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RETIREMENT

A COUPLE'S 10-YEAR 60-MILE DAILY TREK - FOR FISH AND CHIPS

Ermis and his wife Androniki are 'addicted' to fish and chips

Friday August 15,2008

By Mark Reynolds

A COUPLE have spent every weekday for the past 10 years travelling 60 miles by bus – to eat their favourite fish and chips for lunch.

Ermis and Androniki Nicholas leave their home in Bristol at 9am and take two buses to reach the resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.

There they have a coffee and then stroll around the town centre before tucking into fish and chips at one of the town’s restaurants.

The walk it off with a stroll along the prom before heading home at 4.30pm.

Over the last decade they have visited Weston 2,600 times, covering 156,000 miles and spending £18,200 on fish and chips.

The Cypriot-born couple still make their daily jaunts even though the town’s best-known attraction, the Grand Pier, burned down last month.

They started their trek in 1998 when Ermis, 71, suffered a near-fatal heart attack and doctors advised him to take a daily walk.

Former restaurant owner Ermis said: “We love visiting Weston. It’s a wonderful place but it’s got to the point where it has become a bit of an addiction.

“We have have made some fantastic friends over the years who have become like a second family to us. Everyone is so friendly, I think it is the best place in the world.”

The father-of-three said the daily trip has transformed his life. “I was given little chance of surviving after I suffered my heart attack,” he said.

“I had a belly so big I could balance a pint of beer on it so I knew I needed a change.

“That was 10 years ago and I have never looked back.”

The effort has worked with Ermis dropping from almost 19 stone to 12 stone.

He said: “If anyone is recovering from a heart attack, I would urge them to get out in the fresh air and do some walking.

“At first I could only stroll a few yards with the help of my wife but now I walk around six miles every day and feel fantastic.

“My grandfather lived until he was 101 and I am aiming to live even longer.”

His wife Androniki, 65, said: “The walks have given my husband a new lease of life.

“It is amazing to see him so fit and healthy. We owe a big debt to Weston.”

Ironically, it was a chip pan fire at a restaurant which destroyed the end section of the resort’s pier in a couple of hours on July 28.

Its owners have vowed to restore the 104-year-old, £11million attraction.