A Somerset pig farmer is preparing to set off on an attempted world record 15,000 mile trek around Britain on his 53-year-old tractor. Terry Williams from Bruton plans to spend four months behind the wheel of his T20 tractor, nicknamed Betsy.The journey, starting at the Panborough Inn near Wells on Saturday, will take him around the coast of Britain. Mr Williams set the record for such a journey with a 3,176 mile trip in 2003, but this has since been broken.
He now wants to reclaim the title with the help of the faithful tractor he rebuilt after discovering it lying on its side in a peat bog in 2002. Mr Williams said: "It's 15,000 miles or bust. We're raising money for prostate cancer research.
"My old record was broken by a Russian team and someone told me Britain doesn't have what it takes to get it back - that set my blood boiling, so now I want to prove them wrong."
He plans to drive up to 137 miles a day at an average speed of around 12.8 mph.
Along the way Mr Williams, who is completing the journey without the help of a support team, will sleep in a 1927 wagon towed on the back of 'Betsy'.
His only companions will be two stuffed animals, Petal the Pig and Barnaby the Bear, given to him by children from a local school who will be following Mr Williams' progress on his website.
Mr Williams' wife Emma said: "Sometimes I think there are three people in this marriage - me, him and the tractor, as he talks to her as if she's another woman. "However, if he can break the record and raise enough money for charity, I'm not complaining."
2 comments:
i hope he makes it and raises lots of money..good for him..
I hope he does too
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