MARATHON-length walks seemed to be popular 50 years ago and none more so than the sponsored Christian Aid Pendle Walk with a starting point in Earby.

Despite the dastardly antics of some individuals who altered the way markers causing some to follow false routes, there were many uplifting tales told by the Craven Herald West Craven reporter who took part (though dropped out), calling it an ‘uphill slog’.

Heroes aplenty were recorded on the day in May 1969, including six-year-old Andrew Crowther, of Stuart Street, Barnoldswick, who walked the whole distance, bettering some of the adults.

In total, 480 people started out from either the former Earby Railway Station or Barnoldswicks’s Holy Trinity Church, but just 398 completed the gruelling trek.

A report in the Craven Herald said the walk, the third to be organised by West Craven Council of Churches, was the hardest of the lot, even though it was seven miles shorter than a previous one which followed a 32-mile hike to Kirkstall Abbey.

On this occasion the walkers followed a route which took in a number of ‘testing’ hills, such as Salterforth Drag and the long climb out of Barley leading towards Downham.

Special mention was made to four-year-old Matthew Simmons, son of the Reverend and Mrs Barry J Simmons who trudged 16 miles to Downham before calling it a day.

Further heroics were recorded of Heather Leach, of Thornton-in-Craven, who completed the walk despite having an arm in plaster.

And there was also 13-year-old Andrew Grainger, of Conway Crescent, Barnoldswick, who was the first to arrive back at base.

He ran most of the course carrying a rucksack containing a change of clothing, cans of pop and sandwiches, the latter of which was apparently untouched.

He then went on to play football in Victory Park.

There was also Paul Smith, a fifth-year student at Ermysted’s Grammar School, who lived at Lothersdale, and who also ran most of the way but got lost three times and probably ran five miles more than he needed but still got back in second place.

A sense of duty curtailed the Reverend Tony Keddie from completing the walk as he had to rush back to church to conduct a wedding ceremony.

There were others, who took to the fields to ease their aching feet and had an encounter with some horses, one of which bit a child, Claire Foster, of Earby, ‘mildly’ on the arm.

Leading the church-organised walk by example were a number of members of the clergy. .Reverend JS Long, of Barnoldswick completed the walk along with the Reverends P Wightman and G Revett of Earby Baptist and Methodist churches respectively.

Pendle borough councillor and Barnoldswick town councillor David Whipp was not a newcomer to the charity walk having walked as a youngster on the 32-mile trek to Kirkstall Abbey. His brother, Keith, took a photograph of him, accompanied by his sister, Denise, and father, Tom, who was the support team, as they approached the abbey.

He said of that particular hike and his photograph: “It was the very first Christian Aid walk. I think the expression on my face says it all.”

On this latest walk, David took along his pet Jack Russell terrier, Scamp, with David said to be looking the fitter of the two at the end.

The first girl to finish was 15-year-old Karen Hartley, of Beech Grove, Barnoldswick. Another early finisher was nine-year-old Anne Blackwell, of Ings Avenue, Barnoldswick, who the author said was ‘all smiles’ as she clocked in.

The newspaper reporter, whose name was not given, joined the walk to secure human interest tales. Despite not getting to his bed until 2am, he set off with a five minute start armed with a spare pair of shoes, socks, foot powder, an apple and an orange. At Blacko he was overtaken by the young Andrew Grainger or by what, at first glance, appeared to be a moving rucksack, so big was it.

He said he had to warn the speeding youngster that he was approaching a 30mph limit and had better slow down!

He said he found the route in places not very clearly signposted and that the organisers had ‘dastardly’ chosen a course with a tremendous number of uphill climbs and very little downhill.

In a bid to get back before 2pm he spurned the lunch shop at Newchurch. At Downham, however, he realised that if he completed the course, it would not only cost his sponsors a great deal of money, it would also make him late home to report on the cricket matches.

For those reasons, as well as being unable to ge the human interest stories from the walk, he too, just as the four-year-old above, called it a day.

For others, such a feat of completing the course drove them to prose.

Heather Leach, the woman whose arm was in a plaster cast wrote of her struggle with aching muscles and blistered feet.

She also wrote of her concern she would not get back home in time to watch the Cliff Richard Show that night at 7.30pm on BBC TV, saying it was what spurred her on to the end.

Organiser Mr Wightman was said to have deplored the antics of some who had messed around with the way markers and said it may be necessary to have patrols along the route in future years.

He also reminded people to get their sponsor money in.

The full route was from Earby to Salterforth, Cross Gaites Hotel, Blacko, Roughlee, Newchurch, Barley, Downham, Martin Top, Rimington, Gisburn Old Lane, Brodgen Lane and home.