Clapham Jct to Woolwich (Jan 28th)

cool, little sun or breeze. 19.1 miles.

If you don’t want to take a lot of photographs don’t take a camera, yes there was rather a lot to see from the trail. What little breeze there was certainly felt chilly though the temperature was above freezing. I soon regained the river bank and headed east. Now a lot of bridges are passed on the Thames path so their ability to impress should have diminished, not so as one of the first objects to hove into view is the Albert bridge and what a beauty of engineering it is.

I was intrigued by a sign on the bridge about marching men, i suppose the rhythmic footfall if they remained in step would be amplified in the structure and set it waving in time with the footfall, resonance waves are another subject worthy of interest.

Next was Battersea park which was a nice park with a fabulous pagoda, a small zoo and a tea shop so an early sandwich was enjoyed here. Now comes the first of many inland diversions to get around in this case an Un-crossable  (under or over) rail bridge, no matter the path was soon found and gave a great view of Battersea power station.

Moving on was a joy along the shore (most of the time) and on approaching the Westminster area i could hear big ben ringing  the quarter to chime, this meant that as i reached the london eye (big wheel) i could see straight across Westminster bridge as the clock struck midday.

especially pleasing as i had the good fortune to be stood beside the main bell (wearing ear muffs) for a midday chime last autumn. Here there are just flocks of people and i guess the most populated section of trail i’m ever likely to walk, plenty of street performers, and just after the big wheel is a multi-story car park which the graffiti boys have made a show case for their hobby, it also seems to be an allowed area for skate boards /mountain bikes. Not to far and there is Shakespeare globe theatre, the main frame timbers were cut and checked for fitting in a disused air craft hangar near where i live, then they were transported to london for assembly.

Especially interesting to me (though not clear in the dull photo) is that mosses are developing nicely on the moist thatch roof just as can be found in old thatch roofs nation wide. Just goes to show that provide the right environment and nature will respond.

Last bridge photo today was the magnificent tower bridge.

For those interested in shipping i passed Sir Francis drakes golden hind (somehow i seem to remember seeing it on the south coast path) an old warship and the Cutty sark which still looks a sleek beauty. This put the millennium dome (now the O2 arena) in view.

Getting around it proved a bit more problematical as there were temporary diversion on the way there and immediately on the way out which twice had me following signs to a dead end and having to back track, this was getting a little annoying though i did find amusement in noting a pedestrians only sign then been passed regularly by bicycles, pedestrian bicycles perhaps. The Thames barrier is another eye catching feature, and i believe the official end of the Thames path.

As i passed here the sun was getting rather low on the horizon behind me, never the less it looked like i could make the Woolwich area where there is a foot subway under the river to the north shore which is the most easterly point that the Thames can be crossed on foot (legally).  At that point i turned away from the river to find the station.

I don’t wish to sound to much like a moaner but there were a large number of diversions today, away from the river to go round various construction projects and other features, at one time i was in the forecourt of a hotel, several times i began to doubt my navigation thinking i had missed an sign or turn, unfailingly soon after such thoughts a Thames path sign would appear so it was a bit of a self belief test, im certainly glad i had a map though not of street map level, the point remains that temporary diversions by their name and nature are going to be a surprise for any hiker and their position could change at any time. I suspect that due to these diversions the actual distance was more than measured on the map, my ankles thought so but of course that comes with a whole day on tarmac. There is so much to see that the obvious bonus would have been more daylight and sprig approaches, hooray.

Winchfield to Basingstoke (Jan 23rd)

Cloudy, little sun. 11.8 miles

A short stroll down to the canal and as there is a car park here it is popular with dog walkers, ten minutes later i’m alone wandering through beautiful countryside.

For a long way this canal is level with no locks so must count as perfect walking and the miles pass with ease. When i reached Wanborough green a garage was spotted that sold coffee and a short distance had me sitting by a tilt bridge for sandwiches and cool coffee on a handy bench. When i set off again it was a short distance until the remains of Odiham castle were passed.

And not much further on is the end of navigation by boats these days, there is a side pound of water so barges can turn around, the limit of navigation is imposed as another short distance brought me to the entrance of the Greywell tunnel wich is now closed to traffic apparently due to a collapse in the tunnel a long time ago.

