ABINGDON School students recreated history this week.

The 20 sixth-formers re-enacted the feat of 13 students who 50 years ago walked 63 miles from Avebury to Abingdon in 24 hours.

Those students were commemorating a large endowment of the school by John Roysse in 1563.

The boys this year were raising money for the Abingdon School bursaries fund as well as the Childhood Cancer Research Fund of the John Radcliffe Hospital.

They set off from Avebury in Wiltshire at 4pm on Sunday, April 28, and reached Abingdon School at 3pm the following day.

Richard Matthews, 18, from Cumnor said: “The Ridgeway to Streatley stretch was tough.

“Walking through the night was fun but the novelty did wear off.”

The intrepid walkers set themselves a target of £6,300 – £100 for every mile.

So far they have raised £5,352.47, but with donations still coming in they are optimistic they can reach their target.

Will Sharp, 17, from Abingdon, said: “It was harder than I expected – the Ridgeway was tough.”

Oscar Newman, 17, from Christmas Common, said: “We had a great reception walking back into school.”

They had been training for the walk since November.

Maths teacher and experienced staff member for Gold Duke of Edinburgh expeditions Jan Wiejak said: “The school’s archives show that there was some debate around the 1963 walk as to whether the “youth of today” were up to such an expedition – not dissimilar to what is often said about today’s teenagers.

“It was quite a challenge but in the end our boys were successful.”

Six of the original walkers, now all in their 60s, also joined the expedition for part of the way, and other members of the 1963 Abingdon sixth-form were at the school to welcome the boys on their return.