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Norwich History by Parish : St. Etheldreda

And a new little project that Jonathan and I are undertaking because this lockdown is clearly here for at least a few more weeks. It’s a bit niche (our project I mean, not the lockdown), I’ll accept that, but there we go. Effectively, it’s walking around Norwich, ancient parish by ancient parish and seeing what is there now compared to a map from the 1880s (the map above is from 1789, but the one from the 1880s is more detailed, which is why we used that). There’s a PDF of these boundaries to provide some extra background to this whole project.

St. Etheldreda is the seventh parish we’ve visited and is one of the smallest in terms of its physical size. When we started this parish I had wondered whether there would be much of interest, as great swathes of it have been destroyed and replaced with modern housing. However, some elements remain and it was a suitably intriguing challenge to work out where the roads once were in relation to where we were standing.

As for the destruction of much of this parish, which was partly pre-war slum clearance, partly air raid damage but mostly post-war clearances. It’s easy to be critical of the council that they destroyed so much history, but that should be tempered with the situation that they had residents needing decent housing, they had war-damaged properties and also poor quality housing. It’s too simplistic perhaps to just condemn the council for bull-dozing history given the limitations that they had.

However, even after noting that, I personally think that the council made substantial mistakes with this huge rezoning. They retained little, with most streetlines being lost and the heritage they could have saved was just bulldozed away. There was all manner of local opposition and numerous historic buildings were lost, despite the hopes of locals that they could be saved. The council by all accounts disregarded these attempts to save elements of the area, which is perhaps a great shame.

So it all means that there is no anchor to the past, they created a new community that feels a little separate from Norwich city centre, despite it being a very short walk away. The council demolished Mariners Lane which connected King Street to Ber Street and broke the direct link between the two areas. Instead, they ploughed a new street, Rouen Road, through the middle of what was once housing which now has several car parks and under-used sites along it.

It appears from the media that the reason that the council did this was because they initially expected the site to be entirely reused, even as a university site, although the University of East Anglia were attracted by more spacious surroundings outside the city centre. This would therefore make more sense in terms of demolishing the area, although perhaps the council might have got clarity on that before tearing everything down.

The EDP has a photo of what this area looked like in the early 1960s, and that street heading down to the middle of the photo is Mariners Lane.

And here is that same location today, Mariners Lane, which is now a cul-de-sac leading off from Ber Street. This is in St. John De Sepulchre parish though, so we mostly ignored this today.

This photo is taken at the base of the hill, looking at Normandie Tower, which is I think the only tower block in Norwich City Centre. I initially thought that this piece of hill was original, but it isn’t, this is where Mariners Lane came down.

This photo is taken in the same place as the previous one, but facing the other way and looking at Rouen Road.

Clicking on the above map makes it bigger. I was standing on the final T of “William Street” on the map when taking the photos, with Normandie Tower being pretty much on top of Compass Street.

Now standing on Rouen Road at what appears to be some sort of temporary bus station that First have created for themselves, with Normandie Tower in the background.

This is the route of Mariners Lane, now demolished here.

This photo is taken in (nearly) the same place as that taken by George Plunkett in 1935. On his photo, it’s possible to see the sign for the Congregational Mission Hall at Sherbourne Place where services took place on Sunday evenings at 19:00. This has now been demolished, as have all of the malthouses which stood along here.

This is where the malthouses once stood. The buildings on the right are the rear of the properties fronting onto King Street. The council tore down many buildings along King Street, but on numerous occasions there was local opposition which ensured that the properties were maintained. Although King Street might have lost some of its history, it hasn’t been decimated.

This is the church from which the parish takes its name, a now redundant (in religious terms) Grade I listed building which dates from the twelfth century, with additions made in the fourteenth century and a substantial Victorian restoration. It’s now in use by an arts organisation and I’ve been inside on a heritage day weekend, I’ll retrieve my photos from that weekend at some point.

The churchyard is in quite a state in numerous different ways, not least because some of these littered about the place.

The Norman style doorway, which is actually probably Norman……

A photo taken from the grounds of Normandie Tower, looking back into the churchyard.

The church, looking quite pretty here. The roof was thatched until the Victorian restoration.

Something doesn’t feel right about this being here, I’m wondering whether this has been moved from inside the church. It might have been on top of a box tomb, but I’m not convinced this was its original placement.

A broken stone in the churchyard.

The north side of the church.

I am still yet to be convinced that using gravestones as some sort of garden feature is appropriate or respectful. Others may have different views.

This is the end of the parish, and the Ferry Boat Inn is at the rear, across the parish border. And an explanation of that, the parish of St. Julian’s is located both to the north and south of the St. Etheldreda parish, it’s a strange split. Anyway, somewhere on the left the Rainbow pub stood until 1959, which backed onto the parish boundary.

This car park is on the former site of the Crown Brewery, which occupied a large site along the river from the early nineteenth century. The National Archives note that “the Crown Brewery was gradually acquired by the firm of brewers known variously as Baseley, Youngs and Roe, Youngs and Burt, Crawshay and Youngs, and Crawshay, Youngs and Youngs, in the years” and it closed in the middle of the twentieth century. A few of the buildings from that period survive and the brewery also owned the Music House building, more of which later on in this post.

Photos from the Crown Brewery site, with the River Wensum visible.

Some decoration in the foliage.

A mural on the wall, with some not ideally placed bins. I understand that this was designed by Walter Kershaw in 1984 and it features numerous elements of Norwich’s history. The mural is on the reverse of the building, so it’s not visible from King Street itself.

The buildings on the right, 176-178 King Street, are also visible in George Plunkett’s photo from 1936.

This is the former Ship pub and another loss, in my opinion, to King Street as this would have made for a quite marvellous licensed premises. George Plunkett yet again helps me here, this is the pub in 1939 and the EDP have one from a not dissimilar period.

Not only will I link to George Plunkett’s marvellous photos, I shall also quote his text about this:

“The yard to its south has at some time been partly built over, so that while formerly wide enough for the passage of carts it will now accommodate only pedestrians. The finely carved lintel above bears a design of foliage together with the rather contradictory inscription “Princes In”; it is believed that this was brought here at some time from the famous inn of that name, first mentioned in 1391, which once stood in St George Tombland parish on the north side of Princes Street”

It’s also quite visible in this photo just how the width has been narrowed.

The old name of the yard.

Inside the yard, which is blocked at the end and there’s nothing older behind these buildings, it’s all been demolished.

