Chiswick gardener succesfully tackles Machu Picchu

"It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done," said Philip who lives on Kingswood Road, Chiswick.

"We climbed up to 4,200 metres in thin air which makes breathing noticeably difficult.
"Someone actually collapsed with the strain of the altitude and was stretchered off."
The gardener who works in the grounds of Hampton Court, as well as having his own gardening business, Wild Thyme, flew to Lima on September 12 and then travelled to Cuzco where the group spent three days acclimatising.
They then spent four days trekking along the Inca trail to the Pre-Columbian Inca site of Machu Picchu which is 8,000ft above sea level.
"The second night, we arrived just before the most spectacular and loud thunder and lightening storm and torrential rain," said Philip.

"We were worried we might get struck by lightening or swept away by a landslide - but thankfully we didn't.

"Machu Picchu was fantastic and everything I had expected it to be except it was much much bigger and took ages to explore."

Philip was originally encouraged to do the trek by a friend who was inspired by the book, A friend Called Henry, written by the mother of an autistic boy whose life was transformed after he got a trained golden retriever.