A 69-year-old retired farmer, James Aldred stepped out in 1960 for a walk – from John O’Groats to Land’s End!
The keen outdoors man, of West Close Road, Barnoldswick, who had farmed at Foulridge, competed in the Billy Butlins marathon, which covered more than 800 miles.
He pinned his hopes on winning a prize on his long walking experience – he once represented Lancashire and once won the famous Manchester to Blackpool walk.
He had permission to take time off from his duties as a traffic patrolmen at Gisburn Road School to take part.
In the weeks leading up to the event, he rose in the early morning, to tramp a 10-mile route, whatever the weather, with his two pet dogs.
Mr Aldred, who was a staff sergeant in the Manchester Regiment during World War I, expected to complete the course in three weeks, averaging about 50 miles a day.
The furthest distance he had ever walked was 120 miles when, in 1959, he and two friends set off from the Lancashire Telegraph offices in Blackburn, to see how far they could get.
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