Norfolk County Council chairman Hilary Cox, from Cromer, is walking the width of the county to highlight its leisure footpaths and to raise funds for the Big C cancer charity.

The 63-year-old will stride out from King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth over three days, stopping along the way to promote local businesses and councils.

It means walking more than 30 miles a day for between eight an 10 hours.

And the action woman councillor, who has in the past cycled 800 miles to Cromer's German twin town, and skydived and climbed to Everest base camp for charity, says the walk will be one of her toughest challenges.

'Doing that distance for three days in a row will be hard, but I have been in training to find my pace.

'I am really looking forward to walking through the heart of Norfolk and seeing what a diverse county we are. I have really been enjoying my training sessions among the spring flowers and wildlife,'

Mrs Cox, who is keen to promote healthy communities and healthy people, will leave King's Lynn Minster at 7am on Tuesday April 22, and finishes with a tourism promotion reception in Great Yarmouth town hall on Thursday evening.

Along the way - taking in the Nar valley Way, Wensum Way, Marriott's Way, and Boudicca Way - she will be stopping off at Gressenhall, Lenwade, Tasburgh, Whitlingham Broad, Reedham Primary School and nearby Polkey's Mill.

Mrs Cox will also be 'geocaching' - treasure hunting using a navigation app on her smart phone.

She was keen to show that anyone of any age and level of fitness could enjoy walking on Norfolk's byways, even if they just did 'a couple of miles.'

Big C community fundraising manager Diane Northway said the local cancer charity was thrilled to be supported by the council chairman. Her funds would go towards the £1.2m a year it needed to run its services.

To sponsor Mrs Cox, pay cheques to The Youth of Tomorrow account (sort number 08-60-81) at the Cromer branch of the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society in Church Street, or pledge online at www.justgiving.com/hilarycox