Walkers to set out on new adventure

By Kath Gannaway
RAY MARTIN turned 81 somewhere between Land’s End in England and John o’Groats in Scotland.
The retired Healesville teacher and wife, Judy, returned home last month having trekked 1600 kilometres from one end of Great Britain to the other.
Ray is very likely the fittest octogenarian in Healesville, but it wasn’t always so.
Despite a healthy life-style, he had a heart scare some 30 years ago. It prompted him to have an even closer look at diet and exercise and he’s never looked back.
The Martins trained around on Yarra Valley walking tracks before leaving on their fantastic adventure.
“We were quite fit, but not exceptionally so,” Ray said.
“We walked up to 33 kilometres a day and got fitter and fitter as we went along the trail.”
The little aches and pains he had when he set off disappeared along the way.
The trek took three and a half months at a leisurely pace.
“We took our time, enjoyed it and had fun. If we wanted to deviate, we did,” Ray said.
The walk took them through the Lakes District and small villages, through the isolated but beautiful English Moors and along mountain ridges overlooking deep valleys.
Walkers are now well catered for with camping grounds now providing excellent facilities for the growing legions of older walkers who, like the Martins are throwing off the myth that adventure is for the young.
They did make one concession to their original plan, however.
They bought a car to help with carting their backpacks and camping equipment around.
“We drove to where we wanted to go and caught a bus or thumbed a ride back to where we wanted to walk from,” Ray explained.
The people, and dogs, they met along the way hold as many wonderful memories as the landscape and history.
“We had to leave Jack (the Martins’ 11-year-old Jack Russell) behind so I said when we set out I was going to pat every dog we met along the way … and I did,” Ray said.
Ray and Judy are already planning their next walk … in Nepal.
“I would recommend it to anybody,” Ray said of their three-month trek.
“People allow themselves to get old … I don’t think you should do that.”