Shropshire couple walk 1,424 miles to Italy
It was only when keen walkers Mike and Janet Higgins were given a pedometer as a present that they realised how many miles they were clocking up around the county.
It led to former Shropshire Council worker Mike, 61, joking they could have walked to their apartment near Lake Garda in Italy with the amount they had done.
That throwaway comment four years ago has since become a reality – the couple have just completed an epic 148-day walk from Shropshire to Italy.
Mike and Janet, 65, a former teacher, who live in Gravels, near Church Stretton, said they first contemplated the 1,424-mile adventure after being given the pedometer.
"We have had an apartment in Italy for a while and after seeing how many miles we were walking in a month around the local area I said we could probably get to Italy in five or six months," said Mike.
"We laughed at the time but after a while Janet said we could do it if we wanted.
"The idea started four years ago but it grew some legs two years ago when we thought we ought to do it. We had no experience but thought it would be fun.
"It sounds bizarre because it was not a spontaneous idea but a slow evolution."
Mike said Janet's daughters, including Becky who originally gave them the pedometer, were supportive of the rambling adventure which began in March and concluded last week.
He added: "We are not particularly conventional so they were not surprised we wanted to do it.
"We started off in Shropshire and went down Offa's Dyke before heading to Dover.
"We then crossed into north east France and down into Switzerland before crossing the mountains into Italy. We didn't take the flat route.
"It was an incredible life because all we had to do was walk, our life was incredibly simple. We stayed where we could but had no long-term plan.
"We had a starting point at home and an end point, but only planned a few days ahead on the trip."
Mike said: " What was lovely was that we were walking through the seasons and so we could see the trees getting their leaves and then, as we moved into France and moved down, we could see all the crops were ripening as we moved. We were really taken aback that everything was so early. We live in a rural area and we would see hay harvested in the autumn. In France they were harvesting in May."
He added: "Each part of it was wonderful, there was something every day to enjoy, just a fabulous experience. When something like this finishes almost immediately ordinary life takes hold and if you are not careful it can become like a dream and you wonder if you have really done it."
During their adventures, the couple kept friends and family up to date with their progress, courtesy of an online blog.
