A PAIR of lifelong pals walked almost 1,000 miles in just over 70 days in aid of a charity close to home.

David Eccles, of Windermere, and friend Simon Jones, from the Isle of Man, set out on their intrepid charity walk on May 18 from Land’s End and reached John O’Groats on Friday.

“It was a great adventure and we had an amazing welcome when we got back home,” said Mr Eccles. “We’ve often done national trails together, including the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast and we decided to do the big one.”

MORE TOP STORIES:

The 56-year-old’s walk has been in the pipeline for five years, after they started walking together ten years ago. We walked on 60 days averaging 16 miles per day - some days longer, some shorter – and we usually took one day a week off to rest,” added Mr Eccles. “It got easier as we went on and we got faster and faster each day!

“We arrived home on Friday and were welcomed at Windermere railway station by friends including a saxophone trio.” Exceeding their £500 target, the retirees raised £695 for Oxfam, where Mr Eccles donates his time as a volunteer in Ambleside.

Donations can be made at the Oxfam shop in Ambleside or by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/David-Eccles3/