The tunnel is now considered a great refuge for bats so is certainly being put to use, now a bit more map reading is needed to navigate a few turns in the village that give access to good footpaths over the large hill and into woodland on the far slope where the opposite end of the tunnel can be found, the canal through the woodland has little water in many places (a sad remnant of what was) but is considered again a good nature reserve, as progress is made some of it is restored and full of water including the wide turn with a side branch to what was a brick works years ago.

Really form my little knowledge it seems this canal was built just to late and time it was in working order i guess the railway arrived so taking most of it’s potential trade. At Up Nately the Basingstoke canal now ends abruptly at a road with the remaining miles filled in and lost for ever i imagine. I took the small road towards Hatch and then on to old Basing, here are the remains of Basing house (a casualty of the civil war), i thought a photo of its gated entrance would be the last photo of the day when the well i never moment struck. In this case i was at a small road junction by a rail bridge looking at my map as there was a footpath marked along side the rail way which didn’t seem obvious to see at first, two youngsters were very helpful in asking what i was looking for and pointed out the hidden sign just as i spotted it. Then looking to my side i was once again amazed, this time to see a Dalek in a garden.

Footpaths proved easy to follow alongside the rail line all the way to the station which was good as i had expected some road walking. all in all another nice day, plenty of history and all easy to access.

Kingston to Clapham Jct (Jan 21st)

Cloudy, chill breeze, little rain. 15.9 miles.

It didn’t take many minutes to get from the station and onto the river bank in a fine park with an avenue of London plane trees (seemed to capture a couple of local walkers in the photo).

What caught my attention was a black old/dead fungus which i fancy was a not often seen Inonotus hispidus, not often seen as they tend to grow high in Ash trees and only get noticed when they fall to the ground in spring, a search upwards went some way to confirming my suspicion.

Never seen them on London plane before but then don’t get to see London plane trees all that often (the tree is a curious accidental cross breed of two maple species which is a tale in itself). Back to the trail, yep it’s fine there are plenty of fine buildings to ogle, the path soon passes eel island and then has ham house on one side of the river while opposite is marble hill, both well out of my price range. The river is home to so many fine boats and the lightweight rowing for speed type are housed in some fine buildings evenly spaced along todays path, this one was an eye catching example.

A bit further along and i’m passing the old dear park which i didn’t know is home to an old observatory and this apparently is the site of the first meridian line (time starts here, or it did) until a newer observatory at Greenwich took over the role. There is a marker post lined up with a obelisk and the observatory making this piece of history and i gained another poor photo award.

The old dear park is adjoining the royal botanic gardens, the path gives a fine view down one of the tree lined avenues to a large glass house (that photo is to bad to post) and again some fine buildings that are home to various scientific collections. continuing on finally brings one to the Kew bridge which seems an impressive structure spanning the ever widening Thames.

It seemed an equally fine place to stop for sandwiches which i’d hardly finished and the sky decided to turn damp, luck prevailed as this didn’t last long. Now while plodding onward comes one of the great parts of hiking, what surprise may hove into view, there sure had been plenty to see but not on the expected list was a milking cow beside the trail.

Then i passed a house displaying a plague informing me that a ballerina had lived there, this was followed by another where apparently Holst the composer had lived.

As if this wasn’t enough i then notice my progress was being observed by a space man.

Bridges have featured a lot on the Thames path, and impressive they are in design, then i came to the most impressive so far, Hammersmith bridge really is just something to marvel at.

The path had stuck to river like a limpet to here and onward, nearing  Putney bridge one can see and hear Fulham football stadium on the opposite bank. I passed Putney bridge and on nearing Wandsworth the path has to divert amongst some building developments where a handy sandwich wagon was spotted (time for a rest). The path meanders sometimes on the river bank and some times amongst houses, the only tricky road crossing is by Wandsworth bridge and its soon back into a fine park with London plane trees along the river bank just as the day started. A short distance after that i turned away from the river to find the railway station for home.

The path never became overly busy with people , there is a huge amount to see, at any time one can look up at big airliners but their noise wasn’t as bad as expected.

Platanus × acerifolia, the London plane, London planetree, or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis (oriental plane) and the Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore). Some authorities think that it may be a cultivar of P. orientalis. {from Wikepedia}

Ash vale to Winchfield (Jan 19th)

wet clearing, some  sun then wet. 13.7 miles.

I was feeling pretty lucky time i reached the start as most of the rain seemed to have fallen and so i proceeded in minor damp conditions which improved to dry fairly soon. The path is immediately pretty with plenty of trees alongside and soon becomes distant from urban noise.

