London walking: Couple travelled distance of all 11 Tube lines on foot

A couple may have walked their way into the record books after claiming to be the first people to travel the entire length of the London Underground on foot.

Catherine Jones and partner Tristan Cuthbert used Google maps to follow the 11 different lines on the Tube at street level.

The determined pair set off last June, and have covered an impressive 381 miles in their bid to raise money for cancer care.

Catherine and Tristan, both 30, think they walked almost a million steps each as they linked up all 270 stations on the network - posing for photos outside every one.

They started their quest with a 16-mile trek along the Victoria Line, travelling from Walthamstow to their home station of Brixton.

The couple then continued their walks at evenings and weekends - even making the long hike out to Heathrow and a 59-mile circuit of the Central Line.

Catherine, a PR executive, said: ‘We wanted a challenge that would give us a chance to explore our favourite city and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

‘I've had skin cancer and so has my dad. Tristan's granddad died from bowel cancer so we both have first-hand experience of how devastating cancer can be.

‘It hasn't been easy, especially trekking 20 miles of the Jubilee Line in torrential rain, but we always knew it was for good cause.

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‘It feels completely amazing to have completed our challenge.

‘The money we have raised for Macmillan Cancer Support will make such a difference to people affected by cancer and make sure no one has to go through it alone.’

The couple finished their last walk on Saturday after striding along the Metropolitan Line from Harrow-on-the-Hill in north-west London to Aldgate in the centre of the capital.

Catherine added: ‘Walking around Heathrow was pretty boring actually. We just wandered around the edge of the airport for hours on end.

‘It wasn't the most interesting part of the journey.

‘The worst part was definitely walking between Gants Hill and Redbridge along a grotty main road with very little sightseeing to do.

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‘My favourite walk was the Jubilee Line, which took us across the Thames several times, and we got to go on the cable car.’

Business analyst Tristan said: ‘The walks have been really interesting.

‘We've seen parts of London that we'd normally never have the chance to, everything from Phileas Fogg's house, to the Rotherhithe Tunnel to Upminster Windmill.

‘There have been moments when we've been exhausted and wanted to give up but our friends and our determination to raise money have spurred us on.

‘I feel very proud. Only a handful of people can say they've walked the London Underground and I think we're the first people to do it for charity.’

The epic journey lasted an estimated 116 hours over 26 different days, and took them the equivalent of the distance between London and Edinburgh, but the pair still have itchy feet.

Catherine said: ‘We might walk the length of the Thames next. It's only 215 miles.’

The couple, who have lived in London for five years, have so far raised £1,700 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Sponsors can visit www.justgiving.com/catandtristanstubewalk