Well-known travel agent Bryony Hordern is embarking on a 160-mile walk to raise £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Hordern, 71, came out of retirement to become an agent for Travel Counsellors last year.
She previously ran agency Tickets Anywhere in Thame, Oxfordshire, which she sold to Spear Travels after 50 years in travel, retiring in 2015.
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Along with husband David, 73, the pair plan to walk the last 160 miles of the 460-mile Alpe-Adria Trail, joining in Slovenia and hiking to Italy.
Averaging 11 miles a day for two weeks, they will depart Kranjska Gora on August 30 and are due to arrive in Trieste on September 12.
They will be joined by five friends for the first 80 miles. All bar one of the group are in their seventies.
So far they have raised just over £1,000 towards their £3,000 target. The inspiration for the walk follows David’s treatment for throat cancer nine years ago.
Hordern, a former non-executive director and vice-chairman of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “The [Macmillan] nurses not only supported him but also supported me when he was going through bad stages, and wouldn’t eat.
“They were always there, had lots of patience and were very kind.
“We thought this would be a great way to get fit and raise money for Macmillan at the same time – they are unsung heroes.”
The pair have been training with long walks, although Hordern, who had a double hip replacement in 2011, said: “There is no getting away from it, this will be an enormous challenge. Physically, it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
She added: “I’m well known for my determination, so unless I break an ankle we will do this!”
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