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.

7th July

Of necessity, this is going to have to be a retrospective blog. We have just come to the end of a delicious bbq organised by members of Alcester 41 Club and their wives and I am trying to add pictures that I can't really see - as well as add comments that will make some kind of sense of the thousands of experiences that we have had since we started the walk.

The blistered foot is almost better - thanks to the dressings that Yvonne has been putting on every couple of days. I have to add that she has been taking impish delight in pouring the surgical spirit over the wound - but apart from that it's much easier.

We have had richly varied days. Days when few of us have walked.....when we have stood in the midst of the English countryside in mid-summer and listened to the silence - no traffic - no sirens - no aircraft overhead - no radio or conversation....simply the sound of our 'food growing in the field' as one of our companions said.

The silence of England can be deafening: and it is possible to find that depth of silence when you take the time and trouble to walk away from the noise.

The music of birdsong to rival any music anywhere. New life - a day of infant animals and birds in the field and on the river. The companionship of fellow walkers each of whom has been a member of Round Table - all of us united by that one common bond - talking of achievments...asking why it should all have stopped when we reached the age of 40 - acknowledging that we still have creative energy and vision and accepting that we might possibly do more.

Walking through towns and villages - coffee in the park at Royal Leamington Spa - or in a canal side pub as we felt a drop of rain even in the sunshine. Club meetings and an induction where members admitted to being moved by the new words of the revised induction ceremony. Debate at a regional forum where again it was agreed that we needed a renewed sense of purpose. The companionship of walking and talking.....getting to know one another....making new friends....'it's just like the old times' said someone this evening.

There is so much to record and report but of necessity it will have to emerge like the photographs in a developing tray in the darkroom. Time will bring the images into sharper focus and more and more of the rich experience of walking through the heart fo England will be revealed.

Tomorrow - lunch at the 'Bull' in Ambridge when we shall be joined by friends from the very beginning of the walk along with our National Secretary and others who want to share in this very special journey of fellowship.

We are almost there - just 20 miles or so to go. What will we do next week? Saturday will see the end of a journey almost a year in the planning and made possible only through the efforts of so many people.

I shall enjoy reflecting and recording in coming days and I would value the insights of those who have walked with us and looked after us: their thoughts should be part of this unfolding story.

Tonight we sleep in a thatched cottage where the door into our room is perhaps only 4' high. When I find a way of reviewing the pictures I want to post I'll show it to you.

Till then I'll bid you good night.

Last day of June

Another delightful summers day. I woke early and stood next to the open window and could smell the freshness of the new day. Breakfast with Hugh - National Sales Officer and walking companion for the whole of the journey - after we had viewed the You Tube video of Yvonne and Hugh's wife Shan modelling the walk polo shirts. First time I have ever been offered bacon 'from our own pigs!'...and it was delicious.





We were collected and taken to last night's pub for the start of today's leg of the walk which began at 10.30am - a nice relaxed time! Waiting for us were members of the Solihull 41 Club walking group - a hardened bunch of walkers who know how to live life to the full at lunch time: I shall call them the Solihull mobile gastronomic society - or even perhaps - the gracious living society. A great bunch who walked with us for several days - but of that more later!



Right now it's the 7th July - time is pressing and a bbq awaits! I shall try to add some pictures just so that you get a flavour of this wonderful pilgrimage but I don't think it's going to work.



We've had problems trying to find internet connections as we've gone round but now in Alcester we've at last found one!

A blistering pace!!

This is the first chance that I've had to sit and sign in such has been the pace of the expedition which some might even call the longest pub crawl in the world because each meeting point and handover and end of day rendezvous seems to have been pub! And very welcome they have been if only to drink gallons of ice-cold water such is the weather which has largely been unremitting sunshine!

What hospitality and friendship! Yvonne and I arrived on Saturday to be welcomed by our host's with tea in a truly beautiful cottage garden complete with two labs and a terrier who kept us entertained for hours.

After an informal dinner party - again in the garden - preparation for Sunday and our church service where we'd asked for the walkers among us to receive a blessing. Once again, a genuinely warm welcome from the congregation who were interested in what we were setting out to do.

