Walk 16 -18.5 miles - Total 224.2 miles - To Go 775.8 miles

Circular Walks along The Chiltern Way - Pirton (my village) to Hitchin and then Walk 11 Gosmore, Ley Green and Preston




Uncle Rob arrives to meet Leo for the first time. Leo (our two year old grandson) stayed last night and had his usual fun. I tried to get him to wear a 1000miles4hope shirt but he told me it was 'too big' and was having none of it. We point out that Rob's nose is upside down and ask Leo to turn it round. Leo eyes Rob for a while and decides they are not yet well enough acquainted for him to oblige. He quickly turns to grandma Karen and corrects the alignement of her nose. In fifteen minutes Rob sees how much energy and attention grandchildren attract and anticipates the exhaustion Sophia promises in a few months time.

We head off and I promise to get us to the start of this circular walk in Hitchin and give Rob every opportunity to take control but he lets me lead. Down Hambridge Way we meet Leslie from the village on her horse and chat about the kids. All growing up so fast and Rob snapping away at horse and rider to add to his collection.

At Oughtonhead Common we bump in to Mike from Sunderland. Down for the day with his mate who is at a Network Rail meeting in Hitchin. Mike is birdwatching and his best sight today is a kingfisher by a pond. We talk football and suggest Sunderlands manager is a good one. No way he says. Didn't want him and still don't and he is still a fat Geordie to me. We ask him if he can guess who Rob supports with the clue that it is a team that had great expectations and is not fulfilling them. He suggests Chester City and we tell him he is close.............

The bit Rob enjoyed the best was me admitting on the outskirts of Hitchin that I am not sure where we are. I had been confidently walking in the right general direction hoping to recognise somewhere but eventually had to admit I had no clue which way to go. We ask advice of people approaching. They tell us they are not local, just down for a couple of days from Perth in Scotland seeing grandchildren, yet confidently point us the right way. Rob can't believe that strangers from Perth knew Hitchin better than Len, the local! I point out it is his fault as our navigator and, in a dereliction of duty, had failed to check on my copmetency at the start.


In Hitchin we said hello to Alinghams one of the best butchers in the world. Took him in for a sausage and told him how the queues extend round the corner of market square at 6.30 am on Christmas Eve as people come to collect their orders.

Wonderful countryside as we set off towards Ley Green. We start a conversation about mortality and how our views change on it as we age. I am in the camp of Allende that life is a lot of noise between two silences. Rob confronted mortality early in life with the first shock realisation that one day his parents would die and then imediately the even bigger shock that one day he would die. A couple of miles passed in a blink as we bounced back and forth managing to mix in Buddhism and the balancing of life as a struggle with inner peace and harmony. We successfully worked out how to operate all the various new gate technologies to get through and shut them all behind. Rob shows great concern at one gate left open and a lone sheep in one of the fields. Should it be open and has that sheep escaped? I take the view the gate is so wide open and so close to the farmhouse it must be ok. I hope so.

We now consume five miles at least talking about a book I have started writing. Short stories constructed around a Gestalt idea. Rob loves them and we have a long conversation about how they can be useful. One of them was very useful as we talked about the notion of things we start, taking little time at the beginning, as time goes on they have a big middle (usually when we realise we have taken on too much) and crash in to each other raising our stress levels and then have no end. We went through the challenges of stopping things or rescheduling them and how we try to defend them and then often fail. The message of the conversation is to recognise up front that starting things is easy but leads to lots of activity later so think about this before committing. At this point I meet an image of future Rob who has come to sit by a path beside us to express the challenges of Offa's Dyke. I put my arm round him and tell him to keep going. We will get to the end I promise.


We are lost again around Austage End and Ley Green but that is ok as we are adding miles and deep in conversation. Back with the book, Rob is shaping it up for me and I like his ideas.