There were puddles aplenty but the path is very good and remained so all day. As the canal nears Farnborough it has a long section high on an embankment but continues tree lined and pleasant though a short spell of traffic noise is apparent after crossing a renewed aqueduct, then we move nearer the surrounding ground level and across heath land with plenty of army personnel dashing around in training. At one point i came upon a deserted barge that seemed sad as once as with so many things in life it must have been brand new and some ones pride and joy.

Approaching fleet i was as ever amazed at how quiet it is on this lovely path, in the middle of Fleet i was lucky enough at a road bridge to spot not far distant i garage with sign for coffee, so a quick purchase washed down the sandwiches a treat. Soon after i passed a pub right beside the canal which may suite many walkers,on continuing towards Crookham the path became even quieter and moved into a rural idyll, i came upon a swing bridge which is a common sight on other canals.

Here i had to stop a while and enjoy watching a pair of king fishers, notice there is no ice on the canal today which just shows how our temperature can vary over a few days, the king fishers were darting up and down noisily i couldn’t decide whether they were courting or arguing which of course is hard to differentiate in many species. The path goes amongst farmland and woodland, one thing that stood out was the large number (i’ve never seen so many on such a short stretch) of anti tank/landing craft defences left over from the last war.

These photographed are square but some were round, they were on both canal banks and accompanied by the pill boxes used to protect men with guns, for some reason unknown to me this area must have been considered ripe for invasion. The canal does pass through a couple of fairly large cuttings and it is certainly food for thought to try and imagine moving so much soil with a spade. By now the sun was out and it would be hard to imagine a more pleasant day, still meandering across the landscape as the canal builders make best use of natural contours. After passing Dogmersfield i came to  Barley mow bridge where there was another canal side pub and i turned north for a short stroll to Winchfield station.

Luck is a fickle phenomenon and after all that fine walking it was quite unexpected for the sky to quickly turn black and down came a shower that i was glad to miss on the trail, yes and luck is fickle as i found the other side of its coin when i missed a connecting train by two minutes and so had an hour to wait, ho hum wander off and find a tea shop. The whole day would be classed as good, the afternoon very good and that’s in January, in mid may this could be a real picture with spring flowers ect abounding.

Byfleet to Ash vale (Jan 16th)

Cold, sunny, no wind. 14.6 miles.

The day started at the old station of Byfleet and new haw, which now sadly looks like it is suffering from disinterest when it must have been real busy in the past as it is alongside the old brooklands airfield which was used as a motor racing circuit for some time. From my map i thought i permissive path ran alongside the railway to the canal but alas find it i could not so a short loop was made to get me on the (initially) wey navigation which was frozen and the weak early sun was doing little to alleviate tingling fingers.

 

It sure was pretty and i soon came to the junction where i went under the bridge (next image) following the wey navigation but today was over the bridge and along the Basingstoke canal.

 

Much of the day would be amongst/through this mixed woodland, much of it hardwoods so no leaves to hinder the suns access much to the delight of the water fowl, there is some amusement to be had seeing them skidding around on ice looking so confused (i can only wonder if they understand why their liquid home has gone solid), it’s also true to say that in the low lying shady parts the ice never melted.

Around the sheerwater area i was impressed by the number and variety of house boats.

 

Approaching the Woking area is more built up over distance than i have become accustomed to but the canal walk itself remains pretty, there were more walkers/cyclists but it’s obviously nearer a built up area evident by the increase in litter which never fails to amaze me, anyway i found a nice lock gate beam to sit on in full sunshine to eat a sandwich with little birds flitting around it was a nice stop.

Heading towards deepcut alongside a long run of locks i came upon a section where the water had been drained between three locks as some major repairs were being attended to, a drained canal shows how they were made just deep enough for large barges and no more than that.

 

By now the path had become much more rural again and would be normally quiet i guess, but today there was a lot of gun fire as the area contains a lot of military training sites and they do like to exercise their weapons. Never mind i found another sunny spot for the last sandwich and saw a king fisher exploring a thawed section of water for a dinner. The whole walk has been across sand/gravel area so the path is fine under foot and now the mid afternoon has brought out many a dog walker through some very nice area’s indeed, i could say the canal passes but crosses would be a nearer description of it’s inclusion across one end of Mytchett lake.