The old entrance to the Ship Inn, which ceased being a licensed premises in 1969.

Wooo!!! Some survivors on the outside of the pub, with our parish of St Etheldreda on the left hand one from 1786. The two on the right both relate to the parish of St. Julian (the J was once used more interchangeably with the I) but in two different formats, one from 1800 and the other from 1825.

On the other side of the road from the Ship Inn is 167 King Street, or the Music House. This is also on the edge of the parish boundary and some of this structure dates to the twelfth century. The undercroft is now Jurnet’s Bar and is full of character and history, taking its name from a man known as Jurnet the Jew, who purchased the building from John Curry in 1225. Once a house for the wealthy, this area became a little less glamorous over time, so the building was split up into tenements in the eighteenth century. It is the only non secular building from the twelfth century to survive in Norwich and it’s used today by Norfolk County Council. Behind here was the Crown Brewery, who owned the building for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

These parish boundary markers are on the Music House, with the parish of St. Julian off towards the left of this photo and this has markers from 1789 and 1825, with the marker for St. Etheldreda dating to 1786. I like that one of these iron parish boundary markers was placed here in the year of the French Revolution, that’s a quite remarkable survival really given everything else that has changed in this area.

And a look back down towards the parish of St. Etheldreda, a really quite fascinating section of street.

March 9, 2021
Norwich History by Parish : St. John Baptist Timberhill

And a new little project that Jonathan and I are undertaking because this lockdown is clearly here for at least a few more weeks. It’s a bit niche (our project I mean, not the lockdown), I’ll accept that, but there we go. Effectively, it’s walking around Norwich, ancient parish by ancient parish and seeing what is there now compared to a map from the 1880s (the map above is from 1789, but the one from the 1880s is more detailed, which is why we used that). There’s a PDF of these boundaries to provide some extra background to this whole project.

St. John Baptist Timberhill is the sixth parish we’ve done this for and, again, there’s substantially more history than I can mention in this post, a reminder of just how much heritage remains in Norwich. As can be seen in the above PDF, these boundaries are not that neat and they follow the lines of buildings that have long since gone. I’m generally spelling Timber Hill as two words, but views on this seem to differ, but I won’t let it overly worry me…..

This is the area of Norwich that we were meandering around. And, this parish was difficult to follow, not least because the entire cattle market area to the north of the former parish has disappeared and has been replaced by the Norwich Castle Quarter shopping centre, but also because the Rouen Road area has been entirely changed in post-war developments.

Starting off at St. John the Baptist Church, which was open and offering a friendly welcome. I took numerous photos in the church, but I’ve written about this building before and shall just refer back to that. Nearly no graves remain in the churchyard, but they appear to have been removed long ago, and little of the exterior remains. The church’s tower collapsed in 1784, during a period when many Church of England buildings were neglected as the number of people attending services started to fall, and it was never replaced.

We first went to the southern end of the parish, which is now the beginning of Ber Street, but this section was once considered to be part of Timber Hill. Also visible in the above photo is the entrance to White Hart Yard, which was named after the pub which once stood at its entrance. The pub closed in 1940 for the duration of the war, but it was then bomb damaged and became derelict, so that re-opening never happened.

This is perhaps something of a loss, this was the Kings Arms and George Plunkett took a photo of it in 1979. It had traded as a pub since the first few years of the nineteenth century, was damaged during the Second World War, but then repaired and it remained open until 1968.

The former Cullings Coaches building, a independent bus company which operated from Norwich.

The parish boundary stops about here somewhere where it meets St. Michael at Thorn parish. The back of these buildings on Ber Street would have once been yards which stretched back some distance, but this has all gone now, and that’s the back of the Archant building at the rear.

This is on the other side of Ber Street and is the Bonds building (operated by John Lewis) and this is a post-war building as their rather lovely previous shop got destroyed during the Second World War. George Plunkett has a photo of the Bonds building from 1935, which would have perhaps been one of the iconic images of the city if it had survived the war.

Bonds (or John Lewis) today, although the area on the right is in a different parish, but there was no evidence of any old parish markers here to show where that line was exactly.

We then went back to St. John the Baptist Church and walked back towards the city centre along Timber Hill. This is a vastly improved road and the city council have done a decent job here, with pedestrianisation making it a much more walkable area and there are numerous cafes and restaurants along here. Older photos show a busy road and pedestrians shoved to one side, so this is a more pleasant area to be now.

The entrance to Scotts Court, not to be confused with Scotts Yard on nearby Ber Street. On the other side of the road here is the Castle Quarter shopping centre (formerly the Castle Mall) which means little original from this area remains.

And a parish marker at last and many of them have gone missing from this area, with PAS meaning the Parish of All Saints.

The entrance to Lion and Castle Yard, which leads off Timberhill and is in the parish. It takes its name from the Lion and Castle pub which was located here between 1822 and 1925, with a sign also noting that the lion and castle are on the city’s coat of arms.

This building in the yard is one of the few thatched structures that still remain in Norwich and it is now one single property that was combined from two seventeenth century cottages. The building was restored by the Norwich Preservation Trust in 1996 and it’s likely that weavers would have once lived in the properties. George Plunkett took a photo of this location in 1935 and the area has a rather different feel today to back then.

Back on Timber Hill, this is the former Baptist Particular Chapel, which was originally built as a warehouse in the eighteenth century. It was purchased by the Particular Baptists in 1832 for £1,150 and then converted into a chapel, a usage that it retained until 1975. More recently it has been converted into a restaurant and bar.

Looking back up Timber Hill, with the Murderers Pub on the left.

This is the birthplace of Sir Arthur Michael Samuel (1872-1942), who was the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Norwich. He later became the Conservative MP for Farnham, the Secretary of Overseas Trade between 1924 and 1927 and then the Financial Secretary to the Treasury until 1929.

This is where Timber Hill meets Orford Hill and George Plunkett took a photo in 1984 of that stag being lifted onto the roof. There’s a blue plaque on that building which noted that George Walpole, the Earl of Orford (1730-1791) was seen as a bit of an eccentric at the time, but he gave generously to public subscriptions to fund planning improvements. This section of the street, which is also where three parishes meet, was renamed from Hog Hill to Orford Hill in his honour.

Orford Street, looking down towards Farmers Avenue.

