Cornwall grandparents walk coast of Britain for charity

Antony and Sally Brown set off from Bude in May 2023

A couple who have been walking the entire British coastline for the last 11 months are preparing to return home to Cornwall.

Grandparents Sally and Antony Brown set off from Bude in May 2023, raising funds for charities along the way.

The couple have walked an average of 17 miles (27km) a day on their 5,600 mile (9,012km) trek around Great Britain.

They said they wanted to make the final leg around the Cornish coast path their "lap of honour".

They plan to finish their year-long walk around the British coastline on 22 May back in Bude

Mr Brown said the pair, both 59, were inspired to take on the challenge after taking two weeks off work to walk the Cornish coast path in 2015.

He said: "Afterwards I just said to Sally, I really enjoyed that and I would love to keep on walking now, but of course we had work and normal life to get back to.

"I said one day we should do the whole thing, and Sally thought I meant the South West Coast Path, but I meant the whole, whole thing."

'Gap-year grandparents'

Mr and Mrs Brown, who have been married for 35 years, let out their home in St Blazey Gate and paused work to take on the expedition.

Mrs Brown said: "We call ourselves gap-year grandparents, the kids did it, so we can do it.

Sally and Antony with one of their support drivers

The couple are raising money for a number of charities

"Antony said one word, 'challenge', if someone says that word to me, well I'm up for a challenge.

"I didn't have anything in my head of what it was going to be like and that was the best way of going into it."

The pair have been living in their campervan - named after Nancy Sinatra who sung These Boots Are Made for Walking - and have not been home since they started.

"The whole adventure wouldn't be possible without our support drivers," said Mr Brown.

So far the grandparents have raised more than £11,000 for the RNLI, Cornwall Air Ambulance and Parkrun

"Sometimes people have given us one lift back at the end of day, sometimes people are joining us for a whole week. It makes life so much easier.

"It restores your faith in human nature that there are kind people out there who will help you out on a crazy adventure like this and want to be part of it."

So far the grandparents have raised more than £11,000 for the RNLI, Cornwall Air Ambulance and Parkrun.

They plan to finish their year-long walk around the British coastline on 22 May back in Bude.