 

Then it’s a short stroll to the station for a ride home, at the station i did wonder if i had turned into the pied piper as there were three rats clambering around in some shrubs completely unconcerned about people moving around near them. Of course by the time i was walking across my home town the sun was long down and so was the temperature again. (a rather good day and this trail promises to move more into the countryside on the next leg).

Guildford to Christs hospital (Jan 12th)

mild, cloudy, chilly breeze that diminished. 18.5 miles.

Out of the station and straight across the road down some steps and i’m back on the canal side Wey south path, soon passing some nice sculptures, this time based on Alice in wonderland. Within half a mile the town noise is lost, the quiet meadows are a treat as the water winds it’s way through a gap in the down land.

 

curiously for some reason the railway didn’t wind its way through the gap but actually disappears in a long tunnel to reappear a little further along the trail. The path continues to follow the canal passing under the railway that turns east and eventually comes to the water way fork with a side canal that goes off to Godalming, just after passing this i made a right up onto the old railway track bed that would be my path for the rest of the day. Not far along is a road crossing with laybye that housed a sandwich van, oh a hot drink and some fun banter with mine hosts. The track bed gives good views over the water course for some time before they drift apart. I have to be boring and say once again it’s amazing how quiet these wonderful trails are with the occasional dog walker and even less cycles (though this is a designated cycle route). Near Wonersh appeared an old station looking as if just waiting for the days trains return.

 

The path continues sometimes in woodland and one thing became noticeable, there seemed to be an ever uphill gradient.

 

At one point crossing an old brick bridge i noticed a river bed passing under then along side the path with no water in it, then i realised this is part of the disused canal and this is one section that cleared of trees could soon be refilled but believe restoration is concentrating on areas that are more difficult to resurrect for now. There is wild life to enjoy but no parakeets so guess i’m to far south for them, i did come across a nice array of mica cap fungi.

 

The path continues most of the way directly on the old rail track bed with a slight sideways deviation at Cranleigh, here no semblance of the old railway is seen but a little further on at Baynards the path kinks around the old station which is in private hands and is just there completely as it was fifty odd years ago.

 

See internet for better photos. Perhaps surprisingly the path is still climbing gently to get over the down land, and soon i find i’m nearing the top as the track disappears into a tunnel under the pointed ridge top, the tunnel is blocked of, but a fine path meanders over the top to rejoin the track bed on the other side, at the top was a post stating i’m crossing the Sussex border. Now the path actually has a downward trend for a while and at one point a double bridge appears under my feet.

 

Apparently the initial (low) bridge was deemed to low by authorities as it caused the need for a rather steep section of track so the raised (upper) bridge had to be installed before the private rail company was allowed to open the line, in note this also meant the embankment either side of the bridge would have had to be raised right across this fairly large valley to match the bridge lever so they had to find a lot of dirt from somewhere.

So it’s been nice under foot all day until one and a half miles from Christs hospital where there is a sudden diversion that meant doing the last mile of the day on tarmac, once i reached the station i could see why as there is no access on that side and they wouldn’t want people arriving on foot from the old line onto that in use as if no other reason the trains here get there power from a live electic rail.

Christ’s hospital seems a strange name for a village which is really a college community, a quick search of the net (Wikipedia) reveals it has a long history and is yet another of those interesting things that just keep turning up. The mileage for the day was pushing the boundaries of day light, but luckily i made it with a very low sun behind clouds at the end and the days are getting longer.

Weybridge to Guildford (Jan 10th)

Cloudy, mild. 14.8 miles.

It was an easy stroll from the station to the river Wey and navigation (canal), on the way i picked up a take away coffee in Weybridge and wandered down to the river where i was met by the first great sight of the day, a grand bridge over the river and far right of photo can be seen the canal entrance/start point.

So a good point to sit down with a sandwich and enjoy the cooling coffee. The path launches straight into rural backwaters, quiet and beautiful. Not far at all and up comes a lock/weir combination at an old mill, barges are starting to move and i suspect this can get quite busy in the summer.

A little further along there was a magpie riding on a ponies back (the photo was useless), closely followed by seeing a parakeet inspecting two holes in a tree trunk, me thinks it was looking for a nest site, whether they make holes in trees themselves i do not know but considering their beak shape i suspect they may pinch woodpeckers holes, all this in less than an hour, it’s turning into a brilliant day.