The Bell Hotel from the Orford Street side. This large building is no longer a hotel and is operated as a JD Wetherspoon pub and is one of their first in the country to have opened outside of London. Sections of the structure remain from the fifteenth century and it has been known as the Bell (or the Blue Bell) since at least 1696. Revolutionary groups met here in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (and frankly, I can think of a few that have met here over the last few years, but that’s a different matter) and it was also used by the American Women’s Army Air Corps during the Second World War.

The front of the pub, from Castle Meadow.

The rather grand entrance, which was formerly the way into the stables of what was then a coaching inn.

This area has all changed now, with Norwich Castle in the background, Farmers Avenue now has the Castle Quarter structures on it.

The entrance to Orford Hill on the right, but once again, everything behind that has changed with the shopping centre development.

The entrance to the cinema.

This is the only remaining older section of this road, with what was Number 12 at the rear, a now permanently closed restaurant that was located in a building with parts remaining from the seventeenth century.

The rear of Number 12.

This building, 18 Golden Ball Street, was saved and now sits a little awkwardly within the Castle Quarter shopping centre structure. George Plunkett took a photo of this property in 1936, but everything else around here has gone. To the left of these structures is St. John the Baptist Church, where we started our little meander.

There’s also a parish boundary marker located on the front of the building and I wondered whether it was put there as part of the renovation and heritage of the building. However, it’s also visible in the old photo from George Plunkett and it stands for St. John Timber Hill.

The Archant building, which is perhaps not the most liked structure in terms of its design, but is something a little different and I’m sure it’ll become an important part of the architectural history of the city. Long since the home of the EDP, the building was sold by their owners Archant in 2019 to Alan Boswell Insurance, but they retain a floor in it. New ways of working and changes to regional newspapers (primarily they don’t sell many now) meant that Archant didn’t need as much office space, hence the downsizing arrangement.

Paid for by Archant, or Eastern Counties Newspapers as they were, this sculpture is by local man Bernard Meadows (1915-2005).

The car park of the Archant building, where once there was housing.

This is Paradise Place which is an old name for the streets here, but they were changed in the post-war period when a new housing development was placed here. Personally, I think this area has been botched in terms of its atmosphere (given there’s a busy road and big car park by it), as it doesn’t feel like part of the city and the old streetlines were lost. However, I’m sure that the quality of housing is better than what was here before, so the residents were perhaps rather quite pleased. And, I do like old streetlines to be maintained, so perhaps I’m just being biased.

And that concludes another parish, one which isn’t necessarily geographically huge, but which again contains a fair chunk of history. As usual, I’ve had to omit many stories from this account as there are far too many to tell, but it’s a reminder of just how much there is remaining in Norwich from the past.

March 8, 2021
Fundenhall – St. Nicholas’s Church (Gerard Barton)

This memorial tablet commemorating the life of the Reverend Gerard Barton is located on the wall of St. Nicholas’s Church in Fundenhall.

The tablet usefully explains the significance of Gerard’s contribution towards the church, namely that:

“As a layman, in the absence of a resident minister, he was a father to the people, restored this church and for fourteen years was a bright example of truth, uprightness and charity to all around”.

Gerard was born on 19 September 1834 in Stoughton, Sussex, the son of John Barton and Frances Barton. He married Elizabeth Hazard in 1856 and they had twelve children between the years of 1858 and 1879. The youngest, Conrad Barton, was born at Freiburg in Baden where Gerard was serving as a Chaplain. He returned back to Fundenhall where he continued to live in The Grange (a building which is still standing today) and the family clearly retained some wealth given that they had six servants at the property at the 1881 census.

The church was in the 1850s crumbling and in risk of collapse if nothing was done about it. Barton was the main funder of the entire project and it was he who commissioned Richard Phipson to undertake the repair and restoration work. It was only in the last fifteen years that another restoration project was necessary, thanks to the funding that he provided back in the 1860s.

Gerard died at his house at 10A Kirkley Cliff in Lowestoft on 6 October 1889, at the age of 55. As an aside, one of his daughters, Madeline Barton, married William Horace Lascelles (1868-1949) and his half-brother was Henry Lascelles, whose son married Princess Mary, who was the daughter of King George V.

March 8, 2021
Fundenhall – St. Nicholas’s Church

It’s fair to say that this church in the Norfolk countryside isn’t typical of the area in terms of its design and its central tower. There’s something quite magnificent about it though, that tower makes quite a statement. And another statement that this church made was that it was open to the public and seemingly proudly so. Other nearby churches weren’t open and we met someone who commented that the building’s keyholder wasn’t letting them in even though they were only a few doors down. The current Covid-19 situation is inevitably going to cause issues, but these stories of churches remaining firmly closed to other than the select few are perhaps far too common. However, there were no access issues at Fundenhall, it seemed to be a place that the Church of England was proud of.

The glorious central tower is original, dating to the twelfth century, although the top section may be later.

Potential tragedy hit this church in 2004 when it was forced to close due to falling masonry. This Norman period church is not in an area which is surrounded by residential properties and there are multiple other churches within easy walking distance. That put a pressure on the congregation beyond what they might reasonably have been expected to cope with. But, with some ingenuity and support of the Lottery Heritage Fund, individuals and businesses, they were able to get the repairs completed and re-open the building in May 2010. It was no quick fix either, the repair and restoration work cost £250,000. The church was fortunate, if the falling masonry had been twenty or thirty years earlier, then this building might not have been repaired.

The north side of the church, although since Heritage Lottery funding has allowed the construction of a rear car park, entrance is mostly through the south side of the building. The porch is now closed off to the public, but is architecturally of little interest since it was added in the nineteenth century. The bulk of the building, excluding the tower, dates from the fourteenth century.

A now blocked window on the church’s north side.

Since a visit I made to a church last week which pointed out medieval graffiti, I’ve been on the lookout for it. The cross appears to be pretty old to me (I’m not sure that this is a phrase used by professionals, but there we go) and was perhaps once covered in limewash.

I was pleased to see a Norman style doorway, but this according to the listed building record is an actual Norman doorway that is unmoved from its current position.

The inside of that same doorway and that wooden door is of some considerable age.

The beauty of this church wasn’t limited to the exterior as the interior was bright and open. The rood screen might have gone, but the surround (or coving I think it’s called) has survived, so that must be from before the Reformation. Older books, not least Blomefield, suggest that this rood loft was more complete in the eighteenth century and painted work was still visible. There was an extensive nine-month long repair project which took place in 1869, where there was also some re-ordering and so it seems likely that the damage was done then.

