Wessex Archaeology has entered three teams in this year’s Trailwalker challenge. The teams are all busy training for the epic event. Salisbury based manager Gareth Chaffey has been giving us some thoughts on why he is taking part.
‘Once I had signed up for Trailwalker I almost regretted it. I enjoy walking, but haven't done any for some time now. And I thought to myself that it can't be that hard. Can it?
I have been training when I can, mostly in the evenings and occasional weekends and only now I am beginning to truly understand the enormity of the task ahead. I recently undertook my biggest training walk from Salisbury back home, a gruelling 40km trek through the Hampshire countryside. And it was tough. A hot and sticky day (made all the harder by occasional erroneous map reading), but I got there. No blisters, a few aches and the dawning realisation that on the day I would have to effectively turn around and walk back to Salisbury, and then keep going for another 20km!
This has now become a personal challenge for me. Not getting as much exercise as I used to is making it harder but I will do it. I will do it because I will be walking with my friends and colleagues, and I will do it for the amazing charities of Oxfam and the Gurkha Trust. Together we can provide safe drinking water, training, schools and sustainable ways of living for those who need it most.
If you can give anything at all, please do'.
Collectively they are the Wessex Walkers the link below will take you to their Just Giving page where they are trying to raise £4200 for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