We get to the Red Lion in Preston at 1.55 for lunch. The board outside says Real Ale, Good Food and Warm Welcome. We have met these misleading signs before! We go in and ask if they are doing food but are told they close in five minutes. We thought this was the kitchen but it was made clear he meant the pub. We grab a quick orange and lemonade and meet a wonderful lady called Francis but known as Frankie who insists on making a donation before taking the arm of her friend and head out across the village. As we leave the pub after our 5 minute stay we hear the door emphatically being locked behind us. Trade must be fantastic in pubs to kick out customers wanting to spend money on food and drink.

We are returning to Hitchin and I take Rob in to the Hair Shop which is the best hairdresser in the world. I introduce him to Michelle my hairdresser and the great family of people in the shop. Michelle went to travel the world last year and we all missed her and love having her back for a while. Her travelling spirit remains and maybe one day she will be off again. We have to stop by as the shop is now on our 1000miles4hope route. A final cup of tea in Halseys near Hitchin Church and we are on the final stretch.





Our only encounter on the final leg back to Pirton is meeting a man walking his dog and asking if we have seen a brown cocker. We say no and I explain to Rob he is asking about a dog Spaniel. As we go along we come across lost cocker and shout back. We now have the problem that the owner is walking with a stick and cannot go fast and Murphy his 14 year old cocker is deaf and will not respond to him or us. As Rob approachies Murphy is scared and moves ahead fast. Rob has never been in this situation before - he is the one normaly walking away from scary dog. Emboldened by this new experience, Rob speeds up to overtake aforesaid cocker only for Murphy to speed up in turn, while all the time man with stick is falling further and further behind and out of sight. Eventually Rob gives up and stops and so does Murphy who keeps an eye on Rob. I go back to walk with his owner until we can reconnect the two. As we move on we look back to see owner sitting and catching his breadth reunited with Murphy.

Our longest walk so far.....and still cold and it was still grey.....but great to be out and looking forward to some more miles tomorrow.

Walk 15 - 9.4 miles - Total 205.7 miles - To Go 794.3 miles

London Southbank, Parliament, St James Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Regents Park and Camden Town.




On the sunniest day of the year so far a red and orange swarm hits London, seen by landing Jumbo's from far off lands on their run in to Heathrow. What's that they say? It is the red of 1000miles4hope and the orange of the MS Society brightly lit by the most fabulous yellow sun and the whole of London glowing with the bright shiny smiling faces of our troop. After all the organising, talking, emailing, blogging and dot comming of the past few months I finally get to meet Sara (our fantastic press officer), Tracy (our amazing web controller), Gullen (our wonderful MS Society link), Maria (our facebook and national radio station queen)and again meet Charlotte (web content and designer extraordinaire). It seems like thousands more join us with family and friends full of good cheer looking forward to a day walking and talking around the sights of London.

Jane and Rob talk Kilimanjaro after remembering the dodgy car he sold her when he left Cleveland. Never again says Jane to both Kilimanjaro and buying a car off Rob. The altitude effects are as bad as people say as it can take two hours to walk two miles near the top. Rob will be ok as Alex, Chris and Mario carry their dad to the top along those final few miles.


Daniel and Hazel are in deep conversation. Later I find out Hazel has been spilling the beans on the young Karen at school. I have shared a Spanish class with Karen and said I could just imagine her in her classroom at school. Teachers pet, swotty and everything neat and tidy. Seems this is exactly what it was like.
Meanwhile Rob is leading the walk from the back. Like a wise shepherd he uses his mobile phone like an obedient sheep dog to redirect wanderers and carry the stragglers.

Anna and Alex, despite Sophia deprived sleep looking lovely and deeply in love and a wonderful advert for married life. RJ is being fuelled by biscuits and starting to get some idea of the 1000 miles his dad is going to walk.

At St James Park we stop at the Inn for refreshments and we complete our 200th mile. We celebrate it in an unprepared, chaotic and understated manner to applause from the gathered crowd. We really must work out some sort of celebration for 500 miles and clearly need to do work in advance.

We are on our way to see the Queen and hope to be invited in for tea. I tell Rob I have bought him a present that I will give to him on Wednesday on our next walk. He is excited. It cost £3.50 and he immediately says he knows it is a waterproof cover for his maps. No. Much better than that and I know he will love it. All will be revealed on Wednesday when we walk.