A newspaper report from the Norfolk News in 1870 is more generous, talking of the Portland cement used in the chancel and the retiling of the nave with Minton tiles. It’s added that the rood loft was protected by taking it down and moving it to the west end of the church, but there’s an awful lot of “new” things being mentioned in the report, a logical indication of how much has been lost.

The original drawing made by the architect Richard Phipson from that 1870 renovation, with the big new oak benches visible. I wonder where they are today, as they appear to have only been removed in the recent repair work to the church as they’re in George Plunkett’s photo from 1996. There’s an old photo of the interior of the church here.

This is rather lovely, it was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and local families, entitled “Reconnecting with Fundenhall’s Fallen” and was created by Kate Munro.

That’s much friendly than a “do not touch” sign, I like it.

Looking back down the nave.

This was the entrance to the rood stairs and also to the tower, a handy advantage in having a central tower. The bells are still in the tower and can be rung, although there was a little incident in 1 August 1885 when John Atkins “let go of the bell rope, fell backwards and expired”.

The font is from the fifteenth century, so that was here whilst the Reformation was taking place and parts of the building were being torn down around it. The location of the font has been moved from its previous place at the rear of the nave.

Some of the old flooring is visible through this panel, although it was a bit misted up and so not entirely clear.

The chancel.

The priest’s door leading off of the chancel.

There were numerous eighteenth century graves in the churchyard, but more of these in later posts. For anyone engaged in the detail of the church’s architectural history, there’s a comprehensive document which was produced in 2007 during the restoration work.

March 7, 2021
LDWA – 2021 LDWA 100 (Interview with Myself….)

On the 29 to 31 May 2021, the LDWA’s 100 mile event will be taking place. Unfortunately, national restrictions mean that the Y 100 Sir Fynwy won’t be taking place as hoped, when in more normal times the South Wales group would have welcomed hundreds of walkers. Instead, there is the chance for entrants to walk a 100-mile route of their choice anywhere in the country, so the event has more of a national feel this year. And it’s fine to enter to do a shorter distance, with anyone walking 50 miles in 24 hours qualifying for the 2022 Trans-Pennine 100.

I’m taking part in the 100 and I’ve been compiling some resources relating to that. When the new LDWA web-site is launched, this and lots more other material relating to the event will be copied there. Over the next few weeks, I’m speaking (well, writing) to entrants on the 100 and following their efforts up to, and after, the big day. We’ll be using the text from these interviews and updates on social media and also perhaps in Strider, the LDWA’s rather excellent magazine which is sent to our 10,000 members. Hopefully it’ll help inform, educate and inspire others to take part or become involved with the LDWA in other ways.

For anyone who wants to take part in the event, have a look at the SI Entries page, or further information at the LDWA’s web-site.

I’ve been absolutely inundated with messages asking me to answer my own questions. Well, I haven’t received any yet if I’m being honest, but it’s good to be pro-active in these matters.

The mud on my face isn’t because I’d fallen over during a walk, it’s because I took the photo in Liam’s car on the way home from the mud run I took part in (and was considerably brave at if I’m being honest)…..

Anyway, I’m walking this with Nathan, and he’s answered some of the questions relating to our walk. I’ve used similar questions to those I’ve sent other people, as otherwise interviewing myself would end up with me writing about craft beer and crisps. And yes, this is all a bit self-indulgent, but there we go, so is having a blog if I’m being honest.

This is your first 100, what inspired you to take part?

Because Nathan failed to give the correct answer of “no” when I asked him to take part with me. So here we are a year later stuck doing the bloody thing. And I suppose it’ll be fun.

Do you think this will be easier or harder than the actual 100 that is traditionally held?

I think it’ll be easier than the route we would have walked in the rain in South Wales which had some very big hills in it. Being from Norfolk, hills are something that would have slowed me down and exhausted me, perhaps being just too big an obstacle to deal with. There’s an element of the mental challenge as well, we’re more in control of our own route and that’s a good starting point. However, it’s a shame that we don’t have lots of checkpoints to look forwards to, although we do have a support team to help in that regard.

What food treats are you taking with you?

I’m not carrying all of these, as they’ll mostly be carried by the support team, but they will include:

Chicken bakes, sausage rolls, pork pies (no jelly), Quavers, Wotsits, Nik Naks, Monster Munch, Mini Cheddars, McCoys, Skips, Walkers Prawn Cocktail, Squares, Scampi Fries, Bacon Fries, Hula Hoops, Transform-a-Snack, Frazzles, Chipsticks, French Fries, Mars Bars, Twixes, Kit Kats, Mars Bars, Boosts, Chocolate Oranges, Double Deckers, Bounty Bars, Rolos, Munchies, Picnic Bars, Maltesers, Galaxy and Aero. That will get me by between what the support team prepare, such as pizza, chips, chicken strips, fish fingers and one cherry tomato.

Do you plan to have some decadent craft beer during the walk?

Yes. Nathan’s answer about dark beer doesn’t apply to me. I’ll want some stouts and the like at random points of the walk.

Will you get annoyed at Nathan?

Yes. That kind of annoyance will help power me on.

What tactics do you think you’ll use if you feel like giving up on the walk?

I’ll pretend that I’ve tripped over a dog and blame that for ending the walk early, so I get sympathy. It’ll be hard to be motivated at 60 miles or so, as there is so far to go, but Nathan and me have plans to talk about people who have annoyed us, so that should get us through to 80 miles. And then, it starts to feel more doable.

Are there any wildlife that you’re concerned about meeting on the walk? Sheep, cows, snakes, pigs, or anything else?!

Yes, all of the above, but especially cows. There are some along Wherryman’s Way that are the size of elephants and there are also adders along that path as well. Pigs concern me a little less. Pheasants and the like are annoying during the night as well, as they randomly jump out whilst making as much noise as possible. Frankly, I find nature quite scary at times.

Would you say you’re looking forward to it?

No. But I’m sure it’ll be fun when we get going….

Do you have a time in mind of how long it’ll take you to finish?

Ideally, 42 hours. But just finishing within 48 hours will do me. We’re starting at 06:00 on the Saturday and we’re really hoping not to have to walk through two nights, as that might just be beyond us.

How will you celebrate when you finish?

If I complete it, I’ll be on social media for at least six hours messaging everyone I know how brave I am. I will also be planning a collection time for all the craft beer Simon H is getting me. Then I’ll exhaust myself and have a sleep before waking up and replying “I know” to those people who have told me I’ve been very brave.

