How to walk over 200 miles in 19 days
Day 1: start at Coventry Cathedral with Bishop Christopher. He kindly prayed with me, walked me down the aisle and out into the old ruins to send me on my way!
Days 2-18: walk some 12-15 miles a day along the waterways of England
Coventry Canal, Oxford Canal, The Thames Path from Oxford to Reading, Kennett and Avon Canal.
Day 19: have friends join you to walk the last 11 miles into Bath Abbey.
Be totally surprised and astonished when the Great West Doors are opened specially for you to welcome you home!
Walk another mile and get home to bubbles, broken boots and ceremonially binning of said boots.
VITAL STATISTICS:
- Airbnbs paid for by putting our guest room on Airbnb over the summer to earn the money for the trip
- 209 miles total from Coventry Cathedral to Bath Abbey
- longest day: day 4, when HS2 works added a 5 mile deviation making just over 20 miles total for the day
- 1 bad fall.
- 1 kingfisher spotted (on the Thames Path)
- 2 days of rain
- 19 days total, with 2 days off
- 4 or 5 days of INTENSE heat at the start
- biggest surprise: one Airbnb host couple turned out to be a retired Bishop and his wife!
- next biggest surprise: people I met on the way sponsoring me
- 4 waterways: Coventry Canal. Oxford Canal, Thames Path, Kennet and Avon Canal. Hardly any hills!
- 7 joyous days when family or friends joined me to walk
- 8 nights of staying with family or friends
- worst day: day 4, with bad fall + 5 mile deviation
- best day: day 19, walking with friends to cheer me into Bath Abbey, where the great West Doors were opened specially to welcome me in!
- listen to Lectio365 and The Rabbit Hole Detectives podcasts to spur me on each day!
- raise almost £4,000 for the work of International Justice Mission, who are working to help end slavery and human trafficking around the world
- most grateful for: all those who have sponsored me! That’s amazing. Thank you, thank you. Justgiving page open until the end of the month so it’s not too late
- and grateful to the Lord walking with me, guiding and keeping me safe.
Feeling very very fit and totally elated! What an epic journey. Thank you for all your support and encouraging messages.
I’VE DONE IT!
A brief overview of some of the days:
Day 3: Brinklow to Willoughby. 14 miles. Started early to beat the intense heat but was absolutely dripping by mid morning. Good thing it’s a flat path - although I did ‘climb’ up to Hilmorton Locks! A long dank tunnel at Newbold. Rugby commemorated at Rugby.
The landlord at The Barley Mow in Newbold wouldn’t let me pay for my coffee when he discovered I’m walking for charity; Hannah, my host tonight (it’s a little self catering studio) has provided my food for supper and won’t accept payment; and Cher the beagle whom I met on the towpath this morning, has added to my Justgiving page.
All is gift and I feel extremely blessed.
Day Four: on to Claydon. TWENTY plus miles - not what I had intended. It’s been a tough day with 2 unfortunate incidents. Please make it a better day and cheer me up by donating to IJM on my Justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/coventry-bath-pilgrimage
First - such an overgrown tow path, full of nettles, brambles, and a trailing hidden something in which I caught my boot. Fell heavily, fortunately not sideways into canal and fortunately nothing broken or sprained (thank you Lord) but a badly grazed knee that needed my first aid kit.
And then - a closed towpath due to huge HS2 works that sent me on a long detour to get back to the canal. Added 5 or 6 miles.
BUT it did mean I saw an amazing bird (see photo) and went through the pretty village of Wormleighton, 15/16C and the original home of the Spencer family until they’d made a fortune from the wool trade and could buy Althorp!
Lots of hips, sloes, crab apples (slippery under foot when they drop and cover the path) blackberries and autumn colours.. Cooler today, 21-22 max with a breeze, which made a difference.
Still, a tough day! Please cheer me up and donate! Thank you - every little will make a huge difference to someone’s life.
Day 6: Anyho to Shipton-on-Cherwell. An easy day of 13.75 miles, cooler temperatures and lovely sun. Enjoyed my free lunchtime entertainment watching people cope with the lock gates!
But the best thing of all: Jessie, a gorgeous 18 month old black and white springer spaniel, played with me for ages while Mandy, her owner, told me of her husband’s brain tumour and lung cancer; he does better when they’re on their boat. I promised to pray for him as I walked. Later I discovered Mandy & Jessie donated to my Justgiving page! That means so much.
Day Eleven. Thames Path to Streatley, with friends from university days, Roger & Elizabeth Murphy. We were absolutely drenched first thing in torrential rain but later enjoyed a pleasantly sunny autumn day, pausing for a cup of tea at the B&W by the water. The good news is that I’m over 90% of the way to my total for @ijm_uk . The bad news is that there are millions of people in slavery today who need our help to enable @ijm to work for their freedom. Every little helps
Day 13: my fourth and final waterway begins in Reading - the Kennet and Avon Canal, taking me all the way home to Bath! Feels good! The first part is named The Way of St James and there were signs for the Camino to Santiago. Not this time …..
Left Reading in warm sunshine but Nigel was soon making his stormy presence felt. Slightly sheltered by the canal but trees were creaking swaying alarmingly. However, managed today’s 10 miles without any rain. Just reached my accommodation before the heavens opened!
Nearly nearly at my goal for @ijm_uk so please do go to my Justgiving page and let’s help @ijm in their work to help free those trapped in slavery. 12 million children around the world are trapped in slavery. That’s the equivalent of every child in England and Wales. Please help them - every little helps.
Day 16 on a bee yew tee full day! Good to be walking! Except currently sitting in a field (by the canal) for a revitalising coffee break You’ve enabled me to beat my target for @ijm_uk ! Yay . They need every Penny to help stop trafficking and slavery so my Justgiving page is still open.
Day 16. A very pretty day! The White Horse Trail on Pewsey Downs, with Adam’s Grave Hill, and The White Horse all up above me to my right. I kept to the Kennet and Avon Canal, all the way to Devizes, where I treated myself to a drink in The Barge Inn and made a new friend in a large chicken. To which my son wrote, Been gone a while, haven’t you Mum
But it’s been worth it - donations to sponsor my walk and help @ijm work to end trafficking and slavery are still flowing in! . Every little helps to release the captives
And now it’s all over! It still seems extraordinary that I’ve walked over 200 miles over these past few days; that Bishop Christopher started me off; that the Great West Doors of Bath Abbey opened to admit me …. And utterly amazing to have raised so much for the work of IJM: total is now almost £4,000. The Justgiving page is open until the end of the month, and every little really does help.
HUGE thanks to all who’ve donated; to all who’ve supported me, walked with me, given me a bed. Couldn’t have done it without you all.
Walking Back to Happiness indeed.
