Tuesday 13 October 2026
ANNOUNCING MY NEXT EXCITING LETJOG WALKING CHALLENGE: ‘ROUTE 1066’ – a 360-mile march to ‘SAVE CASTLE FIELDS’
Today, Tuesday 13 October 2026, is the eve of the 960-year anniversary of The Battle of Hastings – when William of Normandy defeated Harold’s Anglo-Saxon forces on his way to taking the English Crown. From Monday 2 November, and over the subsequent 23 days, I shall be following William’s march, of around 360 miles, from his landing at Pevensey Bay, via the said skirmish at Battle and the eventual surrender by the English at Berkhamsted, to William’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066 – a bloody and far-from-straightforward journey, with many a twist and turn.
But before I explain further the details of my walk, let us wind the clock forward almost a millennium – or 96 decades if we are being precise – for a few words on why am I attempting ROUTE 1066. This latest chapter of the story starts in 2017 with the founding of Berkhamsted Castle Trust, a charity set up to preserve and promote the historic motte and bailey castle at Berkhamsted in West Hertfordshire. The fortress was built by the Normans shortly after their conquest, on the site where William took the surrender of the Anglo-Saxon nobles in late 1066, and with it the Crown of England.
The remains of Berkhamsted Castle, with its impressive walls and earthworks, are now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall alongside the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Berkhamsted Castle Trust, and the site is managed by the Trust with the support of English Heritage. Aside from the ongoing management and promotion of these historic relics, the main challenge of the Trust over the last year or so has been to launch and to pursue the ‘SAVE CASTLE FIELDS’ campaign. These fields comprise 30 acres immediately to the east of the Castle that, despite their huge historical and cultural importance, remain threatened by building development. In September 2025 the Trust took advantage of a philanthropic loan of £500,000 to purchase the site, subject to the loan being repaid by Summer 2027. My ROUTE 1066 walk is to raise awareness, and hopefully some significant funds, for this campaign – so as to secure the legacy of Castle Fields for future generations.
There are some further details on Castle Fields on my HOME page above and, over the next fortnight or so before I set off on my walk, I will be posting on these pages plenty more information on the SAVE CASTLE FIELDS campaign, and also on my ROUTE 1066 challenge itself – including details of my preparations for the 24-day hike, as I join William in confronting the uncertainties of the November weather.
Please support my efforts by subscribing to my Blog: just go back to the BLOG page on this website and scroll down until you see the ‘Follow My Blog’ heading and then enter your email address in the box provided. And then you will receive an update by email every time I post an update on these pages – there is no cost for this (and it is all completely free of adverts)!
Thank you for following my ROUTE 1066 journey – re-tracing the steps of William the Conqueror in 1066 on his 360-mile campaign trail from Pevensey Bay, via Berkhamsted, and on to Westminster Abbey. If you are following my Blog, enjoying the ramble, and would like to help us to SAVE CASTLE FIELDS for future generations by pledging £39 to sponsor a 3×3-metre square of the land, then please click on this link:
THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING MY ROUTE 1066 WALK, AND FOR HELPING TO PRESERVE THE LEGACY OF CASTLE FIELDS
Those of you who are familiar with these posts will know that my Blog heading always takes the form of a song title. I do not recall ever having led with a historical date before, but ‘1066’ certainly seems an appropriate heading today – the song by this title is a number penned and performed by heavy metal group Saxon, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, from their 2024 album ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’. Saxon themselves have been around for half a century, and they have had eight UK Top 10 albums: they are not really my cuppa but, for obvious reasons, I have decided to kick off my ROUTE 1066 playlist with ‘1066’. Over the next few weeks we may come to question the historical accuracy of some of the lyrics to the song, but the words certainly make for a stirring start to my latest walking challenge:
In 1066 in the year of our lord
The conqueror came with warhorse and sword
He landed in England at the Pevensey shore
From the land of the Normans with bloodline restored
A warrior family, a duke and a lord
Taking the throne through conflict and war
In the Battle of Hastings, one side destroyed
A clash of the strongest, to the victor the spoils
1066, the conqueror came
Never forget, remember the name
In 1066 the Saxons were slain
The day that the conqueror came
In 1066, 1066
Harold had beaten the vikings at Stamford
Routing Hardrada the end of an age
Dayglow was finished, the shield war defeated
An army triumphant, they marched to their grave
But news traveled fast of a second invasion
The army of Saxons would face a new foe
Tired and weary they marched to the battle
Where William was waiting with quiver and bow
1066, the conqueror came
Never forget, remember the name
In 1066 the Saxons were slain
The day that the conqueror came
They gathered in splendor in fields near the Hastings
They’ll fight to the death for England’s proud soil
No quarter was given, they charged ‘gainst each other
Battling, slicing and ripping with sword
The cavalry charged and cut the defences
The arrows came flying and pierced Harold’s eye
The Normans were victors, the end of the Saxons
A new king would reign, history reborn
1066, the conqueror came
Never forget, remember the name
In 1066 the Saxons were slain
1066, the conqueror came
Never forget, remember the name
In 1066 the Saxons were slain
The day that the conqueror came
In 1066
