Monday 28th June 'It hurts!'

Gee whiz - it hurt! When I woke up on Monday morning I felt as though it was going to be impossible to walk. The skinned left foot really did hurt to the point where I couldn't put my foot to the floor and the prospect of putting on a sock or a walking boot seemed beyond me.

Yvonne took charge and with the help of Maureen - one of our hosts on Saturday and Sunday [featured under the tree above] - managed to get some dressings and was able to cushion the foot and put on my sock for me.

I desperately wanted to walk but really didn't see how I could. So many people had invested so much time in this venture that I had to try. I telephoned John Kilshaw - National President of RTBI and a specialist in these matters - and he advised treating the wound with surgical spirit. We'd have to get some - along with more dressings material as we drove to the start point for the days walk - the Griffin pub at Chipping Warden where we ended yesterday's walk.

Oh the ignominy of it all! Sitting outside the pub having my foot dressed as my walking companions looked on and took photographs. Even though it hurt like mad I had to have a go and after taking a couple of painkillers we were ready for the off. As I limped along I couldn't help think of Eddy Izzard and his great marathon adventure. I'd seen part of a documentary where he showed his blistered feet being treated. My own podiatrist had warned that once dressings were on a blistered foot - they should be left on as long as possible. Eddy Izzard became my inspiration: if he could do it - then I could do it!

After about 20 minutes I discovered that it's possible to walk through the pain barrier [or perhaps the pain killers were kicking in by then] but it wasn't too bad unless we stopped for a short break - as we did from time to time - and then it was like starting all over again...walking up to and through the pain barrier.

It was gloriously warm day. The footpaths were clearly defined - the company and the banter was good and the 4.2 miles guided by friends from Banbury 41 Club seemed to go in no time at all. I felt a great sense of achievement [ and relief] as we reached The Carpenters Arms at Lower Boddington which had been opened especially for us through the influence of Michael Banks one of our Banbury friends. Jugs of iced water and huge trays of sandwiches greeted us but some of the team who had now fulfilled their obligation of getting us to Lower Boddington, enjoyed a well earned pint [see Hazel above!!!].

Barry Durman, National Councillor joined us and it was good to see him. And it was also good to meet Graham Whiteley and his team from Daventry 41 Club who were taking over as our guides for the 5.26 miles afternoon walk to Priors Marston where we would end our day.

I couldn't have managed the morning walk without the support and encouragement of Hugh and the others who walked with me and it was certain that I was going to have to rely on the Daventry team to get me through the afternoon. 'We are better off when we are working together than we try to go it alone' is something that the young people who sail with the Ocean Youth Trust learn. I was experiencing it afresh through this walk.

Our Blessing [Sunday 27th June]

At the end of our church service we received a Blessing for our journey. This is the Blessing that was used as we knelt before the altar -

'Malcolm, may the Lord bless you and the 41 Club in this great enterprise.
May he guide your steps, protect you from harm and give you the energy you will need to complete your journey.
May the Lord bless your companions on the walk and the people you will meet on the way and give you the joy and encouragement of true fellowship.
May the Lord bless all the funds raised by this project and then bless the work of the Ocean Youth Trust, especially in this their 50th Anniversary year - so that many young people may find new hope and confidence through the activities you make possible.
So Malcolm, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you his peace -
today, as you start your walk, through the coming weeks till the end of your way and always.
Amen'


Each and every one of us who knelt to receive this Blessing was strengthened by it and were grateful for it.

It was a fitting start to our journey together.

We need to be doing 2.3mph! [27th June]

'We need to be doing 2.3mph!' The words of Chris who was setting the pace after we had yomped up a hill in blazing sunshine. I was starting to get in to my stride but Chris was setting a cracking pace and when we stopped for water he checked his GPS and told us how far we had walked, what our average speed was and if we were going to finish at The Griffin pub in Chipping Warden [lovely names aren't they?] at the appointed time then we'd better get a move on!

Chris has a bit of the 'mother hen' - or perhaps platoon sergeant might be a better description - as he made sure that we drank enough water as it was a very hot afternoon. [come to think of it, all the best platoon sergeants I've ever met had a 'mother hen quality about them!].

