The Mayor of Malmesbury will be putting his best foot forward this summer, to walk from Malmesbury to Kingston upon Thames, as part of the 1100th anniversary celebrations of Athelstan becoming King of Wessex and Mercia.
Cllr Stephen James is joining in a walk, taking in the route of the Athelstan Pilgrim Way – a network of footpaths and cycleways across North Wiltshire – and which is being extended for the event to Kingston, where Athelstan was crowned.
The130-mile walk starts from Malmesbury Town Hall at 10am on August 18, but will be split into three blocks of days (with 11 days of walking in total), finishing in Kingston on September 4.
While Cllr James and others are walking the entire route, everyone is welcome to join in for as much or as little of the walk as they wish.
Cllr James hopes along the way to raise funds for his Mayoral charities – HEALS and Malmesbury & District Food Bank.
“The walk seems an excellent way to mark the occasion of King Athelstan’s coronation, and the route will take in many Anglo Saxon settlements,” said Cllr James, who is a keen walker, and a member of Malmesbury Jackdaws Running Club.
“I hope other Mayors will be able to join me along the way as we pass through their towns, and on the last leg – from Hampton Court to Kingston – the Kingston Mayor Cllr Noel Hadjimichael and Bishop of Kingston Martin Gainsborough will be joining in.”
In conjunction with the walk, there will be an Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way cycle ride, taking place on September 3 and 4, from Malmesbury to Kingston. The aim is for the cyclists to arrive at the same time as the walkers.
The walk is being organised by the North Wiltshire Athelstan Pilgrim Way team, Malmesbury’s Athelstan 1100 team (led by Malmesbury Town Team and supported by Malmesbury Town Council), and Kingston upon Thames’ Athelstan Coronation team.
More about both the walk and the cycle ride are available at https://www.athelstan1100.co.uk/, with a breakdown of the route and distances being completed each day.
There is no fee to take part, although Cllr James is hoping for donations to be made to his charities, and walkers and cyclists are also being encouraged to seek sponsors.
To register interest in participating in either event, email hello@athelstan1100.co.uk
Article by Jo Smyth, Word Worker
