Land’s End to John O’Groats - without leaving the island

Sue Le Friec said she spotted the ‘Walk 1,000 Miles’ initiative on social media in 2020 and started it on 1 January last year.

It is a virtual walk and after registering, participants are able to upload their progress via an app which allows them to see where they would have walked had they done it in reality.

The site suggests that participants walk 2.75 miles a day and Mrs Le Friec said she was doing well until the end of January.

‘Then I got Covid and was inside for two weeks.

‘Even though I wasn’t particularly ill when I came out, I didn’t want to overdo it.’

She did her best, but on Christmas Day she found herself with 85 miles left to do.

‘Since Boxing Day I’ve walked an average of 14 miles a day,’ she told her supporters via a video on her Facebook page after she finished on New Year’s Eve.

‘That was about six hours a day so my feet are absolutely killing me.’

Despite the last-minute rush she said she enjoyed the challenge and had discovered parts of Guernsey that she had never seen. ‘I gave myself an individual challenge to walk every road, lane and pathway in the island. In the end I did about 95% of them.’

She found some places especially memorable.

‘There’s a lovely water lane inland from Perelle and some places in St Peter’s and St Saviour’s that were particularly lovely.’

She said she was grateful for all the support she had received, which included friends joining her on some legs of her walk as well as making donations towards her causes – Guernsey Samaritans and Guernsey Caring for Ex-Offenders.

In particular she thanked her sister, Sarah, who she said had given her a lot of encouragement as well as joining her on several occasions and spurring her on.

n Mrs Le Friec’s Just Giving page is open until the end of January at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sue-lefriec-1.