The Proclaimers said they would walk 1,000 miles for love, but one couple has done 20 times that together.
Retired Assistant Chief Constable John Wright, 83, and wife Ann, 80, of Bottesford completed their 20,000th mile of walking in 24 years on January 31 while taking in the sights of Rutland Water.
The couple, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last November, began doing recorded walks on the first day of the new Millennium - January 1, 2000. But said they hadn’t walked properly in years prior to that.
Their walking has taken them all over the world and has given them something to really focus on and do together in their later years.
“It was amazing, a great milestone to hit,” said the couple.
“We’ve encountered all weathers, had many incidents, fell over a few times, seen a lot of wildlife on the way, met a load of people along the way and made some good friends, and only had two silly rows with passers-by.”
“We’re not finished yet though, the count continues,” they added.
A family member believed the rows would have been over something "silly" rather than a noteworthy clash.
John spent his career in the police force from the age of 16, rising from a cadet to an Assistant Chief Constable when he retired in 1986.
Ann, meanwhile, was a housewife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
The couple were inspired to begin recording their walks due to a love of keeping year-on-year data including holidays, rainfall, and golf statistics.
The pair wanted to see how much distance they would cover.
They said their favourite walks had been in Austria, noting that the scenery and food had really stood out to them.
They couldn’t think of a worst walk but said there was always time to find one.
The pair say they have “pretty much ticked off the places we wanted to visit” but added that they were “sure we will find more great places over the coming years”.
A good walk for the couple is around 5-6 miles but even if they can’t take that long they try to get around the village in order to get out and about in the fresh air, keep fit and have some great laughs along the way.
So, what is their key advice to anyone wanting to follow in their extensive footsteps?
“Always make the effort to say ‘hello’ to other walkers when you are out and about; you never know who you might meet.”
