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!