Lunch in the nearby pub when Chris Tayler - the enthusiast who had devised the Millennium Way - was presented with the Club Service Award by his club for all that he had done in connection with the development of the walk over the last decade. Thoroughly deserved.

Photographs and video were taken at the church gates before we set off [see You Tube!!!] and then we were off at what seemed like a blistering pace which, at the end of the day, proved to have been a truly blistering pace - one which is now slowing me down to a pleasant amble due to the size of the burst blister on my left foot which nurse Yvonne needs to treat each day! Even the National President of RTBI has been consulted [he's a chiropodist!] and he has kindly made himself available 24/7 for professional consultations as and when needed!!

But we did our 6+ miles in the allotted 3 hours and a small country pub has never been so welcome. Pints of ice cold water disappeared with seconds before pints of real ale were consumed only slightly less quickly.

An evening BBQ with members of Banbury 41 Club before home to bed in readiness for the next day with a somewhat slow painful start to the planned walk.

It's now 11.35pm and I need to get to bed. Suffice it to say that we have meandered through some of the most beautiful parts of the English countryside. Today has been extra special with sections of the walk along canal towpaths with narrow boats and and canal side pubs festooned with flowers and window boxes.

Daventry 41 Club guided us expertly through meadows and woods and taught us how to play skittles in a little country pub where we were treated to supper and even did some of our washing before handing us over to Southam 41 Club who were less sure of the way but nevertheless brought us to our destination and a couple of very welcome pints and later, an excellent evening meal at the Buck and Bell Inn at Long Itchington before delivering us back to Wethele Manor - the most beautifully and sympathetically restored 'manor' farm house you have ever seen and where tonight I shall sleep in my first ever four poster bed!

This is a lovely journey - if a somewhat painful one at the moment. But sleepy villages with golden stone houses basking in glorious sunshine, country pubs with low beamed ceilings and real ale with sandwiches waiting hot and slightly weary walkers, laughter and new friendships more than compensate for sore feet and a little sunburn.

It will take me a while to do justice to this walk which is a true gem in the midst of England already bursting with the promise of a rich harvest in just a few weeks time.

A shorter walk tomorrow - just 6.25 miles - only 2 of them after lunch at yet another country pub by the river - the Red Lion at Hunningham! I'll even try to download some of the dozens of pictures via the Dongle!

More later but just at the moment - the four poster calls!!

Using the dongle for real!

In Birmingham to speak to RTBI National Council tomorrow. Hardly a training walk but a long walk nevertheless around Birmingham in the sun looking for a shop that might sell a lead from my camera to the computer! I left mine at home yesterday which doesn't help! I'm told that it is possible to download pictures directly through the Dongle: we shall have to try!

It's hard to believe, but we couldn't find anywhere in central Birmingham that sold camera's or computers! There are thousands of bars, restaurants and clothes shops and I have to admit that we had a wonderful lunch at Coste Brasserie in the Gas Street Basin. Highly recommended for food and the friendliest staff I have met in a long while.

Last night Yvonne and I attended the 'Music for Hero's' concert in Leicester along with IPP Richard Matthews and his wife Barbara. I'm pleased to say that we were joined by a goodly number of 41 Club members from around the Leicester area.

The RAF band was superb and gave us an evening to remember. It really was stirring stuff and a privilege to be there. Ken Bruce from Radio 2 gave 41 Club a mention and we got a warm round of applause from the capacity audience for the £140,000 we raised for Richard's Presidential charity last year - 'Help for Hero's'.

4 walk polo shirts sold already to my walking partner Hugh Milward and his wife Shan. Yvonne bought another 2! Still quite a few for sale to those who join us over the next 10 days!

Polo Shirts are ready!

The only activity today has been in the O2 shop where I have purchased a pink dongle!

Yes there are such things and I now have one so it looks as though it's going to be possible to update the blog as I undertake the walk!

I have also purchased 4 OS maps of the area through which the walk passes: it's always good to set a walk in context - to know where one is in the greater scheme of things!