Sou tells me Robs legs are now so much thinner and strong from his walking. I ask her if she has noticed any difference in his tongue...she laughs her lovely laugh.

Sarah my niece and I catch up on football. The four goals missed by Bendtner, the wondergoal by Theo and how well Rooney is playing. All set for a great finish to the season. She is amused when I tell her Rob is not that interested in football. He is a Liverpool fan!

For those of you missing the updates on Cheryl and Ashley Charlotte tells me about a banner across a bridge in London saying 'Cheryl give us a call - JT'. Catherine gives new insight with a view that Cheryl keeping her mum in the marital home could be part of the problem. Having seen the headline in 'NOW' magazine I am confident they will be back together before we finish Offa's in May.

Viv gives the advice we have been seeking for our longer country walks. When your boots are thoroughly wet inside and you get to your lodgings stuff them with newspaper, have suppper, replace the newspaper and in the morning you will have dry boots. Viv is going to join us on the Hadrian's Wall walk and looked very professional today as he took shot after shot of the swarm.

A bizarre moment in Regents park watching two American football teams talk in seperate huddles for twenty minutes preparing their move. They set up with a hut hut here and a hut hut there. One team goes two paces forward, everything stops and it is time for another huddle to work out the next move. Strange.

At the end of Regents Park it is time for the group photo of all those left. At the back behind the tallest people I find Catherine doing all she can to be inconspicuous and nowhere in the picture. The opposite of me waving my arms everywhere saying here I am here I am.



At Chalk Farm we all go our seperate ways. For Alex, Anna, Dan, Chris, RJ, Mario, Maria and many others this is the longest walk they have ever done. Everyone is flushed with fresh air and the warmth of feeling from mingling with friends and new acquaintances on a sunny shiny day red and orange swarming round London. When is the next one we are asked and welcome ideas for a summer walk ahead. Thanks to everyone for coming....it was great.

Walk 14 - 11.7 miles - Total 196.3 miles - To Go 803.7 miles

Pathfinder Guide 54 Walk 28: St Albans and the Ver valley.







This morning we meet at Hatching Green in Redbourn. The noise is deafening and it takes me a while to get close to the Green. Thousands of screaming fans are jumping up and down to get a sighting of Rob the Greek following his performance on London Greek Radio last night. There is a line as far as the eye can see queuing up for an autograph which Rob is signing as fast as he can with an occassional pause to raise his head and wave to his adoring fans. It is hard to pull him away but I remind him we have a 1000 miles to walk so adoration can wait a while. To his credit he joins me and we make our way. His mouth is even fuller of words than yesterday and with a couple of punctuating uh uh's from me he tells me about his broadcast non stop for the first two miles. Well done Maria and Katerina for organising it - he loved it and modestly told me he thinks he did rather well. I am sure he was brilliant.


We head along a path to Redbournbury. Lovely countryside, the sun shining and a brisk breeze. As we approach the farm at Redbournbury we are confronted by our first flooded crossing and wonder how we are going to get over. From previous blogs you know Rob can walk on water so with some instruction I followed his lead. Amazing feeling just like Brian Clough walking across the River Trent all those years ago. As we turn the corner I am struck by the farm smell and take a deep breath which transports me back to me as a 7 year old. The smell conjures up an image of my grandfathers farm in Siget im der Wart in Burgenland, Austria near the Hungarian border. I remember light from candles, heat from wood on the log fire, water from the well and the muddy path to the outside toilet at the bottom of the garden where I was often chased by a barking dog on my way. No electricity, no running water then just lots of love and warm feelings from family and villagers. How amazing that one intake of a smell conjures up so much. The Hungarian connection makes me think of Judit in Budapest who on a recent visit to London gave me some Hungarian folk music by Beata Palya that I listened to while planning these walks and the ones to come in Dorset.

