A MAN from Bedfordshire is walking nearly 300 miles with his dog before finishing in Launceston to raise money for Save the Children.

Gary Turner, 61, lives in Barton-Le-Clay in Bedfordshire with his three-year-old black Labrador rescue dog Bella, and it was on one of their adventures that he came up with the idea.

He told the Post: “It was a classic lockdown scenario where I was out walking Bella and was thinking about family and friends and my daughter Zoe being down there in Cornwall.

“I thought about the possibility of walking there from where I live, had a look at the maps on the computer and thought it was doable.

“It’s about 300 miles and I’m expecting it to take 21 days, averaging between 15 and 18 miles per day.

“A third of it will be walking The Ridgeway walk down to Avebury, keeping to the trail as much as possible. I’ll also be trying to stay close to the rivers and canals so Bella can take a dip when needed.

“From there I’ll cut across to Midsomer Norton then down to Taunton, Tiverton, Crediton, Okehampton and then finally into Launceston via the Two Castles Trail.”

Gary started his epic journey on Sunday, June 27, two days after his 62nd birthday, and hopes to arrive in Launceston on July 11.

He added: “I’ll be camping all the way down. I’ll have to get used to the extra weight (20kg). Doing that day after day may become quite tough, but until I’ve done a few days I won’t know. I’ve just got to get on with it!”

Gary has chosen Save the Children as his charity.

He said: “It’s a cause that is close to my heart, and I won’t be able to do this in 10 or 15 years time, so I want to do it while I still can!”