Super hiker James Tombling has completed his trek down the length of Great Britain in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

James, 54, who has lived in Alton since 1974, set off from John o’Groats on March 29 and reached Land’s End on May 29, after 62 days of walking.

According to the AA, the road distance between the famous signposts at each end is 838 miles, and the signposts themselves put the length of the challenge at 874 miles.

But because he used national trails for a safer and more scenic route, James actually covered around 1,200 miles to achieve his goal.

James started his hike in high-profile fashion. He said: “At John o’Groats it’s all restaurants and bars, and people were standing up and applauding me as I set off. It was all really lovely.”

Reality then set in as James trekked through the sparsely populated north of Scotland.

He said: “Very few people live north of Inverness. It was quite a lonely first week.”

But James found himself growing into the walk as he went along.

He said: “It got better and better as I got stronger and lighter. By the end I was about 22lb lighter than when I started. The first two weeks were the hardest as I was not used to carrying 35lb on my back.

“Then I got on the Pennine Way for 170 miles and that was my favourite part of the whole walk.

“The weather was glorious - I only got rained on for two days out of 62. I picked the driest spring of my life to do it and got a bit of a suntan too.”

The most well-earned drink of James’s journey came at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire, as he had to climb to 1,732 feet above sea level to visit the highest pub in the UK.

He said: “I only had one pint there as I had another six miles to do that day!”

James celebrated his 54th birthday on April 28 at Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales.

“It’s a lovely part of the country, but it was so hot though,” said James. “I was struggling for water. I was drinking about a gallon a day and had to knock on the doors of houses to get more.”

James’s wife Sarah visited him twice on the trip, at Bakewell in Derbyshire and Cheddar in Somerset, accompanying him on the hike for a couple of days each time.

But the new pair of hiking boots she brought with her never saw any walking action.

James said: “I decided to keep repairing my old boots as they had become so comfortable. By the last week they were falling apart so there was a lot of glue and tape involved in keeping them together.”

Chaucer said that all good things must come to an end, and there were mixed emotions as James reached the final few miles of what Sarah called an “epic challenge”.

James said: “Part of me was a bit sad that it was finishing, but I think my body, feet and knees were relieved, and I was missing Sarah and home.”

But Sarah had planned a surprise to mark the occasion, with the help of the couple’s children James, 26, and Ollie, 21.

Speaking about the climax of his trek, James said: “The end of the hike was good. The last day was a bit emotional. It was packed at Land’s End because it was half-term. And my wife and sons were there with a banner for me.”

James’s incredible effort raised £10,650 for the Alzheimer’s Society, smashing his initial target of £8,000. He said: “I’m very pleased with that.”