What would you say to anyone thinking about entering the 100, or thinking about doing a 50 mile challenge event, who might be a bit nervous?

It’s an adventure, go for it! And, there’s nothing wrong with setting a smaller target, it’s worth trying something new and that’s exciting.

March 6, 2021
LDWA – 2021 LDWA 100 (Interview with Kevin Marshall)

On the 29 to 31 May 2021, the LDWA’s 100 mile event will be taking place. Unfortunately, national restrictions mean that the Y 100 Sir Fynwy won’t be taking place as hoped, when in more normal times the South Wales group would have welcomed hundreds of walkers. Instead, there is the chance for entrants to walk a 100-mile route of their choice anywhere in the country, so the event has more of a national feel this year. And it’s fine to enter to do a shorter distance, with anyone walking 50 miles in 24 hours qualifying for the 2022 Trans-Pennine 100.

I’m taking part in the 100 and I’ve been compiling some resources relating to that. When the new LDWA web-site is launched, this and lots more other material relating to the event will be copied there. Over the next few weeks, I’m speaking (well, writing) to entrants on the 100 and following their efforts up to, and after, the big day. We’ll be using the text from these interviews and updates on social media and also perhaps in Strider, the LDWA’s rather excellent magazine which is sent to our 10,000 members. Hopefully it’ll help inform, educate and inspire others to take part or become involved with the LDWA in other ways.

For anyone who wants to take part in the event, have a look at the SI Entries page, or further information at the LDWA’s web-site.

And this fourth ‘interview’ is with Kevin Marshall, who is walking the event with Sara Mortimer. I must admit, Kevin is much braver than I am, not concerned by cows in fields and it’s clear he doesn’t even intend to consider giving up. And, that’s a lot of 100s completed, I’m not sure that I can ever be that brave! But, we all have to start somewhere…. (and I approve of all the pork pies) And, finally, the line about “ordinary people like me can do extraordinary things with the right preparation and total commitment” is really true, I might pinch that (and credit Kevin for it!).

How many 100s have you completed in the past?

I have completed 22, my first being the Cleveland 100 in 1983 and my latest Hadrian Hvndred in 2019,

How did you convince your partner to take part in her first 100 attempt? Was that an easy sell?

It was a evolutionary process, Sara has always enjoyed walking marathon distance events, she then successfully walked a 50km (which was a running event and finished within the cut offs).

Last February we completed the Peddars Way, which was fifty miles because we continued into Hunstanton and our hotel. I paced the first half carefully as this was the longest she had attempted. After a stop at Castle Acre for refuelling Sara took the lead setting the pace and I was having to work to keep up! Throughout we were self sufficient and adopted a strategy of eating every 10 miles. Our diet was mainly pork pies! This obviously worked very well!

In June last year we completed a 60 mile route around Suffolk, this was to celebrate my 60th birthday. Sara still hasn’t forgiven me for that one as I had the bright idea of starting at midnight! Lack of sleep, dark and torrential rain were not a good combination! But brilliant training mentally, she toughed it out and completed it! Though I had to almost force-feed her jelly babies at one point!

Sara had planned on supporting my virtual 100 this year and walking bits with me. But gradually the conversation stopped being ‘you’ and became ‘we’ so I ceased the moment and signed her up!

What route are you planning to take?

We are planning on taking the Millennium Way from Pershore to Banbury in the heart of England, not an area either of us know but will hopefully get to know. To me that is what the 100’s are about, exploring new parts of the our wonderful country.

Are you following a GPX route, a map, or do you already know your route well?

We will be following a GPX , but will have laminated maps. Maps give more context enable you to see where you are heading and see clearly what to look for on the horizon etc.

What training are you undertaking at the moment?

I run, Nordic Walk and Cycle and Sara Nordic Walks, Sara signed up for the #walk1000miles and also the sub challenge of completing a 1000 miles in 100 days so has already walked over 700 miles this year! A lot of our preparation has been getting out at the weekend and doing at least 20 miles on a Saturday or Sunday or both! This weekend we are doing an overnight walk leaving home at 4pm and completing a route of around 40 miles. We also have a fifty mile route planned for April.

Do you think this will be easier or harder than the actual 100 that is traditionally held?

Mentally I think it will be tougher, as there is no checkpoints to look forward to, no breakfast awaiting at half way and lovely treats that the 100s are renowned for! But it is still a 100 mile challenge so that is the same. I suppose it will be mentally tougher. We will work together to keep the other going, this will work well as long as we don’t have ‘bad’ patches at the same time!

What food treats are you taking with you?

Pork pies and pasties and a few chocolate treats!

What tactics do you think you’ll use if you feel like giving up on the walk?

Give up! Once the Taxi drops us off in Pershore we are committed and no Plan B! The critical thing is to set off in the right mind set, relax and enjoy. If you start counting down the miles you will soon get fed up, set mini goals ie next ten miles, fuel often. If you are tired and hungry you will get fed up. Stay strong feed little and often. Stay focus, set realistic targets and the most important prepare well. You must respect that a 100 miles is no walk in the park, it is a challenge of the highest magnitude. You must believe in yourself, I suppose that is where the preparation comes in.

Are there any wildlife that you’re concerned about meeting on the walk? Sheep, cows, snakes, pigs, or anything else?!

Both Sara and I love connecting with the environment, looking for bird and animals along the route. Fields of cows don’t bother us just confidently stick to your route and talk to them, reassure them you are no threat.

Do you have any foot care tips?

All in the preparation. As you build up the mileage try out socks and footwear you plan on using, leave nothing to chance. In all the 100’s I have completed I have never changed socks at half way! Get it right before the big day!

You’re aiming to be self-sufficient on this walk, what will this entail?

Our strategy is to eat on the go every 10 miles, we usually munch on pork pies full of goodness and calories. We will have a major fuelling at 25 miles, 50 miles and 75 miles. We will carry a stove and freeze dry meals and coffee so totally self sufficient! I don’t foresee water being a major issue because the Millennium Way goes through numerous villages and church yards are always a good bet!

Would you say you’re looking forward to it?

Absolutely without question, it is an adventure, we both love the outdoors and being outside so what’s not to look forward to!

Do you have a time in mind of how long it’ll take you to finish?

It will unfold, our plan is to be back in Banbury before they stop serving food at the pub! We want to down a few Guinness and hopefully pie and chips!

Do you have any advice for others, one top tip about long distance walking?

Prepare well, build up the distances gradually, relax and enjoy and of course believe in yourself.