I return to Redbournbury and we visit the Mill where they stone ground flour and make their own bread. An idyllic little spot where Constable would have had fun with his brush. We check with a local pest controller which way is the Ver Way path and we are on our way again. After about half an hour tracker Rob smells something amiss. Noticing a road on the right that should be on the left he rereads the guide and finds we are on the Ver Way but going in the opposite direction to our route. I am shocked that Rob is fallible but impressed he has discovered the error so soon. Another learning opportunity we say. You can be on the right track but going completely the wrong way. We retrace but make sure we take different steps as Rob has told me from his own experience that Virgo's cannot go back by the same path if they have taken a wrong turn.



We meet Geoff walking his dog Lucy and check with him where the Ver Way goes to St Albans and he sets us on our path. This is a lovely walk by the Ver passing a couple of really impressive Mill buildings now converted to houses. Places for a painter to do his magic or Rob to snap his shutter.

Just before we need to turn right over the Ver we come upon a building over the water and wonder what it is for. Inside it has a platform and has the water running through underneath. There is a roof and around us some flooded land and some sheep. I wonder if it is some sheep cleaning contraption. Rob suggests it is a flood control contraption that can redirect the water. I look at him, smile and say 'false' just like they used to on Call my Bluff. We head on to our next port of call which is the Roman Theatre at St Albans. Along the way we bump in to Alastair and ask him about the strange building. He tells us it is some sort of power generator from the past and now has a preservation order on it. I am tempted to say 'false' again but he seems to believe his story. He says that is what he was told by locals so that is now our story unless someone can give us a more plausible tale.

We pass the now buried Roman town of Verulamium with the odd little piece of wall apparent. The ruins of the theatre are substantial and we both get an eerie or awesome feeling as we look at something that has been there for over 2000 years. We stop and reflect on what it might have been like and all the events that have happened in the world since then.


We approach St Albans through a park with a big lake and pass the Fighting Cocks where Oliver Cromwell is rumoured to have stayed and stabled his horse in what is now the bar. During the time of the civil war this was a great place to stay as there was a warren of passageways beneath to make a secret exit should the need arise. We climb the hill and come upon the breathtaking view of St Albans Cathedral. From this approach it really is dramatic and would not look out of place in any major capital of the world.The frontage reminds you of Notre Dame in Paris and you learn inside that in the 14th century this was the inspiration for the design. It is one of the longest churches in the UK and as you read the history you get a sense of the importance of St Albans in times past. Now a medium sized market town with a massive display of power and importance. Worth a visit and make sure you approach from the park with the lake below.



We return through the Gorhambury Estate with its tree lined avenues and manicured gardens. Then past Childwick Bury and on to the delightful Childwick Green.




There are still a few hundred fans waiting for Rob the Greek's return and he accepts a few more requests for autographs and gives a final wave to his fans. Citywire, London Greek Radio and The Enfield post so far. Who knows where his trail of fame will end.

Next up is the public walk on Sunday and we have 3.7 miles to complete 200 miles. Come and join us and have a fun day out. I have asked Rob to fix the weather. A man who can walk on water should find this a mere trifling.

Walk 13 - 10.5 miles - Total 184.6 miles - To Go 814.4 miles

Pathfinder Guide 54 Walk 27: Brocket Park, The River Lea and The Ayots




We can't believe it. We wake to a cold spring like day and the conditions are great for walking. We meet at Brocket Hall with its stunning views across the Broadwater and to Lord Brockets old home. These are the grounds of the famed buried Ferrari's that lead to Lord Brocket spending some time at Her Majesty's pleasure. Local folklore has it that a policeman walking through the grounds noticed a Ferrari badge in the ground and on investigation found a pile of buried sports cars. It is ok to bury cars on your land if you have no further use but not if you have claimed on insurance for their disappearance.
We set off by the River Lea. A gently burbling stream running through woodland and meadows. It feels good to be alive and great to be outdoors. We get talking and I notice that even though we see each other three days a week there is still no shortage of things to talk about. Men are not supposed to be like this! When Alex my eldest son was growing up I sometimes used to put my hand up and say 'stop a moment'. I would then look in his mouth and say 'I thought so.....it is bursting full of words rushing to get out'. I almost did the same with Rob this morning but didn't need to as it was clear his mouth was full to overflowing with words to be said. He had good reason. We played a bridge match last night in a competition online which we drew but should have won. Once we had settled the rules that our conversation would be about the 'learning opportunities' from the match we then hurtled through half a dozen hands with Rob in full flow as teacher and me as the learner. And I put it here on record that this was the right way round as I did create the most learning opportunities last night!

