HE MAY be thousands of feet above sea level, but Swindon Army doctor Captain Francis Atkinson has just enjoyed one of his best ever cups of tea.

The 31-year-old is part of the Walking With The Wounded team, who are aiming to scale Mount Everest. They are currently trekking to the mountain’s base camp, stopping off at various locations along the route, including the village of Monjo, where Capt Atkinson said he enjoyed the cuppa while also drinking in the stunning views.

Writing on the website he said: “Just calling from the village of Phortse at 3,800m on day 5 of 10 on our trek up to Everest Base Camp. This morning we woke up in the village of Khumjung which is about the same altitude as what we are now – 3,800m – and we basically spent about the next three or four hours walking up the valley to the village of Phortse.

“It’s the most stunning walk. It was a very exposed walk along the side of a valley which meant that the path was on a very steep slope as it cut across it.

“There were, however, some absolutely fantastic views of Ama Dablam which is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, at about 6,900m high.

“We spent quite a lot of time taking photos of that, then eventually ended up in the village of Monjo, where we managed to stop and have some tea. I have to say, I’ve never stopped anywhere so beautiful ever to have a drink; it was absolutely stunning.”

Capt Atkinson, who suffered a gunshot wound to his right upper arm while serving in Afghanistan, is raising money for other wounded servicemen.

He is taking part in the trek with Capt David Wiseman, Pte Jaco van Gass, former Pte Karl Hinett and former Capt Martin Hewitt.

And he said that everyone was enjoying the trek to base camp.

“The morale of the team is extremely good. A couple of the guys have got mild headaches, but nothing too severe; to be honest this is what we’d expect at this altitude,” said Cpt Atkinson.

“Otherwise everything is going well. We’re staying in this village at the moment and this is where most of the Sherpas who will be on Everest helping us actually come from, so at the moment the guides are getting on very well with all the locals and everyone seems extremely friendly.”

To keep up to date with the team’s progress, and read regular updates from members, log on to www.walkingwiththewounded.

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