On what started as a bright clear Saturday morning at the weekend, Gareth Chaffey, Andy Callen, Rachel Williams and Phoebe Olsen, four of our 12 Wessex Walkers entering Trailwalker 2016, set off at 08:45 on a team training walk. Their goal, to follow the Clarendon Way from Salisbury Cathedral to Winchester Cathedral as one last big training session before the main event on 23–24 July 2016. To make this an even more useful exercise, Andy Crockett went along too, to recreate 10 km checkpoints for the team, providing sustenance, cups of tea and coffee, and if needed gentle encouragement. It turned out none (gentle encouragement that is) was needed at all, and the team went along at a very comfortable pace for the full distance. The weather for the most part helped, though a truly torrential downpour at about the midway point was a nuisance. The team eventually covered 40.74 km in just 7 hours 37 minutes of walking, not bad at all considering the challenge for Trailwalker 2016 is 100 km in 30 hours, and arrived weary but satisfied at Winchester Cathedral at just after 7 pm – and everyone blister-free! Organised with the Queens Gurkha Signals, Trailwalker raises funds to support the excellent work of both Oxfam and The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
For more information and to consider sponsoring the team, please click on the link below.