At the start of todays walk we discussed who would lead the walk today. Rob is the most amazing map instruction follower you will ever come across - no chance of extra detours such as those when I was map reading. I said I had proven I could not be trusted for fear of us getting lost. Rob wanted a day off but took on the role. As we progressed along the walk we saw what a win win this was. He correctly hauled me back from directions I wanted to go and kept us on the right paths. I could congratulate myself on having given him the map reading task and he could congratulate himself on getting us to where we wanted to go.

After the River Lea and along the valley we came upon Lamerwood Golf Club in Lamer Park. As we entered we soon noticed there were no golfers on the immaculate fairways. This was strange for such a lovely spring day. Coming towards us was Paddy Shaw walking his dogs who was able to tell us the golf course had closed last Wednesday. The Japanese owners had sold 6 months ago to someone who was going to develop the club but who then sold it on to an individual who is now going to live on the course. Paddy had been a member and is now going to miss what looks like a lovely course. This seems to be a story of golf courses now. Having gone from waiting lists of years to get in you can get in most places easily now and many clubs are going bust.


As we progress along the path by the golf course we see a group of Lamerwood Ladies hurtling towards us with intent on their faces. About 30 of them and one way up front happy to say good morning but going places and not stopping for a chat. We don't know who they are but the lady at the front did say to Rob 'they just won't keep up'.

Further along we meet Craig who is cutting back trees and doing tidying up work on the golf course. He was a greenkeeper on the course who has been kept on by the new owner to keep the place tidy. Everyone else has been laid off. Craig was able to confirm Paddy's story and tell us the new owner does want to live on the course. As keen golfers Rob and I marvel at the notion of owning your own golf course and being able to step outside your house and play.

I am able to do some teaching as we continue. Being a city boy Rob does not yet know the country code of closing gates behind him. I point it out to him and show him what needs to be done.
We wander in to Ayot St Lawrence. A delightful place with Shaw's Corner where George Bernard Shaw wrote in his hut at the bottom of the garden and lived in the modest but grand house.
There must also be a fascinating story in the history of the village as there is an unrestored 13th century church in a perfect location and an incongruous Grecian style church built in the 18th century.
The old church became redundant and provided building material for the new church. If anyone knows the story do let us know why the old church was not restored to glory and where the idea of a Grecian model came from.
We were in Ayot St Lawrence around 11am and came upon two other walkers like ourselves ready for a cup of tea. In the village is the Brocket Arms with a welcoming sign outside saying 'Morning Coffee'. The four of us head inside and ask if we can have coffee and tea to be told 'sorry we don't open until 12'. Rob and I knew this line from a previous visit last summer when we got the same reply. We thought this time that four customers wanting drinks might interest the publican but business must be so good there is no longer a need for the 'morning coffee' advertised to be provided. Once we overcame the disappointment of not getting the tea we were looking forward to we sat down by the church and basked in the sun. Once again we thought....isn't life great. I also think at these moments it would be great for Karen and me to be together here but we can't. These steps remain ones of hope for her and young people being struck down by MS now that one day a cure will be found for this horrible disease.

Lunch in The Waggoners towards the end of our walk. Smoked salmon baguettes for both of us. No burger or steak and ale pie or fries. We are getting the hang of this healthy eating lark and you do feel much better for it when you walk on.
Tonight Rob is on London Greek radio giving a live interview and talking about the cause. This has been organised by Maria....well done Maria. We will try and get a copy up on the blog or the web site.

Tomorrow the Romans of St Albans and the Ver valley meaning for those of you joining us on Sunday we will complete our 200th mile while you are with us.

