Depart Thursday!

This coming Thursday [21st], Billy and I will finally leave on our rather epic walk to all three English Oratories. We're all kitted out and ready to go, and all we can do now is hope and pray that the weather holds -- well, I think bright sunshine would be bit much to hope for, but I hope its not too wet!

We leave from the Oxford Oratory after the 10am Mass. Father Daniel is going to give us a blessing, and then we'll be on our way. Ben, the original third walker who has had to drop out due to an injury, will walk with us as far as the Oxford Ring Road, but after that it'll just be the two of us. We hope to reach the London Oratory in time for the Saturday evening (vigil) Mass.

Then there were two

At the weekend (Friday July 1st - Sunday July 3rd) the three of us walked from Bidford-upon-Avon (near Stratford) to Oxford. A distance of around 45 miles, in preparation for our epic sponsored walk in three weeks time.

It was slow progress in the heat we had grown unused to this year and over the Cotswolds. Nevertheless we made at least 15 miles each day with time to spare, and spent two nights in the shade of the woods.

On the Sunday, with less than ten miles to go before we reached Oxford disaster struck! In Woodstock, Ben twisted his knee and, after a long discussion and a pint, decided he couldn't go on. Well, the two of us carried on to Oxford without him.

The bad news is Ben won't be able to walk with us anymore. Instead he will assist us in the car (bring food packages etc.)