Hadrian’s Wall……done!
The intrepid group of Winterfold and Bromsgrove staff, parents and pupils started at Wallsend in Newcastle on 27th May, setting off in groups; the walkers first, then the runner/walkers and then the hard core runners – each with a thirty minute gap between them. Twenty-eight miles to the day’s finish at Chollerford, with the route going through the middle of Newcastle, past the bustling waterfront and out into the industrial heartlands of the east, before following the course of the Tyne and then up into the hills of Northumbria. Mr Brinkley and Mrs Watts were on hand every 12km or so to administer sugar and fluids from the Winterfold minibus.
The finish for day one was the George Hotel at Chollerford. Nestled next to North Tyne River, it was a beautiful and peaceful spot to sit and contemplate what they had all achieved that day. Many had never covered that kind of distance before – let alone run most of it, so there was a real buzz amongst the team. A particular mention must go to James Sirrett who, owing to a professional football commitment in Kent, had to start the challenge a bit later than the rest of the group but managed to cover the distance in supersonic time.
The second day was the longest – twenty-nine miles. This was the section with the most wall, and the Romans had decided to use all available topographical features to make their wall just that little bit more difficult to scale. Thus, albeit the most beautiful and historic section of the Hadrian’s Wall Path, it was also the most knee-crunching, blister-bulging, muscle-mangling and lung-bursting segment of the challenge. A massive thanks goes to Mrs Watts who was able to apply her magic and potions to somehow make everyone walk again.
Day three was supposed to be the most downhill and flat segment of the path. However, the group was momentarily distracted by the presence of a real-life superhero in the guise of Bromsgrove teacher Matt Giles. Matt, who is quite accustomed to this type of thing, had decided to opt to do the whole eighty-four miles in less than twenty-four hours…without stopping. He started at around 6pm on the Monday evening, ran through the night and had covered the fifty-six miles or so by breakfast.
The last ten miles was mostly downhill and pretty flat but that didn’t make it any easier. “I think I can honestly say that the last ten miles down the Solway Estuary was probably the most painful ten miles of my life”, said Mr Dieppe, the mastermind behind the challenge. “It was soul-destroying, it was quad burning and it was made worse by the fact that Matt kept going faster and faster. Twenty-six miles later, it was done. We had our pictures taken at the official end of the path (which looks a little like a bus stop) and then encamped at the top of the hill at Bowness-on-Solway, next to a pub to cheer the team in. Everyone was magnificent, finishing with smiles on their faces despite the personal pain they had encountered. Blisters, pulled tendons and burning muscles didn’t matter. We had done it!”
“To everyone who battled through thick and thin and achieved something incredible for an equally incredible cause, I salute you”.
“A massive thanks to all those who have sponsored us. The response has been overwhelming and we are now close to doubling our original target of £3000. We’ll be able to buy a lot of shoes for the children of Ncemaneni, and it will make a huge difference”.