And at last - the team polo shirts are ready to be collected. Yvonne and friends from Party Tyne and Angels of the North have been modelling them since the Scarborough conference and they have been much admired. I shall have some for sale as I travel and we can always have more ordered and sent to us as we go!

Now where did I put my old map case?

Millennium Bridge - River Tyne, Newcastle

At last! I've managed to upload this image taken with my little Sony Cyber-shot camera.

What a brilliant piece of engineering and design this bridge is. An inspiration to everyone who sees it, especially at night as we did after our cruise down the river Tyne - a once powerful river that witnessed many great engineering achievements and now, after the decline of heavy engineering in the north east, perhaps one of the finest salmon rivers in England!

It was a journey full of ghosts and memories: my teenage years were spent on the banks of the Tyne when I lived at Jarrow and then later at Hebburn.

Countdown - 22nd June - not long now

After a very busy but enjoyable National Council weekend in Durham that included a wonderful river journey down the Tyne on Saturday evening as a bit of r & r, it's back to the final few days of preparation before the off!

The weather has been wonderful but has found me mainly at the desk although yesterday allowed a good workout in the gym which I badly needed.

This morning I walked along the beach in glorious sunshine with Bracken and then this afternoon had another workout at the gym - not quite as successful as yesterday but useful nevertheless.

Then all hell has broken loose as my computer crashed 4 times during the course of the late afternoon. I was hoping to take it with me to write my blog as I journey but there is something seriously wrong with the thing. It's likely to be more of a liability than a help. Yvonne has kindly allowed me to use her lap top this evening and it may be this one that we take with us.

I am told that we need to buy a 'dongle' [can that be true? can there really be such a thing?] which will allow us to communicate with the outside world while we are away - so that is on the list for tomorrow along with getting hold of some OS maps of the route! I love looking at maps and I have a large collection of them spanning the years. But can I really walk into a shop and ask for a 'dongle'? Is someone having me on?

Yvonne is going to lead the back up party and will drive the Presidential limo from a to b and then to c. Having her own computer with her will give her a chance to keep in touch with family and friends back in Spain while she is waiting for us all to plod into the next check in point!

We are trying to decide what to take with us apart from walking gear. We have a range of social occasions, meetings, club nights, BB Q's etc to enjoy during our two week trek and although I say that walking gear is OK for everything, Yvonne is of a different mind!

In her usual organised way Yvonne looked at the weather forecast for next week and it seems that we are going to have some rain, grey skies and the odd day of sunshine. Seems like perfect walking weather to me but not so good for the BB Q's!

Tomorrow I hope there will be a chance of a walk before we climb into the car on Thursday for the off. We attend a concert in Leicester on Thursday evening, then it's away to Birmingham Friday in readiness for a meeting with RTBI National Council on Saturday. Hopefully I shall have time to prepare for Sunday morning when we attend a church service to mark the beginning of our walk. I have been asked to address the congregation during the sermon slot! Just like old times!!

I am really looking forward to meeting club members who will be walking with me and looking after us during our two week 'pilgrimage'. The basis of our Association is 'friendship' and 'fellowship' and at the root of each of those is 'caring'. So many people have shown a lot of care in the preparation for this Millennium Way journey and I have no doubt that the spirit of care and friendship will be a hallmark of the walk. I'll let you know.

I was hoping to include a wonderful picture of the Millennium bridge over the river Tyne but it's on my computer - not this one. Perhaps I can include it in a future message.

If you would like to join us on any leg of the walk simply turn up. Details of what we are up to are on our website. Remember, I am trying to raise the profile of the Association, meet some of our members along the way and raise much needed funds for my chosen charity - the Ocean Youth Trust. If you would like to make a donation or sponsor me please do. Every little helps!

17th June 2010

Since getting back from Holyhead and Birmingham I have been trying hard to get some miles in. Each evening and on one occasion - early morning - I have been walking parts of the coastal path. The weather has been glorious - truly glorious.