Walk 12 - 15.0 miles - Total 174.1 miles - To Go 825.9 miles

London Loop. Section 1 Erith to Old Bexley, Section 2 Old Bexley to Petts Wood.




Today we finished the 150 miles of the London Loop!!. We were both quiet and exhausted at the end and realising we have much to do to raise our fitness to what is necessary for Offa's Dyke in May. I think tomorrow morning we will feel better about it and can celebrate properly but this afternoon we were wiped out.

We started at 6.30 this morning heading for Erith on the Thames Estuary and Sarah Cox is asking for requests to be a dj after the 6.30 spot. She positions her request with 'whatever you are doing at 6am on a Saturday morning give me your requests...you might be milking the cows, returning from a night shift, delivering milk or a new mum....'. I look around me and see completely empty roads and realise not a lot goes on at 6.30 on a Saturday morning. But today we are going to complete the Loop so the early start is good and we might get back in time to watch some football on TV as well.

We tip toe out of Mario and Klea's house, our wondeful hosts for the past 2 days. With sons Andrew and Demos and Andrew's fiancee Nadia, they are a lovely family. The food was GREAT and even their 2 dogs welcomed us into their domain. Thank you all for your superb hospitality.


We leave one car at Petts Wood and Rob jumps out to make a contribution to Tony's effort down to the Med for MS (see yesterday's blog) and drive to Erith. We head off from Erith along the Thames Path. It is a scene that reminds us of The Road (by Cormac McCarthy) which I recommended to Rob and he finished last night. Don't read it if you can't deal with misery but if you like Sibelius it is an amazingly good book....both deeply sad and uplifting (I cried at the end).Rob thought the ending was unrealistically uplifting and had some other, far more depressing ideas on how it should finish in keeping with our surroundings by the river. If you want a view of what the world looks like close to the end, as in the Road, with desolation all around, dark grey skies and a bitter wind biting in to your face then do this part of the Loop by the Thames on a miserable February day. It really is desolation well done. Occassionaly the sun provided a distraction through the clouds with shafts coming down on to the Queen Elizabeth bridge at Dartford. We tried to capture the scene in difficult lighting conditions and took a number of shots. Our best effort is shown here and we leave you to judge.

We eventually move along the Cray River. After five miles we are ready for a cup of tea but don't know where to go in this wasteland. Rob asks a local and we are told there might be a place half a mile up the road. Rob tells me that means half a mile off the track and half a mile back....do we want to do that with the risk it might not be open.
As we talk Pete Rutherfood pulls up behind us on his bike and asks us where we are walking to. He is completing his 27 mile Saturday morning bike ride. He tells us the place we are thinking of for tea is closed on the weekend and suggests we head to a cafe in a couple of miles. We give him a leaflet and say a big thanks for the advice.

We walk along Cray River and after another half hour Pete catches up with us and tells us he has read our handout and insists on giving us a contribution. All these people who have been touched by our cause really motivate us and give us good thoughts about human nature. There are some wonderful people out there. Pete walked along with us by the Cray and told us the tale of the man who looks after that part of the river. There is a one winged Swan who has a mate and last year was able to raise a Signet there with the help of this local protector.
We say farewell to Pete and stop at his recommended Cray Cafe. I shock Robert by ordering a full English and he shocks the waiter in the cafe by photographing it. What is he doing he asks?.....I think...he is doing the same as the fisherman throwing his caught fish back in to the lake....'I don't get it'.
The rest of the walk is a blur. To try and forget the pain we try to imagine how Bridge and Terry avoid the handshake and the songs the fans can come up with to capture the moment. After ten miles into our third successive day of walking tiredness is having its effect. We want to end......

Then we do. We have finished the London Loop at Petts Wood. Hoooooooooraaaaaaay. We done it - 45 miles in 3 days. A long way to go but it feels good to have got to one milestone. We have transversed London and seen many things and had many experiences. Rob will capture his recollections on The Loop overall in another blog. We say well done to each other in a very understated English/Greek way and look forward to the remaining 800+ miles ahead.