Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Yesterday was the sponsored walk along the Grantham Canal from Tollerton Lane Bridge to Woolsthorpe Depot 27.5 miles. It was a cracking day out.

The day began at 05:00 with an early breakfast and final check of my walking kit. Angela then drove us to Woolsthorpe Depot where we picked up fellow walker Anthony and headed, via the back roads, to our meeting point at Tollerton Bridge. (Our planned route via the A52 was unavailable due to a helpful road closure in place).

At 07:00 at Tollerton Lane Bridge we met the other walkers – from Greenfields Countryside Ltd. The Company had organised the walk to raise funds for the Grantham Canal restoration.

The sun was shining but there was a chill in the air as we set off along the canal. The walk had two planned stops ( 8 mile and 17 mile) where we would meet the Grantham Canal Society caravan and cold drinks, cakes, teas would be dispensed 😊.

The youngsters in the group set off at a fast pace, 3.2 mph – I wondered whether we would have a case of the hare and the tortoise. The towpath was built of solid material and it was easy walking at this stage.

As we approached Cropwell Bishop Country Park a couple of Rangers from The Grantham Canal Society were stationed to warn us of approaching traffic from a blind bend on the road. After crossing they cheered us onwards.

It felt like a surprisingly short time before we arrived at our first planned stop.

After cold drinks, a butty and delicious cake I set off for leg 2- our next stop would be after further 9 miles near Dove Cottage, Harby.

Soon we were passing through the dry section of canal.

I was lucky walking with Anthony who has been a volunteer on the canal for almost a decade. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart and was proud to point out areas / projects where he had worked.

We came across a fallen tree which we had to limbo under.

Arriving at Hickling Basin the sun was strong but we were doing great.

We had a short stop just past Bridge 37 and waited for everyone to re-group.

As I met people along the route I stopped to chat to them and explain why we were walking along the canal. I enjoyed these chats but unfortunately it did mean that I had to work hard to catch up with the group!

I was ready for a cold drink by the time we arrived at our stop near Dove Cottage . We were surprised when The Red Arrows flew past – always impressive to see.

At this stage we knew the hard bit was to come. The towpath was grassed and overgrown which would make the walking harder.

I was bitten by a horse fly which seemed abundant in this final section. One of the walkers dropped out due to a very bad blister. Other walkers were feeling the strain. Thankfully, I was doing ok

I saw a walker coming towards us that looked familiar – it was Angela 😊and a sight for sore eyes. A boost to keep us going on the final few miles.

I witnessed people digging deep to finish even though they were suffering. I received phone calls from folk checking on our progress – all was good. This final section was a tough one.

As we walked the the last half mile towards the depot at Woolsthorpe (our destination) we heard cheering and clapping from the canal side – Those younger hares had beaten the tortoises on this occasion but they were cheering us on – they knew how tough it had been.

Walking down the lane into the depot we received more rapturous applause – I found it very moving.

A BBQ awaited us and a cold drink. I noticed that quite a few of the young walkers were limping around and had their boots off. Yes, I thought, it HAD been a tough walk.

It had been an amazing day out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and helped towards raising £1500 for the restoration of the canal.

Happy Walking! 🚶‍♂️😊