Today we left Wigan and headed to Garstang.

Today we had Harwood walking with us and Steve walking / providing logistics support.

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We left Wigan quite early as today would be a long day. The name Wigan has been dated to at least the 7th century, and probably originally meant a “village” or “settlement”. Wigan was in the territory of the Brigantes, an ancient Celtic tribe that ruled much of what is now northern England. The Brigantes were subjugated in the Roman conquest of Britain and the Roman settlement of Coccium established where Wigan lies.

A fairly uneventful walk for the first part of the morning, not a whole lot of scenery to see other than the nice village of Coppull, a Christmas tree farm and the passing of our 400 mile milestone.

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Meandering on we crossed the M6 and M65 (and waited at the level crossing) before heading into Preston itself and buying lunch for a bit later in the walk. The M6 was present for most of the rest of the day and won’t be too far away for a good few days yet. We then crossed the River Ribble as we continued on northwards.

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Leaving Preston we stopped at a roundabout and sat down for our lunch – a few funny looks but in all probability the grass in the middle was probably a lot cleaner/safer than that on the verge! A few more streams, churches and canals before we finally glimpsed some “scenery” and made our way to Garstang. As tomorrows route was originally planned at 54 kms we decided this morning to “overshoot” Garstang by 6 kms before getting a lift back to our hotel. We will then start at that point tomorrow thus making the day a more manageable 48 km.

Tomorrow we head to Kendal and a rest day on Tuesday

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Today we left Northwich and headed to Wigan

Today was a much smaller group – we had Caroline walking with us for her second day and Steve providing the logistics support.

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We left Northwich, on what was to be a manly urban road day, down tree lined roads. During Roman times, Northwich was known as Condate, thought to be a Latinisation of a Brittonic name meaning “Confluence” as it lies at the junction of the rivers Dane and Weaver.

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Most of our day would be spent on the A49 but now it was not as fearsome due to pavement running along side it all the way up to Wigan. Not a whole lot to see – lots of farmland, some very small villages and a field full of black sheep (don’t know what breed)

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We then passed into Stretton and diverted down a path away from the Path for a while. Some interesting statues at the start of the park and kids playing 11 a-side football were something different to see.

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After passing over the Bridgewater Canal in Stockton Heath we then crossed the Manchester Ship Canal, a 36-mile-long (58 km) inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea with several sets of locks lifting vessels about 60 feet (18 m) to the canal’s terminus in Manchester.

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Going through Warrington via crossing the River Mersey, we picked up some lunch for later consumption and passed out 600 km milestone.

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An ice cream stop on the way into Wigan, more brooks and canals crossed and a lot more walking through built up areas (something different to look at) and we arrived at our stop for the night in Wigan.

Tomorrow we head to Garstang in Lancaster

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After day 15 we are still not yet halfway but have come a long long way.

Today we left Whitchurch and headed to Northwich in Cheshire

Today we had Caroline, Chris T, Pat, Stuart, Helena, Yasemin, Priyanka, Ryan, Matt R, Chris M, Matt J and Simon walking with us with Greg and Nick providing all the logistics.

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We left Whitchurch to a smattering of rain – enough for everyone to break out the coats and hats – thankfully it didn’t amount to much and didn’t put in an appearance again. Whitchurch was previously Mediolanum, a fort and small town in the Roman province of Britannia. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. Sir Henry Percy (Sir Harry Hotspur) (1364–1403), was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury and buried in Whitchurch, only for his body to be later exhumed and quartered.

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We briefly stopped in Nantwich to pick up sandwiches for lunch and headed back out on the road to Northwich. What was meant to be relatively quiet B roads were actually quite busy but the team coped well with the oncoming traffic. We passed over several sections of he Shropshire Union Canal – Llangollen Branch as well as passing the usual number of quaint / beautiful houses.

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Passing briefly through Church Minishull we had an ice cream stop – probably cleaned the shop out of its weekly supply of Magnums! More pretty houses and immaculate gardens before we crossed the border into Cheshire.

