A FIRST World War pioneer and former Andover resident has returned from a unique 374-mile battlefield walk.

Andy Mullen completed a major walk across the historic grounds – The Western Front Via Sacra Walk.

The walk started on June, 22 and finished on Tuesday, July 12.

As previously reported by this paper, the project was originally created by Sir Anthony Seldon based on ideas proposed in letters and diaries by a First World War soldier.

The soldier was Douglas Gillespie, of 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who was killed in action at the Battle of Loos on September 26, 1915 and has no known grave.

The Via Sacre route was personally designed and selected from among the many possible paths available by Mr Mullen.

An ex-Winton and Cricklade College student, Mr Mullen has around 30 years of experience of designing and leading First World War battlefield tours.

The route started from Pfetterhouse at “Kilometre Zero” on the Swiss border to Nieuport on the Belgian coast.

Despite battered legs and feet, which had to cope with an average walk of 25 kilometres, Mr Mullen said: “I have to say the feeling of finishing was extremely exhilarating. There was just this sudden feeling of what we had set out to do, what was achieved, it was quite exceptional.”

Mr Mullen, who lives in Hook, led the team of walkers through the Vosges, St Mihiel salient, Verdun, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne & Aisne region, the British and French Somme sectors of 1916-1918, Arras, Ypres and Yser.

He added: “I received a lot of cynicism pre-walk amongst fellow battlefield guides and historians about its feasibility. 

“It did act as a motivator to prove that what I’d come up with could be done though.”

Mr Mullen hopes this will be the start of a permanent path laid out for the Western Front to enable people to walk and reflect upon the sacrifices of all who fought in the First World War.