What would you say to anyone thinking about entering the 100, or thinking about doing a 50 mile challenge event, who might be a bit nervous?

The key thing is to commit, and once you have done that prepare well there is no substitute to clocking up the miles. Our bodies must adapt to being on the go for a long time! Ordinary people like me can do extraordinary things with the right preparation and total commitment.

March 6, 2021
GeoGuessr (Norwich Version) – Walk 5

I already have a better explanation (well, longer explanation anyway) for this plan. In essence, whilst lockdown is on, I need to find ways of walking nearby to Norwich in quiet areas for my LDWA 100 training. So, I’m using GeoGuessr to pick out five random locations within a certain area which I’ve defined and then walking to them, to see what kind of story I can uncover.

The five random locations, all fairly close to the city centre, so this ended up being a walk of just under seven miles. Nathan was helpfully understanding when I turned up late as I bumped into (not literally) someone I knew.

It’s a little difficult to find anything new in the centre of Norwich given how much I’ve been traipsing around it, so the more mundane may become more predominant. But, perhaps there’s something just as magical about these old stones under the road surface than a building that was constructed at the same time. The paving here on Barrack Street is likely the best part of a century old and it was part of a long roadway down towards the River Wensum, although it’s mostly gone now.

This was the first location, Whitefriars Bridge, which I’ve written about before…..

This, until recently, was the Del Ballroom on Waggon and Horses Lane which was used until 2013 as a dance studio. Norwich City Council decided that as there was a dance studio nearby, this interesting and quirky building could be torn down, despite some local objections from nearby property owners. I suppose it’s not a hugely historic building, as it was only built in the 1930s, but it added some character to the local area. The seven new properties they’re cramming into the site don’t have car parking provided and no right to a permit, so it’s all quite environmental in terms of not adding cars to the roads of Norwich. Anyway, I digress……

Our second location and this photo was taken from just outside the rather lovely Strangers’ Hall Museum. The Strangers were Dutch Protestants who were invited to live in Norwich by the city authorities and so many came that they eventually comprised a third of the city’s population. They did much to boost the textile trade in Norwich and also helped the local economic situation, with relatively little evidence of any animosity between locals and incomers. There’s a strong legacy in the city today of Dutch style buildings and it was the migrants that brought over canaries, which is the city’s football symbol today.

This is the former site of St Benedict’s Gate, also known as Bennet Gate and Westwyk Gate, which was demolished at the end of the eighteenth century. A little bit of this gate survived until the Second World War air raids destroyed it, as can be seen in this George Plunkett photo. Today, the route of the city wall and the outline of the city gate is marked out in brick paving which is always a marvellous idea.

The line of the wall looking up towards Grapes Hill.

Our third location, the former Britannia pub.

The pub was opened in 1975 and closed again in 2000, now being used for housing. It’s really not the most attractive of buildings, but I’m sure that the city council thought that this was marvellous when they approved it in the early 1970s. The pub was built to replace the Sandringham Arms, an interesting Victorian building which had been a licensed premises since the 1860s.

The Rose Valley Tavern, or whatever name they’ve fiddled it about to now, which has been a licensed premises since the mid-nineteenth century.

And Nathan had put chips on the agenda for the evening’s walk, which was a most useful idea. I’ve never been here before, so another first, this is Lee’s Fish Bar on Chester Street.

Full marks for presenting chips (and a battered sausage) like this, they were much easier to eat and this is proper innovation as far as I’m concerned. Also, I discovered that they had given me scraps with the chips, and I very much like them. I was in rather a good mood with Nathan for some time after this little meal. The chips were quite salty, but I liked that, indeed, they catered very well for me here.

Fourth location, which is Leopold Road. I’m not going to comment on the history of this road as I didn’t pay any attention to it at the time, so that would be a bit fake….

This is the railway crossing which goes under Hall Road, although the line isn’t there any more, it led into what was Norwich Victoria Station. This was a complete mistake IMO to remove, as the lines connected in, so the city could have trains running into the centre of Norwich, opposite the bus station. An integrated public transport policy. Although, it’s important to note that passenger services ended here over 100 years ago, in 1916, and the station was used primarily for goods transportation after that.

Nathan was doing the navigation for the evening and he excelled himself (I hope he doesn’t read this, he’ll quote that for ages) in the choice of route towards our fifth location. This is the former city wall at Carrow Hill and George Plunkett took a photo here in 1934 when it was covered in rather more ivy.

At this point it was dark and we were navigating by torch light down this hill Nathan had chosen, but it took us under Wilderness Tower. I promise that I won’t enter this photo for any photography competitions.

There are some reasonable views of the city from up here.

And then by Black Tower, although I accept that there’s not a great deal of detail visible in the photo. I’ll walk by here again in the day to take some more photos I think.

And we dropped down to near Norwich City Football Club for our fifth location and I’m unsure why GeoGuessr keeps giving random locations around here. I have more photos of the side of Morrison’s than is healthy for someone in their late 30s / early 40s…..

Anyway, this was an easy way to add a few more miles of walking in, as it’s really not long until the LDWA 100….. The weather was mild, which was fortunate, as it’s annoying to get drizzle when trying to get chips on the go.

March 6, 2021
LDWA – 2021 LDWA 100 (Interview with Nathan Hensley)

On the 29 to 31 May 2021, the LDWA’s 100 mile event will be taking place. Unfortunately, national restrictions mean that the Y 100 Sir Fynwy won’t be taking place as hoped, when in more normal times the South Wales group would have welcomed hundreds of walkers. Instead, there is the chance for entrants to walk a 100-mile route of their choice anywhere in the country, so the event has more of a national feel this year. And it’s fine to enter to do a shorter distance, with anyone walking 50 miles in 24 hours qualifying for the 2022 Trans-Pennine 100.

I’m taking part in the 100 and I’ve been compiling some resources relating to that. When the new LDWA web-site is launched, this and lots more other material relating to the event will be copied there. Over the next few weeks, I’m speaking (well, writing) to entrants on the 100 and following their efforts up to, and after, the big day. We’ll be using the text from these interviews and updates on social media and also perhaps in Strider, the LDWA’s rather excellent magazine which is sent to our 10,000 members. Hopefully it’ll help inform, educate and inspire others to take part or become involved with the LDWA in other ways.

For anyone who wants to take part in the event, have a look at the SI Entries page, or further information at the LDWA’s web-site.

And this third ‘interview’ is with Nathan Hensley, who is doing the event with me, so he has a huge advantage to the other entrants that he has my company, encouragement, initiative and engagement.