On Wednesday 16th in particular, I drove down to Holy Island causeway and then walked north along the coast for about 2 miles before returning to the car. It was a memorable evening. Bracken my Black Lab enjoyed being out and about - the first time since he'd come out of kennels after a 2 + week stay. He swam, lingered over tempting scents, ran ahead of me then returned to walk by my side. As we walked among sheep in the dunes I put him on the lead just to make sure but he's usually very good among sheep and I was probably worrying too much.

On the way back we spotted a big group of rabbits: if there is one thing that sends Bracken wild -it's rabbits and he will chase after them for hours so I was pleased he was on the lead. As the rabbits scampered away at our passing we put up a fox who was not best pleased that we had spoiled his chance of an early supper. He ran away to our right to the wire fence then stopped to look at us in a most disdainful manner before scampering off to pastures new.

As we walked back along the creek toward the car Bracken swam for ages with an eye toward the four swans that are nesting by the waters edge. I called him back but he was enjoying himself too much but eventually climbed out and ran back to me shaking water off himself as he did so.

The tide had come in so we had to clamber up a bank to get round a headland before we were able to scramble back on to the level grassy path. Bracken waited for me and looked concerned as his clumsy overweight master slipped down the bank in a most ungainly fashion! Good job there was no one around to see me!

As we started on the last half mile back to the car - a pair of lapwings tried to distract us away from their nest. We wouldn't have bothered them and it was touching to see their antics as they tried to distract us.

I'd bought some new walking boots on Monday and they stood up well t the test. I'd had them on since I bought them and they are very comfortable and have taken no breaking in. I shall wear them for the walk and if it is mainly a 'flat day' I shall; wear the trainers.

I was hoping to get to the gym today but preparations for this weekend's National Council meeting have kept me at the desk apart from when I washed the limo. It wouldn't do for the Pres' to turn up at a Council weekend with a mucky car!

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us but I hope we have some fun as well. A formal dinner on Friday [when England are playing I'm told] then a trip down the Tyne on Saturday will serve as a useful antidote to our business meetings I hope. There might even be a chance of a leg stretch and a few miles along the rive Wear on Saturday afternoon.

Not long to go now!

Back from Italy and Spain!

Back at last from Bologna and Spain. The weather was exceptional yet was matched by the warmth of the welcome and the generous hospitality everywhere that we went. The Italian AGM was a great success and club meetings in Spain proved that the Association is alive and well on the Iberian peninsular. I'm pleased to say that there was time to stop and take in the surroundings and simply enjoy being in lovely places. I even found a rather splendid cockerel in the cloisters of a church that we visited - 'the cockerel of St Peter!'

'But what about the foot?' I hear you ask and 'what about the training for the walk?' Although I'm trying to hide the Presidential 'cushion' on which is placed the Presidential jewel on formal occasions, the more discerning among you will see that I haven't managed to lose anymore weight! There was a lot of walking in Bologna and I have to say that the foot took some beating on the Friday and I suffered the following day as we walked to the palace where the AGM was being held. Yet another pair of trainers was bought in Spain and some swimming was undertaken at which point the sun got to me in a big way and I had to retire to the shade! Such are the trials of an overweight, unfit National President who is shortly to walk 100 miles for his chosen charity!

Back to the wonderful UK climate where we rarely have to battle with the sun, and I got some miles in yesterday as I waited for the Presidential limo to have a new windscreen fitted. Today was to be a gym day - and still might be if I can get away from the desk - just so that I can keep my fitness levels finely honed in readiness for the off on Sunday 27th June.

It looks as though I'm still going to have to do this walk in trainers as I still can't find my newest and most comfortable pair of walking boots. You would think that after 9 months I would have been able to unpack all the boxes that came with the move to the little house by the sea: but as I've said before, being National President is a job and a half and there must be 30 boxes still waiting to be unpacked - most of them boxes of books but with one box somewhere containing my boots!

Off to Brum this week for meetings and then on to Wales for a 30th Charter evening. On the way I'll stop to see poor Andy Waite who broke his leg very badly while in Belgium. Sincere thanks to his Belgian surgeon - a Club 41 member who operated on him so well and so swiftly. Andy will be out of Action for at least 6 months. The lengths some guys will go to in order to get out of coming with me on the Presidential yomp!