After New Haw the path passes under a railway and the M 25 motorway and passes the junction with the Basingstoke canal.

So it gets a bit traffic noisy for a while but not to bad, then the motorway and canal veer away from each other and it is more lovely country side as we approach Pyrford lock and a huge marina with a large number of small boats and barges moored until the first sunny weekend perhaps. The path continues it’s meander to maybe the jewel of the day, Newark priory remains, another religious establishment dissolved by Henry VIII th.

Looks a good spot for a wild camp for a summer hiker, not obvious in the photo (but clear to see on google earth) the priory appears to be built on a large island with a side stream going around the far side and joining back with the one i’m walking. Now i don’t know if this is actually natural as in those days they needed food as now and often these religious communities were well into fish farming so often modified at least the local water ways, either way it’s a beauty for the historian or possibly the photographer/painter looking for a subject.

I will just be boring and say the path continues good looking, at papercourt lock some people were planting a new hedge alongside the path and a bit further along was another of those you never know what may be drinking/bathing in the canal.

A little further along the path was a Grebe which as normal wouldn’t come close enough for a photo, but produced a bit of fun as water fowl often do, in that when i got close it disappeared under the water, the fun is looking for a slight trail of bubbles indicating which way it is going and so anticipate where it will emerge, not sure if the bubbles are as the bird slowly breathes out but suspect it’s from air trapped in the birds plumage.

Plenty more water meadows, fields, woodland, even the occasional pond with some fine view like this approaching an old mill near Jacobs well.

This is a fine example of design within the environment without destroying it in that the original river is still there taking a big loop across the landscape, this section of canal i can see was built cutting across the loop and using it as a water source to fill the canal and drive the mill, any unused water continues on the original course joining the canal below the bottom lock (simply perfect).

Eventually approaching Guildford i start to see more than occasional dog walker and a few cyclist, the walk into town is still picturesque finally with a park along side the canal with some extremely nice wood carvings.

(Looking at maps and around the net i find that the Wey south path continues south from Guildford with a fork to Godalming, the canal south used to reach all the way to Arundel, this canal fell into disuse and disrepair but is apparently now being returned to it’s former state. The Wey south path does travel all the way to Arundel but not always beside what was the canal. Further to this and rather attractive i find there is a path/cycle route following old railway track beds all the way to Shoreham by the sea. So for anyone wishing to hike from London to the south coast there really are some attractive options).

Staines to Kingston on Thames (Jan 7th)

Cloudy, cool breeze, some sun. 15.6 miles.

From Staines station it is an easy stroll back to the Thames path and straight away there are fine views upstream, though the Thames looks little wider here than in Oxford i suspect it is a lot deeper going by the size of some boats moored along the banks.

The path never became over busy, so just plenty of dog walkers and the ever present rowing teams getting in some exercise, there are still fields to enjoy and no where did it feel overly built up, there are some impressive house boats noticeable.

Approaching Chertsey the path crossed under the M3 motorway, so traffic noise is evident for a short while, soon after comes the rather nice Chertsey bridge which i didn’t have to cross.

This is followed by a wildlife meadow so who wouldn’t like living in Chertsey, more of the same untill near Shepperton, where the river Wey joins the Thames, there is a choice here of taking a ferry across the Thames and walking the opposite bank or staying on foot this side which i chose.

(i note the river Wey is a navigable river boats/barges, with path named the Wey way!, this is the problem with hiking and looking at maps, just keep spotting other walks to explore some time.)

This alternative path goes onto small roads around the edge of Shepperton, some small woodland and park so perfectly pleasant taking in a nice church, village architecture and immediately on leaving the river passes an old ships mascot now on a chandlers wall.

The path really is pleasant enough and soon reaches the bridge to Walton on Thames which i crossed, this bridge is best described as functional, but it’s full width was available for pedestrians as a new one right next to it now carries the traffic. Some times the path passes right in front of rowing club premises and i can’t help noticing that as the teams get in their craft they leave a row of foot ware on the launch point, assumedly they come back to the same spot and find their foot ware next to their seat when exiting their craft, assume the foot ware is left behind to save weight.

