Although my great love of mountains had taken me on several earlier mountain treks, I had to overcome considerable doubts before booking the Annapurna Circuit Trek in the Nepali Himalayas with my usual trip company: ‘Explore’ (www.explore.co.uk). I’m now in my mid-70s and this trek would take us over the Thorang La pass, at 5,416m (17,679 feet), 4000 feet higher than my previous highest at the top of Mount Toubkal in the High Atlas of Morocco, a full 20 years ago! Could I still do this sort of thing? I’d seen the effects of altitude on people much younger than me on Toubkal.

We flew into Kathmandu in early October 2024 (the start of the autumn trekking season which is two months long). You may be surprised to learn that, at 28 degrees north, Nepal’s latitude is almost identical to that of Gran Canaria and so the weather was warm. Our group was a small one of four trekkers and two leaders, to be joined later by two porters. We spent a day in this city of 860,000 people, experiencing the narrow streets crammed with motorbikes (the most common form of transport) and seeing many Hindu and Buddhist temples; Buddhism was founded in what is now Nepal.

It took us two days to travel the 200 miles by minibus and jeep (the latter obligatory to cope with the long stretches of unmade road) to reach Dharapani (1,860m), the starting point of our trek. Annapurna is not a single mountain but a massif stretching east to west for around 35 miles. Its highest point, known as Annapurna 1, is the world’s 10th highest mountain at 8,091m.

Every day was sunny and warm but when the sun disappeared behind the mountains the temperature dropped sharply, getting down to near freezing as we gained altitude. The varying views of the snow-covered Annapurna peaks were spectacular, the rivers descending from them impressive and the suspension bridges we often had to cross gradually lost their initial scariness. Our accommodation was in tea houses, small hotels with a lounge/dining area and bedrooms with little more than a bed and electric light. Sometimes there was a wash basin or two outside (cold water only) or perhaps just a tap. Showers were a rarity and toilets varied between what we are used to at home and the squat variety. The food in these mountain villages was delicious, with much of it grown or reared locally. Most of us had porridge with honey for breakfast, rice and dhal (a thick lentil soup) with local additions (curried vegetables, spinach, pickles) and typical Indian/Tibetan food in the evenings, although I don’t think the Bengal in Barrow offers yak curry, which I enjoyed on two occasions.

Our first six days of walking, gaining height each day, brought us to the village of Thorong Phedi (4,450m, 14,600 ft) to prepare for the following day’s walk and climb which we knew would be tough. We had to be up at 3am and left Thorong Phedi at 4.30am with at least nine hours of walking ahead of us. The first part of the day’s climb of 960m took us over the Thorang La pass and was our greatest challenge as we zigzagged up a steep stony path for over an hour. Naturally it was still dark and the sight of the lights from hundreds of headtorches of the many groups of trekkers above and below us created a powerful impression. After that, the path continued less steeply upwards across a series of increasingly barren landscapes. It was essential to proceed slowly to reduce the effects of the ever thinning air. Finally, at 10am we reached the top of the Thorong La pass at 5,416 metres (17,679 feet), the highest point of the trek and a little higher than Everest Base Camp. Arriving there was truly exhilarating and led to much mutual congratulation. The sky was as blue as it had been every other day and we were surrounded by trekkers from all over the world whose aim had been the same as ours. But, as we knew, there was more to come. We had climbed over 3,000 feet that morning but our day’s destination, Muktinath was 5,000 feet lower and many hours away; we were both pleased and relieved to arrive there in the late afternoon.

Our remaining trekking days presented us with a very different environment in the south-west of the Circuit – deep gorges hosting lush vegetation and noisy insects, before spending a night in a comfortable hotel in Pokhara, Nepal’s lakeside second city before our return to Kathmandu and home.

Richard Hudson