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We passed the Winsford Rock Salt mine – the U.K.’s largest and oldest working mine. It lies approximately 150 meters under the Cheshire countryside and has a rich history, which began in 1844 when local prospectors were searching for coal. More than a century of mining has left a void under the countryside that features consistent temperature and humidity levels, and is naturally free from the dangers of ultraviolet light, vermin or flooding. It is the size of 700 football pitches and continues to grow as a salt is mined every year.

We left the road shortly after to start the last few kms of our walk along the River Weaver footpath.

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We continued along the footpath, came to the Vale Royal Locks, crossed over and encountered a very overgrown, and sometimes muddy, path that would take us back to the road and onto our hotel. The River Weaver section was a really nice change from the consistent road pounding of the day.

An amazing effort from everyone again – having a group of 14 walking along the roads in such a disciplined manner was a pleasure to see. It was (as per yesterday) rewarding watching friends and colleagues catch up personally after nearly 18 months apart. Greg (and Nick) did his usual sterling job of providing baggage services and roadside snacks and drinks at regular intervals.

Hard to believe that Paul and I have now walked for two weeks without a rest day (and it feels like it) but the rest day is coming ever closer!

Tomorrow we head to Wigan.

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Today we left Shrewsbury and headed to Whitchurch

Today we had Nick, Chris T, Sophie, Matt R, Helena, Scott, Neila, Chetan, Darren. Matt J, Dan and Chris M walking with us with Greg doing the logistics bit. Pat (not in the picture joined us halfway and is walking tomorrow).

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We started our walk by walking into Shrewsbury itself, past Lord Hill’s Column, a column of the Doric Order which measures 133 ft 6 in (40.7 m) in height and commemorates General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill with a 17 ft (5.2 m) tall statue standing on the top of the column. Then we crossed a very calm looking River Severn and started out into the countryside.

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The route to Wem (our lunch destination) started out along a relatively busy A-road and the weather was a bit warmer than advertised. We eventually turned off onto a quieter B-road and then the heavens opened – it was like a tropical monsoon (but not as warm obviously!). Our plan for lunch in a nice quiet field was abandoned and Greg found a pub with an enclosed beer garden – so we took refuge from the rain, dried out a little bit and had lunch. The landlord of the White Lion in Wem generously donated to our cause as well.

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Not a whole lot to see on the remainder of the route as we marched with wet socks and squelching shoes that will probably contribute to more blisters than usual. Cows are so curious when they stop whatever they are doing and watch as we walk past – I do wonder what they are thinking. Then the final pitstop at Greg’s mobile cafe before we arrived at the town border of Whitchurch.

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Some lovely old building and houses as we moved on to our hotel (more about Whitchurch in tomorrow’s blog) and a sit down / beer before those not walking tomorrow departed.

Initially nervous about such a large group and busy roads but the day passed without incident (thankfully) and it was great to see friends and colleagues meeting in person (sometimes for the first time) and catching up. Tomorrow is nearly as busy with plenty of new faces in the group.

Tomorrow we head to Northwich in Cheshire

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Today we left Woofferton and headed too Shrewsbury

Today we had Harpal walking with us and Michelle looking after baggage and food logistics.

Woofferton is a village to the south of Ludlow, in Shropshire. It is one of Shropshire’s most southerly villages and lies on the border with Herefordshore. The public house there – the “Salwey Arms” (where we stayed) – is the most southerly in the county.

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We had a relatively short walk into Ludlow – which is near the confluence of the rivers Corve and Teme. The oldest part is the medieval walled town, founded in the late 11th century after the Norman conquest of England. A couple of hours into the walk, Michelle picked up Harpal at a prearranged spot.

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This was then the start of quite a few hours walking through the Shropshire Hills, initially going past Ludlow racecourse, past quite a few trees where the leaves were starting to turn and then our latest milestone – 500 km.

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The scenery was simply stunning – although not much shade for a decent amount of the time, It was much more enjoyable walking the quiet country lanes.

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Continuing our walk we marvelled at the houses, obviously some quite well to do areas with large immaculate houses and gardens, plus the odd church or two and then our 300 mile milestone was reached.