On we went - up hill and down dale. It was a glorious afternoon and when Chris saw that we were making good time he slackened the pace a bit and we were able to talk and take in the scenery. The walk was to take us through a lovely bit of England and it really was a joy to be there.

One of the real delights of the walk were the conversations that we had with others along the way - getting to know one another - talking about times in Round Table - the daft things we did but the very real achievements that we made together and the fun we had doing it. There was a sense of nostalgia for something that had been a very important part of our lives. That too was to be a feature of the walk - nostalgia for what we did in Round Table coupled with a desire to do it again!

The conversations made the miles pass more quickly and just on the 3 hours mark we arrived at the Griffin to a warm welcome from Yvonne and friends from Banbury 41. My feet - especially my left foot - had been burning as I walked the last two miles or so. It was something I'd experienced during my training walks and I'd needed a bowl of ice cold water just to rest my feet. That wasn't possible this time but at least I drank a pint of ice-cold water before ordering the first of a couple of very welcome pints of good beer which we drank whilst sitting outside the pub waiting to set off for 'home' and in our case - an evening BBQ organised by Banbury.

It was good to sit down and eat and chat that evening after a shower and a cup of tea - but I'd made a startling discovery when I'd eventually taken my boots off which really had me worried about whether or not I was going to be able to continue. I'd had a huge blister on the ball of my left foot but during the latter stages of the walk the skin had peeled off it! How was I going to cope with this?

The first hot Sunday! [27th June]

What a day! We'd been working up to this for over a year and now here we were pulling up outside All Saints Church, Middleton Cheyney for the service of thanksgiving and blessing that was to mark the official beginning of it all.

There was a great atmosphere of anticipation and excitement as we greeted one another. It was the first time I'd met Chris Tayler who had worked so hard to get us to this point. What a big guy he is - and his long legs and loping stride were to set the pace during the first part of the journey during the afternoon!

Inside the church we met the minister who was to take the service and she had kindly invited me to say a few words during the sermon slot. Many of us were wearing the official walk polo shirt which Yvonne was selling to anyone and everyone who might be involved in the walk - even on the sidelines - all profits to OYT [Ocean Youth Trust] my chosen charity this year.

The congregation was welcoming. They laughed at the right places - especially when I suggested that they were looking at a finely honed athlete........gone to seed!! Anyone who knows me and the pictures testify to the fact that I'm anything but an athlete - but I am stubborn and I was intent on doing this walk by hook or by crook and I much needed God's blessing in this endeavour. It was a special moment for some of us to kneel before the altar and be blessed by way of preparation for all that was to follow over the next two weeks. [words of the blessing to come later].

After the service, many of the congregation wanted to know more about the project and some very kindly gave generous donations to the charity. People can be so very kind - and kindness and generosity were hallmarks of the walk as we were to discover.

Then to the pub.....the first of so many during our time together - the George and Dragon at Chacombe organised by our first set of hosts - Banbury 41 Club. More introductions - more shirts sold in the bar, water for me, beer for some that weren't walking and some that were - a sandwich [and chips...part of the training diet you understand] and then - Solihull made a wonderful presentation to Chris Tayler of the Association's Club Service in recognition of all that he had done in developing the Millennium Way over the course of the last decade. Well deserved.

And then back to the cars for the short drive back to Middleton Cheyney church for the official start. I for one have to confess to a feeling of trepidation: this was the first long walk that I had undertaken in several years and although this leg was only 6 miles, it had to be done in 3 hours on a blazingly hot afternoon. I wasn't a speed walker. My average walking pace used to be a steady 2.5 mph but age and lack of training had slowed me down considerably and when I saw Chris setting off at his deceptively slow lope that seemed to cover yards in one go - I wondered if I was ever going to manage this as I brought up the rear breathing heavily after what I thought was a sensible lunch!

I'll tell you what happened in the next episode!

