A LONG walk through difficult countryside - much of it in the dark - is the daunting challenge waiting for competitors in Banbury's annual Tour de Trigs.

The event has been running for 40 years since it was started as a small local hike by a group of Banbury Rover Scouts.

Now, the Tour de Trigs has become an international event in the walking calendar.

The competition is open to teams of three who set out to complete a 50-mile walk in under 24 hours, negotiating unfamiliar countryside and following a route given to them only 30 minutes before they start.

Starting and finishing at Blessed George Napier School in Addison Road, Banbury, the event takes place this year over the weekend of December 2 and 3.

Entries for this year's competition are now being accepted. Contact Jane Cowen, The Rookery, Priors Hardwick, Warwickshire, CV7 7SL