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SOME
BRIEF FACTS ABOUT Revd. JOHN N. MERRILL
- On
walks throughout the world, John has so far walked more than 220,500
miles, wearing out 136 pairs of boots. He is still in the same body
he was born with, and has had no replacements and does not use
walking poles. (The average person does 75,000 miles in their
lifetime).
- The
first person to walk around the entire British coastline – 7,000
miles.
- Guiness
Books of Records holder.
- The
first person to walk all the islands of the Inner & Outer
Hebrides, Orkneys & Shetlands and the west coast of Ireland –
3,500 miles. (There are more 1,200 islands off the coast of Britain
and John has walked around more than 1,000 of them).
- First walk to link the then Ten National Parks in England & Wales, the major National Trails and highest peaks - 2,200 miles.
- Walked
the Pacific Crest Trail – Mexico to Canada – 3,000 miles, in
record time.
- Completed
a unique 4,230 mile walk across America in 178 days.
- First
person to walk around the Buckeye Trail in Ohio – 1,300 miles.
- Walked
the Appalachain Trail – Georgia to Maine – as a training walk.
- Walked
every trail and climbed all the mountains of New Mexico.
- First
person to walk across Europe, the Alps and Pyrenees – 3,000 miles
and 600,000 feet of ascent and descent.
- Created
more than 80 day challenge walks in Britain, which have been used to
raise more than £1.5 million for different charities.
- Author
of more than 440 walk guides with sales over 4 million. This
includes more than 120 books on the Peak District with sales over 1
million -include 104,000 copies of "Short Circular Walks in the Peak District" and 65,000 copies of "Long Circular Walks in the Peak District."
- Created
several major Peak District walks –
- The Limey Way – 40 miles;
- The
Peakland Way – 100 miles.
- The River's Way - 40 miles.
- The Peak District High Level Route - 90 miles.
- The gritstone Edges - end to end - 24 miles.
- The Limestone Dales - end to end - 24 miles.
- The White Peak Challenge Walk - 25 miles.
- The Dark Peak Challenge Walk - 24 miles.
- The Three Counties Challenge Walk - 28 miles.
- The Happy Hiker Challenge Walk - 25 miles.
- Has
created more than 8,136 short and long circular walks in Britain.
- The
first walker to have his autobiography published - “Walking my
Way”.
- Awarded
an Honours Master Degree from Derby University, acknowledging his
walking and Peak District writing.
- Acknowledged
at Britain's most experienced hiker and the world's greatest
marathon walker.
- Known
affectionately as Mr Walker, Mr Marathon man, and Mr Peak District.
- Marathon
walked to all the pilgrimage destinations in Europe, India, Nepal
and Hong Kong.
- Has
a photographic collection of more than 300,000 photos.
- Never
been ill or broken a bone.
- Never
been too tired to carry on.
- Breaks
all the “accepted” rules of walking, but then a pioneer is
always ahead of the field.
JNM –
October 2016.
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