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.