THE Llandudno Vikings are back and are ready to walk backwards to Christmas.

An idea taken straight from the Goon Show song: I’m walking backwards to Christmas.

In 2017, a group of friends rallied together and took on the Big Row Challenge, rowing from Llandudno to the Isle of Man raising thousands of pounds for local and national charities.

On Saturday December 15th, they are starting another adventure when they will swap their paddles for boots to do a walking challenge with a difference.

Friends Nathan Midgley, Gerwyn Lewis, Jamie Mills, Murod Samadov, Sam Davies and Jay Sutton will be travelling the distance of 50 miles from Llandudno to Chester, walking backwards. In addition to that some of them will be blindfolded and suited in armour.

Nathan, proprietor of the Tynedale Hotel Llandudno, explained why they are organising such an unusual sponsored walk, he said: “We just like to come up with unusual challenges that are physically demanding, take us out of our comfort zone and are interesting for the public who support and follow us.

“Being blindfolded and walking backwards for possibly 30 hours is a challenge but when it’s done we will recover and get back to our daily lives the people who rely on our three chosen charities cannot and that is what drives us.”

The sponsorship raised from ‘The Big Walk’ will be donated equally to local charities St David’s Hospice, Ty Gobaith and Blind Veterans.

Community Fundraiser at St David’s Hospice, James Wilde said: “The Vikings showed last year how they can rally the community of Conwy together through their Big Row and I know they will rally everyone together again for the Big Walk.”

The team is also planning a Bigger Row in 2020: Llandudno to Faroe Islands.