'I'm still in one piece after Everest Base Camp'

A Lewes woman said she was "relieved to return in one piece" after trekking to Mount Everest's base camp for charity.

Sharmila Bayliss, who volunteers for Lewes District Citizens Advice, said the two-week journey involved walking 130km (80.7 miles) in harsh conditions.

Since returning to the UK, the 57-year-old said she found it "unbelievable" that she had achieved such a feat – which began with a "horrendous" seven-hour van journey from Kathmandu to Ramechhap.

"We were bruised and battered," she said.

Ms Bayliss said the road had been destroyed by flooding and an earthquake last year.

She said despite the "bumpy start", it did not dampen her excitement about the prospect of trekking to the base camp, which is at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,59ft).

While she did not suffer from altitude sickness, she did struggled to eat.

"My stomach shut down on the day we went to base camp. I only had a quarter of an omelette," she said.

Ms Bayliss said she was told to eat at least 1,000 calories extra a day because of the physical effort at altitude.

"This was just impossible for me, so I did most of the trekking powered by soup that the sherpas kindly made specially for me, but it was not ideal," she said.

The trip, which was arranged by Action Group, helped Ms Bayliss raise money for Lewes District Citizens Advice.

"It was extremely tough, but I kept going because I was representing the Lewes District Citizens Advice," she added.

The former dentist said the other challenge was battling the sub-zero temperatures at night, which plummeted to -15C (5F).

She described the Himalayas as "captivating" and "so breath-taking it evoked a sense of awe and wonder".

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