A GROUP of fundraisers are back on dry land after completing their most gruelling challenge to date.

Eight residents from the Wynyard area, near Billingham, canoed coast-to-coast across Scotland along the Caledonian Canal, raising £400 for the Butterwick Hospice.

This is the third year that the group has taken part in a fundraising initiative. Past challenges have included the Three Peaks Challenge and the Coast-to-Coast bike ride.

Team member Roy Tappin said: "We've done just about everything else, and were looking to try something different that didn't involve, walking, running or cycling."

The three-day event began at Fort William and was broken down into 16-mile stretches on days one and two, with overnight stops at Loch Lochy and Fort Augustus. Day three involved a 30-mile canoe in bad weather conditions, before finishing in Inverness.

All eight team members completed the 62-mile challenge, which covered the full length of Loch Ness.