A couple from Jersey have completed a challenging Himalayan hike for charity.

Rik De Louche, 39, and Olivia Shanks, 38, tackled the Great Himalaya Trail across Nepal, which organisers say has been completed by fewer than 500 people.

The plucky pair started the trail at the beginning of October, and over the course of 67 days, they reached the end of the trail just before Christmas.

During the challenge, they climbed a total of 150,000m (492,126ft) which is the same distance as climbing Mount Everest almost 17 times.

The couple took on the challenge to raise money for Mind Jersey and Jaya Mental Health, a charity which provides support in South Asia

Mr De Louche said the toughest part of the trail was the cold temperatures, admitting that “the wind chill was savage” once they had climbed to more than 5,000m (16,400ft).

“It was super steep going up the climbs – just relentless. But I’d say it was pretty worth it for some of the views we got of Everest,” he added.

The couple have spoken about how they had to be airlifted from a mountain pass with altitude sickness during part of the challenge but did not face any more significant setbacks after that.

Mr De Louche said they expected that the Great Himalaya Trail would be incredibly tough, but it was even harder than they had imagined at times: “My shoulder is absolutely knackered like it’s in agony constantly… looking at myself in my camera I feel like I’ve aged 10 years since the start of this trip.

“It’s just been infinite steps taking us all the way up and down which was the theme of the lower parts of the GHT.”

The couple has raised more than £2,000 for the mental health charities Mind Jersey, an independent local charity that provides support to people living with mental illness, and Jaya Mental Health, a Nepalese-based organisation that supports the provision of good mental health support for all and a significant reduction in the stigma and prejudice that surrounds mental illness.