Here’s Nathan as part our training programme.

This is your first 100, what inspired you to take part?

Like most great ideas in life this was borne out of a chat down the pub. Your (Julian’s) walking exploits were made to sound like an exciting challenge, and the 100 would be the pinnacle of them all. I liked the idea of pushing myself to achieve something a bit different too, so it all came together nicely.

What route are you planning to take?

Starting in Lowestoft and walking to Great Yarmouth, then taking the Wherryman’s Way into Norwich. With a few detours that should make us reach over 50 miles, then we’ll head north out of the city along Marriott’s Way and meander back. Ideally for the final few miles we’ll stay local to Norwich (probably doing smaller and smaller laps of the streets near our houses if I’m being honest).

You’re walking the 100 route with one of the most professional members of the LDWA, does that give you lots more confidence?

I am confident that we will keep each other entertained! Knowing us, I think we’ll want to look a bit braver than the other so that will spur us on too.

Do you think this will be easier or harder than the actual 100 that is traditionally held?

I think it will be easier than Y 100 Sir Fynwy would have been at least, primarily because we’re not tackling many hills. The lack of encouragement from other walkers will probably add a unique challenge though.

What food treats are you taking with you?

I’ll make sure I carry sweets and nuts with me at all times, I don’t tend to get hungry on a walk but I do need a pick-me-up at regular intervals.

You have a support team, what food and drink will you be requesting that they supply you with?

Some coffee during the night and a bacon roll for the second morning would be fine, though if someone fancies sorting out a fry-up instead then I’d be very grateful.

Do you plan to have some decadent craft beer during the walk?

I think it would be silly to rule out that possibility, especially if our spirits drop a bit. It will be important to not overdo it though, and I’ll probably stick to lighter beer as a stout might feel a little heavy.

What tactics do you think you’ll use if you feel like giving up on the walk?

The main thing will be to distract myself. If we can spend the time chatting and gossiping, or I can focus on the upcoming food then hopefully the thoughts of giving up won’t enter my mind.

Are there any wildlife that you’re concerned about meeting on the walk? Sheep, cows, snakes, pigs, or anything else?!

I’d rather not see a snake if I’m honest, and a night-time cow encounter could be problematic too, but I think I can deal with most of the expected wildlife. This is, of course, if my walking partner doesn’t decide to start saying the word ‘bull’ as I’m halfway across a field…. [can I just note, I was reading aloud the huge sign which said “DANGER – BULL IN FIELD” that Nathan had meandered by, it wasn’t my fault Nathan rushed back thinking I had actually seen a bull in the field]

Would you say you’re looking forward to it?

Yes and no. I’m looking forward to the experience and hopefully the achievement. I’m less enthused about the inevitable soreness, tiredness and all-round grumpiness.

Do you have a time in mind of how long it’ll take you to finish?

I will be more than happy with finishing within the 48 hours time limit, but I think aiming for 42 hours is achievable and sensible to give us leeway.

How will you celebrate when you finish?

With a very long lie-down!

What would you say to anyone thinking about entering the 100, or thinking about doing a 50 mile challenge event, who might be a bit nervous?

Even in these strange times, the walking community has been friendly and welcoming to a relative novice like me. It’s a great opportunity to learn about your limits, discover the places around you and to meet people from different walks of life. I’d also say that unlike a lot of other events, if you pull up short for whatever reason then it’s not a failure or a wasted day, you’ve still been able to enjoy a nice walk!

March 3, 2021
LDWA – 2021 LDWA 100 (Interview with Kathy Finkel)

On the 29 to 31 May 2021, the LDWA’s 100 mile event will be taking place. Unfortunately, national restrictions mean that the Y 100 Sir Fynwy won’t be taking place as hoped, when in more normal times the South Wales group would have welcomed hundreds of walkers. Instead, there is the chance for entrants to walk a 100-mile route of their choice anywhere in the country, so the event has more of a national feel this year. And it’s fine to enter to do a shorter distance, with anyone walking 50 miles in 24 hours qualifying for the 2022 Trans-Pennine 100.

I’m taking part in the 100 and I’ve been compiling some resources relating to that. When the new LDWA web-site is launched, this and lots more other material relating to the event will be copied there. Over the next few weeks, I’m speaking (well, writing) to entrants on the 100 and following their efforts up to, and after, the big day. We’ll be using the text from these interviews and updates on social media and also perhaps in Strider, the LDWA’s rather excellent magazine which is sent to our 10,000 members. Hopefully it’ll help inform, educate and inspire others to take part or become involved with the LDWA in other ways.

For anyone who wants to take part in the event, have a look at the SI Entries page, or further information at the LDWA’s web-site.

This interview is with Kathy Finkel, who is taking part with Dennis Johnson. I very much like the idea about throwing insults to build up a rage, I might try this with Nathan on our walk. That might encourage him on.

Kathy and Dennis (that’s a V for victory!)

Is this your first time on a 100?

No I did the Hadrian 100, it rained all day Saturday and Saturday night. I did it alone but met up with another walker, we found a guy with exposure on Cross Fell and it took us 4 hours to get him to the road and off the moor. I went on to the breakfast stop but was way behind schedule and pulled out.

You’ve convinced your partner to join the LDWA and take part in the 100, was that an easy sell?

Yes and no! He’s up for a challenge though. I have sold it on the basis that at worst we can use it as a qualifier for next years 100. I have waxed lyrical about how wonderful the challenge events are…..atmosphere and camaraderie.

What route are you planning to take?

Not decided as yet, we live on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, I’m trying to find something as flat as possible, Julie Cribb will tell you how much I enjoy ascents and descents! I’m looking at doing the Lyke Wake Walk twice, that would be 80+ and then walking from the house.

Are you following a GPX route, a map, or do you already know your route well?

We’ll do a route I know.

What training are you undertaking at the moment?

Not enough!! At least one 20+ mile walk a week and increasing to around 30 miles once a week.

Do you think this will be easier or harder than the actual 100 that is traditionally held?

A lot harder, the camaraderie helps hugely on the organised walks.

What food treats are you taking with you?

Cold porridge with lots of honey and fruit in it, especially as Den will be carrying it!

What tactics do you think you’ll use if you feel like giving up on the walk?

Just do 5 more miles, that and encourage Den to hurl insults at me, the ensuing rage propels me on.

Are there any wildlife that you’re concerned about meeting on the walk? Sheep, cows, snakes, pigs, or anything else?!

