Members of Biddulph Hiking and Mountaineering Club enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience this month by completing an incredible trek in the Himalayas in Nepal.

The group took on the challenge of reaching the basecamp of Annapurna, which at a height of over 8,000 metres above sea level is the tenth highest mountain in the world.

But even reaching the basecamp is a huge achievement in itself - at a height of over 4,000 metres the basecamp is three times as high as the summit of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK!

But the hiking wasn't the only challenge of the trip, as the crew of climbers even had to negotiate a stolen passport which threatened to derail the whole adventure!

Sherry Daniels from Biddulph Hiking and Mountaineering Club told us more about the exciting trip.

She said: "Two of us were out in Nepal in 2019, and had planned to go back in 2022 to complete Everest basecamp, but the pandemic hit just shortly after we returned.

"After doing our research we decided to go back and do Annapurna basecamp, which is on the other side of Everest, as the scenery is much more spectacular and it's less commercialised.

"We summited the basecamp on the 30th of October at 4,130 metres. The scenery and the experience was truly breath-taking and we were very fortunate to have Fura Dorjee as our leader, who has summited Everest seven times, so it was an absolute honour to see him hold the Biddulph Hiking and Mountaineering Club flag at Poon Hill where we watched the sunrise some days prior to summitting Annapurna basecamp.

"Myself, Jonathan Edwards, Annie Smedley, Jim Nettle, Chris Wilshaw and Mandy Cooper were 2022's team but it almost went ahead without Mandy as she unfortunately had her passport stolen at Kathmandu Airport!

"This meant she almost had to return to the UK without being able to participate in the trek, but luckily the passport was retrieved and returned to its rightful owner, so we were able to continue with a full team.

"That was extremely stressful for Mandy but she didn't let it spoil the trip. Biddulph Hiking and Mountaineering Club were in Morocco in April this year and completed Mount Toukbal, and the plan for 2023 is Mont Blanc and possibly Kilimanjaro later in the year."