Gazette head of content James Millar went on 150-mile trek around the paper’s circulation area — a walk which has taken him through Mid Devon, North Devon and Somerset.
James had been walking around the area for eight days to raise money for the Gazette’s 150 anniversary campaign, which stands to benefit Devon Air Ambulance Trust and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
A number of people turned up at the canal to watch James arrive back to the spot where he started from eight days previously.
Completing the hike James said: “I am absolutely exhausted but feel great.
“I completely under- estimated the magnitude of walking 150 miles in eight days. It’s been really tough and there were a few occasions when I thought I should give up.
“But having made it to the end, I feel a real sense of achievement and relief.”
James’s fiancee, Natalie Partridge, said: “It’s nice to have him back. I thought the whole thing was a bit random at first, but he has done really well and it’s great he has raised so much for charity.”
James said he was bowled over by the kindness and generosity of the people he encountered on his way.
He is hoping to reach a target of £1,000 for the walk and, with all the pledges of support along the way, James is confident that he can achieve this figure.
“If I can get £1,000 then I will be over the moon and it will have exceeded my early expectations,” he said.
The walk started at the Marie Curie Day Hospice in Tiverton, where supporters turned out to see him off.
James then continued along the length of the Grand Western Canal towpath and then across to beautiful Culmstock Beacon, where he camped.
He continued to Bickleigh, camping next to the incredible maize maze and from there he trudged to Witheridge, pausing at Nomansland, where he received a great reception at the Mount Pleasant Inn, and finally stopping for a lovely meal and a bed courtesy of the Thelbridge Cross Inn.
The next day, James walked to Sandford, where he was shown great hospitality by the Lamb Inn, then on to Lapford and South Molton.
He spent his last night in Dulverton, where the Lion Inn kindly offered him board for the night, before heading along the Exe Valley Way to Tiverton.
James said: “Camping was great fun but, after walking 18-20 miles, a bath and bed is very welcome indeed.
“People have been incredibly generous over the trip and I have stayed in some lovely places.
“My performance on a couple of the days may have been slightly impaired by indulging in local cider the night before — particularly at the Lamb in Sandford.”
James has passed through some of the most beautiful countryside in the area and said he was surprised by how the scenery changes within relatively short distances.
He used Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale maps to navigate his way around the area and tried where possible to follow green lanes, paths and bridleways.
But, he added: “Unfortunately, I quite often found myself pounding the roads. Paths marked on the OS maps would suddenly disappear, leaving me having to go cross-country to the nearest road.
“We do have some fantastic countryside and it struck me that if the paths were better marked it could encourage people off the beaten track.”
So is he planning any more walking adventures in the future?
“My knees feel like they are about to give way and I have blisters on my blisters, so I’ll be giving walking a rest for a couple of weeks I think,” said James.
Duration : 0:10:0
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