Walking Home to Hastings
Toby Sims is walking from Cape Wrath (the north-west tip of Scotland) home to Hastings, for the joy of it, and to bring the spirit of the wilderness home.
STAGE 5: BURTON-UPON-TRENT TO WINCHESTER
The pivotal decision of this walk may prove to have been the direction in which to walk it, North to South or South to North; I was still deliberating a week before the start. What swung it for me was the wish for a walk home, and this intention flowered into a deep reflection on the meaning of homecoming as the walk progressed, and which I believe will enrich my work as a funeral celebrant. But it might have gone so wrong, as I had to cope with the hardest walking and the worst weather at the start, before I had built up my strength. Yet now, as my boots and equipment are becoming worn, my feet sore, and my whole body tired, I am profoundly relieved that the rest of the walking is gentle. It’s as if I can settle back on a bed of cotton wool and just glide over the softly rolling hills, through the peace-suffused woodlands, and past contented fields of sheep… well almost!
Left: Standish Wood near Painswick (Cotswolds); Top right: Narrowboat on the Trent & Mersey Canal;
Bottom right: Stanton near Winchcombe (Cotswolds)
I spent the two hottest days in the UK ever in my hotel room in Burton-upon-Trent, where the temperature outside soared to 39°C outside. The next stage of the walk was along canals. I was charmed by the narrowboats, their roofs piled high with all manner of items, such as firewood, bicycles and even children’s toys, and each with its brightly-coloured roof garden. I was also delighted to be able to put on the miles along the flat towpaths; I managed 27.4 miles to get right through Birmingham in a single day.
From Stratford-upon-Avon I turned south on the Cotswold Way towards Bath. The hills are gentle, folded with wheat and barley fields, and cloaked with swathes of beech woodland, where I walked in a cool, green half-light and felt under the trees’ protection. It’s hard to overstate how exceptional the small towns and villages are in this part of England. The houses are all built of the local stone, even the new builds. It means that each village seems to have integrity – and also individuality, because the colour of the stone varies from place to place.
After Bath I decided to get to Winchester the quickest and easiest way I could; nevertheless there were still some fabulous sights. At Lullington I worked out that I had walked exactly 1,000 miles from Cape Wrath; shortly after I had my first glimpse of the Wiltshire Downs, the start of the chain of chalk hills which is to accompany me all the way to Eastbourne. And so, with sore feet but optimistic of heart, I reached Winchester, with familiar vibrations of home getting louder every mile. I look forward to a joyful last week along the South Downs Way and the consummate embrace of a homecoming to all that I love.
• Toby expects to arrive at the finishing point, Rock-a-Nore Beach, Hastings, between 5.30pm-6.30pm
on Saturday 20 August. Check for updates on www.walkhometohastings.net
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