Newbury solicitor Ian Campbell’s widow Erica completes epic walk in his memory

THE WIDOW of a popular and long-serving solicitor has finished walking John O’Groats to Lands End in his memory.

In July 2012, Ian and Erica Campbell set out on the first leg of their 1,170-mile journey.

But fate intervened when illness struck.

Mr Campbell, who worked at Charles Hoile in Newbury before his retirement, lost his battle with cancer in March 2018, aged 67, prompting an avalanche of heartfelt tributes from friends, colleagues and clients.

As she grieved, Mrs Campbell determined to finish what they started together.

One of her sons, Stan, said: “Obviously it’s taken a long time and ‘The Walk’, as they called it, was interrupted by my dad’s illness and death.

“But the short of it is that Erica Campbell has finished walking John O’Groats to Lands End.

“Now aged 75, mum completed what they started together having walked most of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall alone.

“She’s a tough cookie.”

Before illness struck, the Campbells blogged about their adventures online including ankle injuries, blisters...and a possible sighting of the Loch Ness monster.

Mrs Campbell recorded the following from their overnight, waterside stop on July 15, 2012: “Something disturbed my sleep.

“As I opened my eyes I saw dimly the silhouette of something rising from the surface.

“As it turned I could see that it had no discernible jaw line, that its eyes were droopy and it had whiskers.

“Its head was more like that of a seal, no, of a walrus than of the typical monster heads one sees in the publicity...I found its features somehow endearing...”

The pair also posted: “We just wanted to say how pleased and touched we have been by your responses to this blog – your news, love and encouragements.

“Also we wanted to record our huge appreciation to those of you who have so kindly supported our charities of Fighting Blindness RP and Tearfund/Cajamarca.”