The outskirts of Doncaster are alight!

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Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

Sport beans, our only hope

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Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

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If anyone knows why it is that power lines make a fizzing noise when you walk near them, can you let us know?

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Oh, the wind. The wind. The wind, and the wind, and the M62, and the wind.

Last-minute challenge issued and completed

The satellite tracker is clearly working well. As we approached the North Yorkshire town of Carlton, we received a sudden addition to our list of challenges: "Hello! R U walking through Carlton? If you are please send a rude sign in the direction of Holy Family school in revenge for my 5 years there? Bon Voyage. C x"

Technology allowing, a pictorial record of the event should be displayed nearby.

Challenge complete.

Challenge complete.
Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

Ah beautiful Yorkshire

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Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

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It has emerged that our 'hotline' is not so much a hotline as a tepid and slightly broken line. The phone we have bought especially for this purpose has lost its capacity to make any noise, be it ringing or a person talking. Therefore, while we still gratefully anticipate your encouraging texts, there's no point in ringing us for the time being.

Selby

Whatever else you might say, it can't be denied that Selby provides a very decent curry.

Although that's about all there is to say about it.

Our walk started out pleasant enough, with a bike track leading through the countryside surrounding York, which leads you through a scale model of the solar system. We got by with only one near-death encounter with cyclists who seemed to decide that not slowing down and going on both sides of us, as close as possible, was the best way to deal with pedestrians. However, as the bike track went on and on, and the planets got further and further apart, we began to wonder whether civilisation was becoming nothing but a distant memory, forever haunting our dreams but never showing its face to your faithful correspondents. But then we came upon Riccal, which provided not only a nice shandy but also a choice of two pubs in which to drink it, which made up for the previous lack.

Anyway, some scary industrialisation, that had us hankering back to the old days of the neverending countryside, later, we got to Selby. Our initial impressions were of a rather scary town, complete with frightening looking youths. However, having imbibed a healthy dose of The X-Factor, we finally brought ourselves to leave the comfort of our room to seek out food, and the initial impression proved false. An unimpressive start, but after an encouraging curry performance and two spontaneous discounts (one for pointing out that the restaurant had undercharged us, and the other for being vegetarian in a guest house, if you please) Selby has made it through to Boot Camp.

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You can say what you like about Selby, but it does a fine curry.

Selby is frightening.

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Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

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Shandy o'clock. Yes.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please find nearby our 4.30 photo. We shall be demonstrating our state at this time each day.

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Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

Millennium Bridge, York

Millennium Bridge, York
Originally uploaded by mr_e_main

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We are standing on the Millennium Bridge, York. And we've got a Yorkie.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Right.

Sport beans have been packed, shoes have been applied to feet, and GPS trackers have been duly fiddled with. All that remains for us to do is set off.

Please make copious use of our hotline, blog comments etc - we're counting on you to egg us on throughout.

Here we go.

Hotline opens

Estimated time of departure: one hour or so from now.
Hotline activated.
Bags not yet quite packed.
Sport Beans acquired, prepped and ready for action.
And the sun is shining.

Now you can track us live by satellite!

Yes indeed, you read that subject right.

By the power of the ElectronicInfoSatelliteInterHighwayTrackingLaserWeb, our position is going to be continuously transmitted and presented for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of a small white box that has been lent to us by some lovely people at the University of Durham.

Here's how it works:

• Go to www.trackingservices.co.uk.
• At the bottom, type username ytl (think "York to London") and password lty (which, as you may have observed, is the username backwards).
• Click on "Maps and data"
• and voilà!

(Note, though, that the times reported are in GMT, so you'll need to add an hour.)

Brilliant!

Cockney Challenge

Here's another one, this time from Ian:

Please bring me back a photograph of a real Cockney- rolled up shirtsleeves, big boots, thumbs in braces.Perhaps you could record a real Cockney saying something like " Gorblimey ! Stone the sparrers ! I'm just a-going orf dahn the frog with moolah in me 'and to 'ave a ruby an a pint" Or something of that ilk.

Well, that does look like an entertaining challenge, but one that we're sure you'll agree is a high risk one. After all, we don't want to end up being chased through the streets of London by an angry cockney shouting "Lor' luv a duck! Get aaaht yew northern bastards awer i'll frow my cockles at you. Know what i mean?" or similar (many thanks to http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/rabbit for providing that gem).

Given, as we said, that we're not entering in to this with any kind of philanthropic or generous mentality, we therefore challenge you, Ian - why should we take you up on this?