As you may know, I will be walking the 180 kms of Hadrian's Wall across Britain from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. I will be accompanied by my friend Rosemary and "Daisy", a miniature version of the cow at the Aesch campus of ISB. We would be delighted if you would like to sponsor us on our challenge. Donations, however small or large, will be gratefully received. We aim to raise 20,000 Swiss Francs, in order to enhance the lives and education of the children of Reuben Monareng School, South Africa.

You are invited to transfer donations to either of the following accounts, which Credit Suisse has kindly opened to support the charity venture. All monies collected will be donated to the Reuben Monareng School to complete their building project, and we thank you in advance for your support.

Bank accounts under the name of Lesley Barron: Credit Suisse IBAN number: CH4204835004400921003 (Swiss Franc account) or CH6204835004400922001 (Sterling Account).

We start our challenge on Sunday 11th September and will be walking for 10 days - whatever the British weather sends us!!

Rosemary, Daisy and I will keep you regularly informed about our adventures and progress via this blog. We would love to hear from you at anytime.

Thursday, 15 September 2016

Day 5: A challenging day

An early rise to see the moors come to life. The mist hung low and our early morning venture took us high in to the hills so that we looked down onto the mist. It would have been wonderful to be able to capture the sounds and the smells as we walked through one of the many copses; the ground was full of dew, the sound of a cock crowing and the mew of a bird of prey accompanied by the bleat of a sheep in the distance added to the sense of isolation. We walked for over an hour without seeing another human being or habitable building.

Early morning dew
Solitude

As we progressed along the Wall we began to encounter day trippers as this is the most accessible and famous section of the Wall. On our walk we once again met people from across the globe: German, Dutch, several Americans and our first Italian as well as a Chinese man. Oh,  by the way, there are a smattering of Brits too!
                                                                           
Historical fact: We were intrigued to discover that the Wall, during its three hundred years as the northern edge of the Roman Empire, was occupied by soldiers from every country in the known world. Immigration Roman style!

Sycamore Gap
Lunch was at the top of the place known as Sycamore Gap. The views east and west were magnificent, the elevation was not to my liking although Rosie relished my apprehension at having to walk down a steep, steep, steep path. From our position we could see a " Roman legion of children in orange hats". We were amazed to discover that our would be legionnaires were in fact a Grade 6 class from the American International School, London [ACS]. What an incredible coincidence! They were being guided by a sterling group of young teachers. Joy! Clambering up the next rugged headland, the students soon overtook us as they headed back to their coach.

Students of ACS

We are truly being looked after and the sun is shining on us, as to date the weather has been glorious. We now look west and not east as we are more than halfway on this amazing journey. A sign reinforcing this was when Hadrian's Wall Path intersected with the Pennine Way [the backbone of England].

Pennine Way and Hadrian's Wall Intersection

Rosie and I have been so moved by the reaction to our challenge by the people we have met. Tonight, for example, when we were having supper at a local B and B, Christine [chef, manager and superhuman] came to our table and gave us a generous donation for the children of Reuben Monareng School. People's generosity never fails but to humble us.

Daisy has been sorely missed...delighted to tell you that Aunty Daisy will be arriving in the near future...can't wait. Join us again tomorrow evening when we will tell you more of our exploits.


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