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After more houses, fields and majestic trees, we came across a historic bridge. The Cantlop Bridge was constructed in 1818 to a design possibly by Thomas Telford, having at least been approved by him, and replaced an unsuccessful cast iron coach bridge constructed in 1812. The design appears to be a scaled-down version of a Thomas Telford bridge at Meole Brace, Shropshire, and is the only surviving Telford-approved cast-iron bridge in Shropshire, a Grade II* listed building and scheduled monument.

Today was another tough day, especially in the back of yesterday. It was brightened towards the end of the day with Michelle, her sister Simi and Harpal walking back to meet us.

Tomorrow we head to Whitchurch.

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Today we left Much Birch and headed to Woofferton

Tom, Matt, Mark, Sophie, Harmon, Harpal were walking with us, Mehdi and Charlotte were walking / bag transporting and Lynn was transporting bags and providing sustenance to the team all along the route.

Much Birch is a parish that extends for about 1.5 miles (2 km) along the A49, a busy trunk road running from the border with South Wales to North West England.

The church of St Mary and  St Thomas of Canterbury by Thomas Foster dates from 1837 and the  chancel ceiling is painted with cherubs peeping over clouds.

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A nice quiet walk along country lanes for the first part of the morning (parallel to but avoiding the A49) on the way too Hereford via plenty of farmed fields and a few small villages – the church above is in the village of Callow.

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Hereford itself if a pretty city and it was very busy as we passed through on what was a beautiful sunny day. It was starting to get seriously hot at this stage. The present Hereford Cathedral dates from the early 12th century, as does the first bridge across the Wye. Former Bishops of Hereford include Saint Thomas de Cantilupe and Lord High Treasurer of England Thomas Charlton.

Just before lunch we had our first “casualty” off the walk when Harpal found the heat to be too much so Mehdi picked her up and she was an excellent aide to Lynn in our sustenance for the rest of the day (she is still going to be walking with us tomorrow).

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Then the long afternoon walk began. The heat was unto 30c at one stage as we crossed the River Lugg, wandered part some pretty houses and even admired the shape and colour of trees highlighted against the clear blue sky. Today Lynn bought the ice-creams to us (yes she came pre-prepared with a cool bag for this very need!) and provided multiple water stops in the afternoon.

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Towards the end we passed a large field that was being “combine harvested” and it was great to see buzzards clearly visible – obviously hoping to benefit from the farmers activity.

Today was pretty tough with the heat and the 47km distance so credit to the team for completing the day and to Harmon for absolutely smashing her PB for a walking distance. It was a pleasure having the company and support over the last couple of days.

Tomorrow we head to Shrewsbury

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Today we left Chepstow (and Wales) and headed to Much Birch in Herefordshire.

Tom and Matt were walking with us today with Mehdi & Charlotte part walking and part transporting our bags.

The name Chepstow derives from the Old English ceap/chepe stowe, meaning market place or trading centre and was first recorded in 1307. Chepstow Castle (which we unfortunately didn’t get too see) is situated on a clifftop above the Wye and its bridge is often cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain. 

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Chepstow racecourse looked fabulous in the mist and the early morning sun and then a nice walk towards the Wye Valley AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Mehdi & Charlotte left us after an hour to walk back to Chepstow and get their car. We would see them later for the last part of the days walk.

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We then had a long walk through the Wye Valley, very peaceful in the trees with lots of birdsong and sounds of streams. The sun was starting to make an appearance but was kept mostly at bay by the trees.

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We made it down into Monmouth after a long descent. It was a busy bustling town in the sunshine – after a quick stop to buy some lunch we then headed out of town towards Much Birch.

Remembering that the descent into Monmouth on the reverse route last year would be a climb out of town this year, we forgot just how long this would be. 4 miles (6.4km) of solid climbing was our reward – as the sun was just getting into its full ferocity.

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On the way we passed our 400 km milestone and then it was a long slog in the full glare of the sun and still plenty of hills to navigate as well. Our hope of an ice cream faded when the shop at St Weonards was closed. We did take the chance to reprise the photo from last year travelling in a different direction!

Finally we arrived, exhausted and probably overheated as well, at our hotel for the night and ready to do it all again tomorrow. This was certainly the toughest day so far due to the combination of heat and nearly 900m of ascent.

