Adventurous Anna-belle Bond is to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and take on the Himalayas.

Seventy-five years ago, Christine Bond explored parts of the mountains where no white woman had been before.

Two generations later, her granddaughter is embarking on a climbing challenge of her own.

Clad head-to-foot in high-tech clothing and carrying satellite navigation gear, Annabelle, 34, will attempt to scale Everest, the highest point on earth at 8,848m.

Her equipment is a far cry from that used by her grandmother in 1929.

Mrs Bond, 96, who lives near Hastings, said: "When I arrived I didn't have the right clothes at all. It was the beginning of climbing.

"We had to be given goggles and fitted trousers made from some kind of tough material. It took quite a long time to acclimatise."

Mrs Bond began her adventures as a 21-year-old, setting sail for Nepal in December 1928 as part of an expedition led by mountaineer Hugh Rutledge.

She trudged through the Himalayas, exploring previously unmapped areas of Nepal.

Annabelle's climb will pass close to where her grandmother trod almost eight decades earlier.

As a reminder, she will carry the Tibetan good luck charm brought back to England by her grandmother in 1929.

Mrs Bond believes Annabelle inherited her spirit of adventure.

She said: "We can't resist things like this.

"Annabelle is full of adventure but she is going to a very dangerous place.

"It is very frightening up there and I will be following her progress as closely as possible."

Annabelle, who lives in London and was previously a real estate developer in Hong Kong, flew out to Nepal yesterday.

She said: "I'm filled with a multitude of emotions, anxiety, concern about leaving my family, excitement and a steely determination to perform to the best of my capability, to try to maintain a level head and hopefully make the right decisions when it counts.

"I know my grandmother will be with me in spirit and she will anxiously await news of my progress back in England.

"I will try to document the climb to the best of my ability.

"This is going to be a more girly perspective to life on the mountain and in a predominantly male environment where emotional levels are running high.

"It's going to be the biggest challenge and the most difficult two months of my life but I'm excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to attempt the greatest mountain on earth."

She is attempting to climb Everest as part of the Seven Summits challenge, where climbers must conquer the highest peaks on seven continents.

Annabelle hopes to raise £250,000 for the Eve Appeal, a charity funding research into ovarian cancer.

Her progress can be followed at www.annabellebond.com