On Monday 2 November I set off on ‘ROUTE 1066’, following in the 960 year-old steps of William the Conqueror from the Battle of Hastings, via Berkhamsted, and on to Westminster Abbey – I am now into the second half of my walk, and I hope to complete the 360-mile journey in about 24 days, whilst raising awareness and funds for the SAVE CASTLE FIELDS campaign in Berkhamsted, to protect this historic site from development and secure its legacy for future generations
Please follow my ROUTE 1066 journey via the daily Blogs that I am currently posting of my progress and experiences on the trail: and perhaps take a look back at my earlier treks – the posts below are ordered with the most recent first, so just keep scrolling down the headings
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE MY BLOGS AUTOMATICALLY BY EMAIL AS SOON AS THEY ARE RELEASED THEN PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE ‘Follow My Blog’ BOX AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO REGISTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
ROUTE 1066 – Day 12: Friday 13 November 2026 – SOUTHWARK to KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES (16 miles) Well, I left everyone in suspense yesterday, with William barricaded from London and pondering his next move at the southern end of London Bridge, whilst his army ravaged and burned Southwark and the nearby settlements on the south bank of…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 11: Thursday 12 November 2026 – GREENWICH to SOUTHWARK (7 + 3 miles) Although this was quite a short walk – just seven miles – today’s ramble along the Thames Path on the south side of the river marked a significant milestone in William’s campaign to seize the Crown of England.…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 10: Wednesday 11 November 2026 – DARTFORD to GREENWICH (16 miles) With the lack once more of Norman landmarks to mark my pursuance of William’s campaign trail today, I thought that I would address a question that one or two of you have put to me in recent days – namely,…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 9: Tuesday 10 November 2026 – ROCHESTER to DARTFORD (16 + 1 miles) Well today, for the first time on my ROUTE 1066 walk, it seems that I have lost William’s trail. I have said before that his path from Canterbury to Southwark is unknown, so I have just taken it…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 8: Monday 9 November 2026 – SITTINGBOURNE to ROCHESTER (15 + 2 miles) I spoke yesterday about the lack of certainty over the route that William and his army took from Canterbury to London and, in the light of this conundrum, of my decision to prioritise my enjoyment of my ROUTE…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 7: Sunday 8 November 2026 – CANTERBURY to SITTINGBOURNE (18 miles) The truth is that, in researching my ROUTE 1066 path from Canterbury into London, I have not been able to ascertain the precise, or even the imprecise, campaign trail of William the Conqueror-to-be and his army. With the force of…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 6: Saturday 7 November 2026 – DOVER to CANTERBURY (18 + 2 miles) I will start off today with my historical piece. As we saw yesterday, William (still ‘the Bastard’, and still a long way from becoming ‘the Conqueror’) was forced to leave Dover during mid-November 1066 – unwell, and with…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 5: Friday 6 November 2026 – HYTHE to DOVER (16 + 2 miles) Yesterday I crossed from Sussex into Kent, the second of the ten counties that my ROUTE 1066 trail is destined to enter. I have spoken about the Cinque Ports, and my start and end points today, Hythe and…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 4: Thursday 5 November 2026 – RYE to HYTHE (22 miles) Autumn walking does not come much better than today; cool but with blue skies all day and the sunshine only interrupted by occasional clouds, and (after yesterday’s blasts) nothing more than a light headwind. The terrain was entirely free of…
ROUTE 1066 – Day 3: Wednesday 4 November 2026 – HASTINGS to RYE (15 + 3 miles) I took the above photo two days ago, in Pevensey, seated in the prow of a miniature replica of a Norman boat, just as I set out on my ROUTE 1066 adventure – and I have included it…