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Today we left Winford in Bristol and headed to Chepstow in Monmouthshire (Wales).

Louis and Clare were walking with us today and Mark was kindly taking our bags over the bridge to Wales.

Winford is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley and was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wenfre, meaning ‘The carriage journey’ from the Old English “woenfaru”

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Not a whole lot to see as we walked along the A38 into Bristol (a lot of googlemaps street view to make sure there was a path!) other than the Barrow Gurney Reservoir.

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As we walked through Bristol City centre there were a lot of interesting churches and buildings on view as well as the River Avon (tide was out so more mud that water). Notable in the last picture is St Mary Redcliffe which was famously described by Queen Elizabeth I as “the fairest, goodliest, and most famous parish church in England”

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We then walked through Filton in South Gloucestershire. We spotted the Airbus and Rolls Royce factories as well as a large Post Office hub. And of course Concorde was built there in the 1960/70’s

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Finally we left the urban areas and got back into countryside – walking past a few nice churches and immaculate houses before an ice cream stop and the crossing of the Severn Bridge into Chepstow.

It was a good day weather wise, cool for most of the morning with the sun putting in an appearance later in the afternoon.

Thanks to Louis and Clare for their support and walking with us, we enjoyed your company. And thanks to Mark for making sure our bags got safely to Chepstow. Tomorrow we walk to Much Birch in Herefordshire.

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Today we left Stawell in Somerset and headed to Winford in Bristol

Daniel and Alissa were still with us and we were joined by Lee for todays walk. Mark would be picking our bags up later.

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The weather was beautiful as we left Stawell, going past the church and up the hill towards the Avalon Priory. The view looking back over Stawell was stunning in the early morning sunshine. Within the first hour we also passed our 300 kilometre milestone.

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The walking was very level through farmlands and plenty of canals (or drains) and many herds of cattle (some with quite a few calves). As we approached Cheddar the sun stayed out which afforded nice views of the Mendips and Cheddar Gorge in the distance.

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From Cheddar it was quite a slog up forested, and then open, pathways to get to the summit of the Mendips – Black Down at 325m. Last year it rained all the way up to the top, this year we were treated to glorious sunshine and fabulous views. The paths though, were tough and uneven but we did pass our 200 mile milestone on the way to the top of the hill.

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Finally the way down took us, via quite a steeply descending road, to Blagdon Lake (with an ice cream stop of course) and then up yet more hills to our resting place for the night in Winford.

Thanks to Lee for joining us today and also Daniel and Alissa for their company over the last two days. Special credit to Alissa for completing this tough day despite blistered feet from yesterday – a real trooper!

Tomorrow we head to Chepstow in Wales

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Today we left Wellington and headed over to Stawell.

Today we were joined by Daniel and Alissa which gave a bit of an international flavour to our walk. Very grateful to the Green Dragon for their donation – a nice surprise.

Wellington was known as Weolingtun in the Anglo-Saxon period and its name had changed to Walintone by the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. It became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the Middle Ages it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol to Exeter. Major rebuilding took place following a fire in the town in 1731, after which it became a centre for cloth-making. Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who is commemorated by the nearby Wellington Monument.

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We had a lovely walk through quiet country lanes made all the better by a complete absence of hills. As usual we saw small, pretty villages, impressive churches and crossed the River Tone in a few places. We were also stopped by Joyce, on our way up the only big hill of the day, and she very kindly made a donation.

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Continuing on towards Bridgwater, we found a field and took a few minutes for our lunch. And then as we entered North Petherton it was time for the daily ice-cream stop.

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We then passed into the outskirts of Bridgwater itself and spent a few minutes walking along the River Parrett passing under both the mainline railway and the M5 before moving out into the farmlands of Westonzoyland and Chedzoy – combine harvesters really are impressive machines – before finally arriving at our stop for the night. Both Daniel and Alissa smashed their personal bests for walking (this is getting to be a theme!) so congratulations to them and I hope their feet recover enough to join us again tomorrow.

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Its amazing to think that we have completed one week already – below is a map showing our progress to date.

Tomorrow we head to Winford in the County of Bristol