
They are some of the most dedicated home-grown eccentrics - and they all have a starring role in Guinness World Records 2016, the annual round-up of joyously quirky achievements which is published today.

As well as the Usain Bolt of tortoises, this year's crop of winners includes the world's oldest abseiler, and an amateur gardener who is the unrivalled king of monster vegetables.

The Guinness World Records 2016 edition also includes an unabashed gnome-fancier - and an OAP strongman whose claim to fame is balancing a Mini on his head.

Bertie, a South African leopard tortoise, has raced his way into the records book by travelling 0.28 metres per second (0.6mph) in Durham - the greatest speed achieved by one of his kind - smashing the previous record that stood since 1977.

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Bertie sped into history in Durham, beating a 37-year-old record. He managed 0.28 metres per second (0.6 mph), twice as fast as the average tortoise, fuelled by his favourite strawberries at home in the Adventure Valley theme park in Brasside

Devon artist Ann Atkin, 78, has a staggering 2,042 gnomes in her four-acre garden. She opened her ‘gnome reserve’ near Bradworthy to the public in 1979. ‘Age doesn’t matter... if you are three, 33 or 93 you can still be a gnome and leave behind any cares or worries of everyday life,’ she says. Ann provides visitors with optional gnome hats lest they scare her record-breaking residents

John Evans, 70, faces little competition in the 33 weight-bearing categories for which he repeatedly sets records. Honoured here for ‘heaviest car balanced on the head’ (a gutted 352 lb Mini for 33 seconds), the one-eyed diabetic — who avoids the gym —explains: ‘I’ve got strong legs and a strong neck’

Purin, the nine-year-old Beagle from Chiba, Japan, has broken her own previous record of 11, taking the number of balls caught by a dog with paws in one minute up to 14

Amateur gardener Peter Glazebrook, 69, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, holds the record for the heaviest carrot (above) which made up in weight what it lacked in beauty — tipping the scales at 20lb 1 oz

The feat was achieved at Adventure Valley in Brasside, Durham, in July last year, and is twice as fast as the average tortoise. At his current speed, Bertie could clock 100m (109 yds) in 6 minutes.

His owner, Marco Calzini, said: 'Bertie now lives in a luxury enclosure with his girlfriend Shelly and his Guinness World Records certificate proudly displayed on the wall. To be in the book is a dream come true, a massive achievement!'

While another record-breaking sprinter - Usain Bolt - may enjoy tucking into chicken nuggets before a big race, Bertie simply needs his favourite snack of strawberries.

Other animal feats include the longest fur on a rabbit, which has been measured as 36.5 cm (14.37 inches) and belongs to two-year-old English Angora rabbit Franchesca from California.

The first people to row the navigable length of the Amazon River, Briton Anton Wright, left, and Dutch-born Mark de Rond, took just 32 days to cover 2,077 treacherous miles in often hostile conditions. The Cambridge University friends braved the threat of pirates and hostage-takers, and credit a 14-year-old Brazilian boy - who guided them away from lethal quicksands - with saving their lives

Peter Glazebrook's mighty cauliflower could feed a family of four for a month, weighing in at a hefty 27.48kg, or 60lb 9.3 oz, and with a ‘leaf-span’ of 6ft. He swears by a high potash feed, tender loving care — and plenty of slug pellets

Purin, the nine-year-old Beagle from Chiba, Japan, has broken her own previous record of 11, taking the number of balls caught by a dog with paws in one minute up to 14.

But it is not only animals who have been recognised.

Venezuelan Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez, 20, has been recognised for having the largest feet on a living person - at a size 26, they measure in at 40.1cm (15.8in), for the right foot, and 39.6cm (15.6in) for the left.

While a Chinese married couple have been crowned the world's tallest, with a combined height of 13 ft 10.72 in (423.47 cm). Sun Mingming, 33, is 7 ft 8.98 in (2.36m) tall, while his wife, Xu Yan, 29, is 6 ft 1.74 in (1.87m).

