who walked with two friends, said the hike was something she had wanted to do for a while.

She signed up for the event at the end of January, and began training in February.

"I've done the Great North Run three or four times so I just wanted to do something different," she said.

"I think most people probably naively think 'oh it's just a walk, it'll be alright'. I thought compared to the Great North Run it'll be much easier.

"But once I'd started the training, [I found] it wasn't easier.

"I think as well because when you do the Great North Run, your longest run probably before the day is 10 miles, whereas when you're doing this walk you're doing a lot of 10 mile plus walks.

"It takes a lot of time to do the training."

Although she's unsure whether she will do the Mighty Hike again, Deborah said she really enjoyed the training and said she would maybe like to help as a volunteer at the event.

Macmillan Mighty Hikes take place around the UK.

Participants pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship of £250.

All Mighty Hikers receive a free Macmillan walking top, regular refuelling stops with snacks and drinks, free buffet lunch and hot food at the finish, and a finisher's medal and bubbly.

For more information visit macmillan.org.uk. The Macmillan Support Line is open seven days a week 8am to 8pm on 0808 808 0000.

To donate to Deborah's fundraising page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/deborah-kenyon7