26th May

Amazed that the first entry saved and turned out as it did! It encourages me to go on.

The meeting with the physio went well and I don't need to see him again unless I really feel the need before or after the big walk! He was impressed by my muddy trainers and knew that I had been out and about in preparation for the Millennium Way.

The diary isn't going to allow much more training now until after 5th June as I'm off to the Italian AGM and then to Spain for meetings with Calpe 41 Club and Costa Blanca 41 club. This trip will allow Yvonne to see her specialist to check up on the success of her recent eye operation and also give her chance to see family in Madrid.

Just been writing copy for the forthcoming Links magazine and making a plea to our membership to 'reach out' and be active in helping me to raise £80,000 for my chosen charity this year.

One of the members of Party Tyne 41 Club - Eric Peacock in conjunction with his North East Sailing Team raised over £900 on Saturday by organising a garden party in support of OYT [North] and their efforts to assist a team of youngsters take part in the forthcoming Tall Ships Race which will end in Hartlepool 7th - 10th August. Hartlepool 41 Club have already pledged their help and support over the course of the weekend which I think will be a fantastic party attracting thousands of people. A great chance to raise our profile as an Association and our links this year with OYT.

Eric's garden party was a great occasion - the weather was perfect and was matched by the organisation of the event and the hospitality. More 41 ers should have been there but at least Party Tyne and Saltburn were represented. Hopefully more clubs will respond to my challenge and organise some fun event which will not only raise what I'm calling 'new money' but also provide enjoyment for everyone involved and show that we are still keen to help worthy causes and enjoy ourselves at the same time.

I've posted some pictures which show the event - some of those attending including Grace and Craig - Skipper and 1st Officer of the Northern boat 'James Cook' - as well as some pictures of part of my training walks just to give a flavour of the Northumberland coast as well as a tired Lab and a self portrait after about 5 miles!! Still smiling you will see!!

The early days!

I'm way beyond my comfort zone here in more ways than one! At the moment I'm recovering from a foot injury and at the same time preparing to walk the 100 mile 41 Club Millennium Way at the end of June. Over the last few days I have walked from Holy Island to my home near Berwick on Tweed and on Sunday I walked from my home to Holy Island. The only way to prepare for a walk is to get some miles in! The weather has been glorious. I have the ruddy glow of a freshly boiled lobster and my feet are burning!

Why do a walk like this? I now find myself National President of the Association of Ex Round Tablers Clubs [41 Club]. It's a huge privilege to be here. My two predecessors were keen golfers and met lots of our members while they were out playing golf. I don't play golf but I have been a very keen walker over the years. To celebrate the Millennium, a keen a dedicated team of 41 club members created a walk across the Midlands. I thought it would be a good idea to get out there and walk it in order to - meet some of our members along the way - try and raise the profile of the walk - through press coverage, raise the profile of our Association as well as the profile of my chosen Presidential Charity - the Ocean Youth Trust and to raise some money for them.

A great guy called Chris Tayler, who initially thought of the Millennium Way, has been acting as 'walk manager' for me and has designed my walk programme which will last for 2 weeks during the period 27th June - 10th July. When I find out how to do it, I'll post my programme on this blog. Oh, by the way, I have never 'blogged' in my life - so this is why I say I'm well and truly outside of my comfort zone.

Since I haven't been able to walk since August last year I'm unfit - even though I have been 'working out' at the gym - another new experience. I am way overweight - at 19 + stones the heaviest I have ever been. My beloved Labrador 'Bracken' will not be with me when I do the walk but at least he is keeping me company on the training walks which are being done in trainers 'cos I can't find my comfortable boots.

That's enough for now. I see the physio again tomorrow morning. I have no idea yet if this lot is going to save or whatever it does - but let's have a go. By the way - my motto for this year is 'Reach Out' and I will inform all that I do by the newly revised and unanimously agreed objects of the Association that encourage us to be active! At 65 I'm trying to set an example and hope that some of our members will follow my example.