TWO friends have taken the 'scenic route' on for a walk of more than 220 miles to Paris for charity.

Ian Tilbury and Garry Gordon, both from Overton, made the trek from the village to Paris, leaving on Saturday, 13 April.

And at noon on Wednesday last week, they completed their epic journey to the French capital.

The pair were making the trip in aid of a charity each, with Ian supporting North Waltham-based Sebastian’s Action Trust, and Garry backing Sepsis UK.

While a route was planned, accommodation was not as due to the nature of the pair walking, booking places to stay would have been almost impossible.

The pair elected to bring a tent along with them, which led to some cold encounters.

Ian said: “While the route was good, there was some very cold nights, especially early on.

“While we were crossing the South Downs, which was a lot more hilly than we expected, it was -3C during the night, and in a thin tent, we didn’t get a lot of sleep.

“However, France was nice and flat, and we soldiered on, taking the scenic route.”

The original plan of eight hours walking and then four hours of rest fell to the wayside, with the pair actually walking for more than 12 hours at a time to keep to their schedule.

Ian added: “We were elated to get to the Eiffel Tower, and it was absolutely amazing to walk in to Paris like that, not many people can say they have done it like we have.

“While our feet were blistered, and we had some other minor injuries, we limped into Paris.”

The duo have raised over £3,000 between them, and are still in the process of counting the donations that have been received.

Ian said: “It’s one hell of an achievement, and we were lucky not to get lost.”

To support the pair, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/IanTilbury.