Close to Sunbury lock i had stopped to enjoy my pork pie, and then in a near perfect sense of timing was a tea shop, the lock and weir at Sunbury are much as else where with a big weir, an island for the lock house and controls then the lock and the bank i’m walking on, i guess as ever they discovered what worked and stuck with that design. The path carries on as pleasant as ever with fine views of Sunbury court and the water works across the river, the path is alongside hurst park and i even noticed a cricket ground, then there is another ferry available, more of the same past Mosesey lock and we come to Hampton bridge which i have to cross and pass a path mileage sign.

The path now follows right around the southern edge of Hampton court and it’s park, you can guess how nice it is, as for the house, well not a bad front door.

So the views and path are perfect, but by now the parakeets i mentioned a few posts ago are becoming a little to common with their commotion and some are even appearing tame enough to get near for a photo.

The day ended with another fine bridge to cross into Kington upon Thames, where the nearby station was easy to find.

I must add that walking over that bridge and into Kinston was a bit of a population shock, for the first time it’s a real sense that i’m getting near the City.

Maidenhead to Staines (Jan 2nd)

cool, sunny. 16.2 miles.

A certain chill in the air when i left home, this was heightened at Reading station waiting for a delayed train, on reaching Maidenhead a brisk walk across the town to river Thames had me warm and i remained so all day. The early chill was due to lack of over night cloud cover which allows the earth to cool, it also means a clear sky for the early morning sun which put on a fine display of rising above  the horizon today.

So reach Maidenhead bridge and cross it as it’s time to change river bank again, down onto the path and it’s not long before passing under a fine rail bridge, this is one of brunnels fine design/constructions which apparently is still the widest shallowest curve brick bridge there is and remains admired by modern engineers. The fact it was built over a hundred years ago and is still here carrying hundreds of trains every day is a great monument to a remarkable man who was both genius and workaholic.

There were already plenty of rowing boats on the water, so it was really pleasant walking along the river bank until i was near Queens eyot marina where the path was closed apparently in preparation for the Olympics so i had to follow a diversion around the rowing centre and rejoined the river bank right by the beautiful little church at Boveney court.

The path continues through countryside and is quite pretty with plenty of architecture to be seen and the occasional lock/weir combination, as the path approaches Windsor the castle starts to dominate the horizon but today i won’t have time to call in and see if my distant relatives are at home. In the middle of Windsor is another fine bridge which i crossed to the other river bank.

Windsor was rather busy but the Thames path soon led to quieter walking and gave a fine view of the castle.

This really is open fields again, there is a small amount of road walking at Datchet then back to fields until reaching the Albert bridge where you guessed it’s time to change river banks again.

Mostly countryside again until i reached a lock/weir combination where it was just fine to stop and enjoy my pork pie, a few walkers passing and passing the time of day but really suprisingly quiet considering the big towns nearbye. Next up comes the Runnymede memorial park where apparently the magna carta was signed.

1215 AD was rather a long time ago, i can only wonder if they new the importance of what they were doing would still be recognised. The path remains amazingly rural with perhaps ever more boats/barges moored on the water, my eye was taken by mistletoe growing on a hawthorne tree which i don’t recall seeing before, the path goes under a huge concrete bridge (M25) but this isn’t an eyesore, for stressed concrete it was nicely designed.  Another mile or so and the Staines bridge is reached and crossed to gain the opposite bank for the last time today, it was a short stroll under the rail bridge and then find the station which is no problem and convenient.

Another year (2011/2012)

Well, 2011 didn’t turn out as planned (only 995 miles in total) but i sure went to some great places, the local (ish) hikes have been fun and the extra coast line covered was certainly interesting but i must say the wide coast to coast was the best, a real cross section of British geology, history and fine people to meet. The problem with hiking is i keep looking at maps and seeing places and trails not yet ventured upon. The image below from google earth shows (green and blue lines) longer hikes completed, the blue coast is a 900 mile line so far and illustrates well that the whole coast will be a long time if ever completed.

So what of 2012, well for a start that sounds like a good number to aim for mileage wise. I will  continue with fairly local hikes for now to keep the legs moving. For 2012 the Welsh coast is due to be completed (see white line on image) and would i fancy be more than fun to do, so hopefully around end of March beginning of April i will be arriving in Chester (just in England) to make a start. The official site states it is 850 miles, there is a google map of the path in the maps tab (best opened as larger map and find option to open in google earth), there is a list of stage mileages in the route tab, i came up with a little less mileage than the official site but that is normal for lines on maps, (people carrying  gps always find their winding walk is a bit further than lines dawn on a map).