The world’s top turkey plucker retains the title he set 35 years ago. It was in 1980 that Vincent Pilkington from Ireland plucked a bird in just 90 seconds on TV. Guinness also honours his turkey kill-rate: 100 birds in seven hours and 32 minutes on December 15, 1978

‘Daring Doris’ Long, from Hayling Island, is the oldest abseiler — she took up the sport at 85 and marked her 100th birthday by bouncing down Portsmouth’s 94m Spinnaker Tower. This year, at 101, she broke her own record and hopes to repeat the feat at the tower in 2016

Sun Mingming, 33, and his wife Xu Yan, 29, from China are the tallest married couple. Sun measures 236.17 cm (7 ft 8.98 in) and Xu Yan 187.3 (6 ft 1.74 in)

Devon artist Ann Atkin, 78, entered the record books for havinga staggering 2,042 gnomes in her four-acre garden. She opened her ‘gnome reserve’ near Bradworthy to the public in 1979. ‘Age doesn’t matter... if you are three, 33 or 93 you can still be a gnome and leave behind any cares or worries of everyday life,’ she says. Ann provides visitors with optional gnome hats lest they scare her record-breaking residents.

Also featuring is John Evans, 70, who faces little competition in the 33 weight-bearing categories for which he repeatedly sets records. In one competition, he was honoured for ‘heaviest car balanced on the head’ (a gutted 352 lb Mini for 33 seconds).

The one-eyed diabetic - who avoids the gym - explains: ‘I’ve got strong legs and a strong neck.’

Bob Wade, 72, from Texas, USA, who features in the Guinness World Records 2016 for creating the largest cowboy boot sculpture. The boots measure 10.74 m (35 ft 3 in) in height

Big Red 907, a Texas Longhorn belonging to El Coyote Ranch in Texas, USA, has the largest horn spread on a domestic living steer. The horn measured 292.1 cm (115 in) in length

Other animal feats include the longest fur on a rabbit, which has been measured as 36.5 cm (14.37 inches) and belongs to two-year-old English Angora rabbit Franchesca from California

Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez, 20, of Venezuela, features in the Guinness World Records 2016 for having the largest feet on a living person. They measure 40.1cm (1ft 3.79ins) for his right foot, and 39.6 m (1ft 3.59ins) for his left. Jeison wears a size 26 shoe

Amateur gardener Peter Glazebrook, 69, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, holds the record for the heaviest carrot which made up in weight what it lacked in beauty — tipping the scales at 20lb 1 oz.

And his mighty cauliflower could feed a family of four for a month, weighing in at a hefty 27.48kg, or 60lb 9.3 oz, and with a ‘leaf-span’ of 6ft. He swears by a high potash feed, tender loving care - and plenty of slug pellets.

There was also a place for the world’s top turkey plucker who retained the title he set 35 years ago. It was in 1980 that Vincent Pilkington from Ireland plucked a bird in just 90 seconds on TV. Guinness also honours his turkey kill-rate: 100 birds in seven hours and 32 minutes on December 15, 1978.

Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez, 20, of Venezuela, features for having the largest feet on a living person. They measure 1ft 3.79ins (40.1cm ) for his right foot, and 1ft 3.59ins (39.6 m) for his left. Jeison wears a size 26 shoe

Andre Ortolf, 21, from Augsburg, Germany, features in the 2016 edition for three world records including the fastest 100m in clogs (16.27 seconds), fastest 100m wearing ski boots (17.65 seconds) and farthest distance to blow a pea (7.51 m (24 ft 7.66 in)

The largest hot dog cart in the world, found in Missouri in the US, measures 2.81m (9 ft 3 ins) in width, 7.06 m (23 ft 2 ins) in length, and 3.72 m (12 ft 2.75 ins) in height

Vijay Kumar V. A, 27, from Bangalore, India, who features for most teeth in a mouth. Vijay has 37 teeth in total

Acharya Makunuri Srinivasa, 56, from Nizamabad, India, features in the Guinness World Records 2016 edition for the longest ballpoint pen at 5.5m (18 ft 0.53 ins) long and weighing 37.23kg (82.08lb 1.24oz)

Takahiro Ikeda, 21, from Tokyo, Japan holds the record for the most BMX 'time machine' tricks in one minute. Ikeda, a professional BMX rider, managed 83 time machines in one minute

A speedy tortoise, fluffy rabbit and ball-catching dog are some of the creatures who have made their way into the record books. They feature in the Guinness World Records 2016 edition (pictured) alongside alongside some humans who make the cut thanks to their natural gifts

Meanwhile, the first people to row the navigable length of the Amazon River, Briton Anton Wright and Dutch-born Mark de Rond, took just 32 days to cover 2,077 treacherous miles in often hostile conditions.

The Cambridge University friends braved the threat of pirates and hostage-takers, and credit a 14-year-old Brazilian boy - who guided them away from lethal quicksands - with saving their lives