In July (2026), 5 members of our Evolve team took on the 52km (32 mile) Ultra Challenge across the Peak District in aid of Dogs for Good, Evolve’s charity of the year.
The route began early on a Saturday morning in Bakewell, taking us past Chatsworth House and on to our first checkpoint at kilometre 14 in Calver. From there, we continued into Tideswell for checkpoint 2 and a well-earned lunch at 25km.
The afternoon took us down through Miller’s Dale and along the Monsal Trail before heading into Taddington for checkpoint 3 at kilometre 37. From there, it was back towards Bakewell and, finally, the finish line. 52km completed!
The route was incredibly scenic, taking us along rural tracks, through picturesque villages and across some truly beautiful parts of the Peak District. The views were definitely a highlight, particularly after tackling the 1,250m of elevation along the way.
That said, it was a tough challenge. While the day was incredibly rewarding, there were certainly some moments when the distance still to go felt rather daunting. It takes walking 52km to truly appreciate it is a very long way. It really was a team effort to get everyone through the day and over the finish line. Some of us remained in remarkably high spirits throughout, while for others… there may have been a few tears!
Because we’re planning nerds here at Evolve, we feel the day can best be summarised as:
- Irreparable harm to the team
- Moderate to significant landscape benefits (when not distracted by the pain or distance still to complete!)
- …but substantial benefits for Dogs for Good.
Jokes aside, it was a truly rewarding experience and even more special knowing that we were raising money for such an incredible charity.
Supporting Dogs for Good
Dogs for Good do incredible work, making life-changing differences to people with disabilities. The charity supports people with complex needs, including physical disabilities, autism, dementia and learning disabilities, helping them to lead more independent lives through the support of specially trained dogs.
Dogs for Good receive more than 5,000 enquiries every year, and it costs more than £22,000 to train and support each assistance dog. We’re therefore incredibly proud to share that our challenge raised a fantastic £2,787.50!
Meet Angus
Thanks to the money raised, we’ve been able to sponsor a puppy! Angus, a black Labrador, will be trained to become an assistance dog and, hopefully in the future, support someone living with a disability.
We’re very excited to receive regular ‘pupdates’ and follow Angus throughout his journey.
Born at the end of May, Angus is now beginning his socialisation journey. He’ll live with his volunteer for around 16–18 months, learning, growing and experiencing all the things he’ll need to prepare him for his next stage of training.
We can’t wait to see how he gets on and, hopefully, share plenty of Angus updates with the Evolve team along the way.
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who donated and sponsored our walk. We really appreciate your support. Every donation will help Dogs for Good continue their incredible work, and we’re particularly proud that our fundraising is now helping Angus take the first steps towards making a life-changing difference to someone in the future.
From 52km of Peak District hills to a very special puppy - it was certainly worth every step.
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