TWO determined women are taking on an extraordinary challenge, which will end in Odiham by way of a little-travelled route.

Angela Luke and Lesley Benz – also known as the Peckish Paddlers – plan to paddle board their way to the village today along the Basingstoke Canal. The 20-mile voyage from Mytchett will be the longest they have undertaken in one day, so they will be setting off bright and early.

They are hoping for a tail wind and want to avoid any of Her Majesty’s unfriendly swans. They will also be avoiding creeks or getting stuck without a paddle. There should be enough time to drop in on a few earmarked pubs along the way.

The challenge is not just about having fun however. The main aim is to raise funds for a close, mutual friend, Julie, who needs private treatment for inflammatory breast cancer. Julie has been through a rollercoaster since her diagnosis in 2012.

Since then cancer has spread to her liver, lungs, bones and brain. Doctors have told her that further treatment can only control – but not cure – the disease.

Having gone through 40 cycles of chemotherapy and two cyberknife radiotherapy blasts on the brain, her body is struggling with the ongoing treatment. Time to explore private treatments But these will not be funded by the NHS, so her two paddling friends, Angela and Lesley, are doing their best to raise £1,000. So far they are up to £680.

Both paddlers have been water sports fanatics for a while. They grew up in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

They got hooked on paddle boarding 18 months ago. And since buying their boards last summer, they have not looked back.

Along the way, they have paddled the Wey near Guildford and raced at Hayling Island. But boarding can become tiresome, so they decided to add another dimension to their hobby – rating the pubs as they went along. That’s how they landed at the name ‘Peckish Paddlers’.

They describe their friend Julie as "vibrant and enthusiastic". The fundraising means a lot to her, as it may buy her extra time with her family – especially her sons.

To find out more about the campaign, visit gofundme.com/julie-s-treatment.