Not fond of cows……..

Do you have any foot care tips?

Fresh socks and cooling spray.

You’re doing the walk with your partner, do you have any other supporters cheering you on?

We’ll persuade a friend to do a certain amount of back up.

Would you say you’re looking forward to it?

Yes, I love a challenge.

Do you have a time in mind of how long it’ll take you to finish?

If we manage 100 it will take us well over 40 hours.

Do you have any advice for others, one top tip about long distance walking?

Break the distance down into manageable chunks…….you can always do another 5 miles.

What would you say to anyone thinking about entering the 100, or thinking about doing a 50 mile challenge event, who might be a bit nervous?

Do it, just do it. COVID allowing if anyone wants to join us they are welcome.

March 3, 2021
LDWA – 2021 LDWA 100 (Interview with Tim Ryan)

On the 29 to 31 May 2021, the LDWA’s 100 mile event will be taking place. Unfortunately, national restrictions mean that the Y 100 Sir Fynwy won’t be taking place as hoped, when in more normal times the South Wales group would have welcomed hundreds of walkers. Instead, there is the chance for entrants to walk a 100-mile route of their choice anywhere in the country, so the event has more of a national feel this year. And it’s fine to enter to do a shorter distance, with anyone walking 50 miles in 24 hours qualifying for the 2022 Trans-Pennine 100.

I’m taking part in the 100 and I’ve been compiling some resources relating to that. When the new LDWA web-site is launched, this and lots more other material relating to the event will be copied there. Over the next few weeks, I’m speaking (well, writing) to entrants on the 100 and following their efforts up to, and after, the big day. We’ll be using the text from these interviews and updates on social media and also perhaps in Strider, the LDWA’s rather excellent magazine which is sent to our 10,000 members. Hopefully it’ll help inform, educate and inspire others to take part or become involved with the LDWA in other ways.

For anyone who wants to take part in the event, have a look at the SI Entries page, or further information at the LDWA’s web-site.

This interview is with Tim Ryan, from the Cornwall & Devon group and his proposed route is on Komoot.

Is this your first 100?

No, although I was a late starter (and sometimes a late finisher) to the LDWA Challenges. My first LDWA challenge walk was the wonderful “Six Dales Circuit” organised by Staffordshire Group – which I completed on my 60th birthday. I have since completed 4 100’s – 5 if you count last years “virtual”, which I really enjoyed. The above picture is a “virtual” of me at the “virtual” start – wondering why it was so quiet! In reality of course I completed the event from my home in Mid-Devon.

What route are you planning to take?

I have a few options open, and a lot depends on local restrictions. However most likely I will be walking the “Exe 100” from home, a route which I have put together from bits of local walks, social walks which I managed to squeeze in to lead groups of 6 last year as well as parts of a couple of long-distance paths – The Two Moors Way and Exe Valley Way. Having started to put this together in case I needed a local option should restrictions demand, I began to see that this is not such a bad route, so why not do it anyhow? It is a circular route which includes the upper Exe valley in Mid Devon, visiting Exmoor’s highest point at Dunkery Beacon and the source of both the Exe and the Barle on Exmoor.

Are you following a GPX route, a map, or do you already know your route well?

All of the above. I have put the route together as described and have saved it as a gpx as well as posting it on the Virtual Hundred Komoot site. I am carrying out reccies using a map, on the few bits I don’t know – but will of course take a map on the event. But by and large am familiar with the route. I am in the process of writing a route description should anyone else wish to walk the route.

What training are you undertaking at the moment?

Nothing specific just now. I have been on reasonably high mileage since coming out of quarantine, averaging over 300 miles a month the past 3 months. Originally In December because I was leading social walks every weekend and reccie-ing the rest of the week. Since lockdown I have been taking on the various virtual challenges being put on by LDWA and local groups. Something I am very grateful for.

Do you think this will be easier or harder than the actual 100 that is traditionally held?

Too soon to say. It would be a mistake if I was to think it was going to be easy, they never are. Nor would I want them to be, I guess we do them because they are difficult not because they are easy. Route finding should be easier, but no village halls without a sit down, a warm welcome and excellent food. That is a different challenge.

What food treats are you taking with you?

Jelly babies will be involved. There are also a couple of potential pub stops (if open). Wouldn’t be the first pubs I had visited on Hundreds. I will have some support at “checkpoints” so should be ok for food.

What tactics do you think you’ll use if you feel like giving up on the walk?

Best not to think about it. But at the end of the day – we do this for fun and enjoyment. If that’s not happening anymore, leave it. Come back another day, do not make any injuries worse. I think this is a good opportunity for anyone thinking about a Hundred to give it a go – without the same pressures that walking with many potentially more experienced walkers may bring.

Are there any wildlife that you’re concerned about meeting on the walk? Sheep, cows, snakes, pigs, or anything else?!

No none, well not much. I was leading a Ramblers walk a couple of years back when I was attacked by a cow and knocked down twice. So I am more wary of cattle than I ever used to be. But that’s about all. Not keen on packs of dogs, but you don’t get those so much in this Country.

Do you have any foot care tips?

Good fitting boots and talc. Don’t skimp on the cost of boots any more than you have to. Get what feels most comfortable (if you can afford them).

Will you have anyone cheering you on and giving encouragement during the walk?

Yes I think there may be 2 or 3 of us on the walk (restrictions permitting) and with promise of some support and back-up. As well as witness testimonies!

Would you say you’re looking forward to it?

Yes, definitely.

Do you have a time in mind of how long it’ll take you to finish?

No not really. I have always tried to get back in daylight on day 2, so about 36 hours – but never quite managed it. Its not that big a deal though, just keep going – you have paid for 48 hours after all. Last year of the event was my first over 40 hours for reasons those taking part will fully understand! And those that didn’t will have heard about. I didn’t feel any less satisfied at that achievement than faster years. I would say the Hadrian’s Hundred was an excellent route and as usual with these events very well organised.

Do you have any advice for others, one top tip about long distance walking?

For the Hundred it is “don’t think about it as a hundred miles” – but a dozen or so medium length walks from one food stop to the next. 100 miles is just too daunting a prospect – until you’ve finished!

What would you say to anyone thinking about entering the 100, or thinking about doing a 50 mile challenge event, who might be a bit nervous?

Do it, but have as your primary objective to enjoy it. It’s 2 days of your holiday so have a great time, and good luck.

March 2, 2021