Grey northern sky and cold North Sea! [15th July]

This is the first real day that I have had at home since completing the walk. Yvonne and I stayed in Pershore after the end of walk celebrations so superbly organised by Pershore 41 Club and didn't get back home until early evening Sunday. I was off the next day to East Anglia for the Eastern Region Golf competition where I was presenting the prizes: it was a three day trip!

I'm sitting in my little study looking out on a cold North Sea and a grey northern sky thinking back to the hot days of our walk. A few moments ago I downloaded the photographs onto my computer and want to include some in this entry just to whet your appetite for more!

As I look at them, most take my mind back to a time, place person or people. I'm transported back to kindness, good humour, a painful foot or a quite moment as we stopped to gaze at part of the beautiful English countryside. Looking at one or two of them - taken at an Inn where we ended a days walking, I can almost taste again the welcome beer that was followed almost immediately by another as we celebrated the completion of another part of the walk in the company of new friends.

Without doubt, one of the most important elements of this journey has been the making of new friendships which grew as we walked or shared an evening together. I have no doubt that they will be lasting friendships. Already, Yvonne and I have been invited back to places where we stayed. We have received letters and photographs, cards and good wishes from those we came close to along the way or who opened their homes to us and gave us a bed for the night.

It's good to know that in some small way - we are part of their story and they are now part of ours. The story of the walk can't be told without including them. I hope that they will take up my invitation and add to this blog....share their perceptions of their part of the journey so that together we can appreciate the whole experience. After all, it's a story that involved so many people - a story that brought us together.... so many different perceptions and experiences of the times that we shared together when I - for one - never looked at a newspaper or television and didn't keep up with the news. All I experienced during the two weeks of the walk was friendship, warm hospitality, banter and good humour, the pleasure of walking through middle England in good company while taking in and remembering some lovely places and views that would grace any postcard or calendar. Could there be anything better?

Thursday 8th July

Another hot day with just the odd splash of rain and a wonderful pint of Old Speckled Hen at the end of a taxing day of walking which seemed far longer than the stated 7 or 8 miles!

After a truly gigantic breakfast together in the garden we set off on time. Only a small group of us today after 17 the previous afternoon. Hugh - still in shorts, Shan his wife, David our guide from Alcester and myself set off for the 'Bull in Ambridge'. Only 4 miles or so the route planners said and being a lifelong Archers fan I was looking forward to seeing the inspiration for the Bull in the everyday story of country folk.

We walked and talked and met folks along the way as they walked their dogs, telling them about 41 Club and how we came into being and what we were trying to do by walking 100 miles. Carried away with our mission of spreading the word - we missed our right turn off the road and ended up with a significant detour along a main road before we picked up a path through fields to where we needed to be.

And then we stopped for cake and coffee in a beautiful cottage garden before setting off again now bound to be late for our lunch time appointment by an hour.

The Bull turned out to be everything I hoped it would be - including a little village green and memorabilia of the Archers! I was sad to learn that Sid had passed away since I last listened to the programme: I really must make an efforts to listen more regularly!

When we arrived we were met by Martin and Maria Green: Martin is National Secretary. We also had our receiving group from Droitwich as well as members of Malvern along with Michael and Maureen - our very first hosts who had come to see how we were getting on. They brought their three dogs with them and they patiently lay under the trees as we had lunch. Mike and Heather - our hosts from Alcester were also there and we spent time thinking about how we might resurrect the National caravan rally at some point in the future.

After an enjoyable lunch we set off for our 2.75 miles afternoon walk! It turned out to be a marathon due to overgrown paths and fields that hadn't seen the hand of a farmer in years: truly challenging walking in places making it difficult for us all - especially Yvonne and Maureen who were both out just for the afternoon. Valiant efforts by our guide John and other members of Droitwich brought us eventually to the Boot Inn and the pint of Old Speckled Hen in superb condition.

This evening we have enjoyed yet another great evening of fellowship with 41 ers and their wives - good food, good conversation and another BBQ with ominous warnings about the length of time we are going to need to complete our walk on Saturday morning.

A 9.30am start tomorrow with a number of guest walkers expected to join us. There were some spots of rain tonight at the BBQ and we shall have to wait and see whether we get a wet day tomorrow.