He did it!  Owen walked the 80 miles of Offa's Dyke Path from Sedbury to Knighton in the hottest spell so far this year, topping 29 degrees Centigrade, and raising £355 online and £240 offline so far for the Colostomy Association.  Brilliant for someone pushing 74 and just 4 months after undergoing parastomal hernia surgery.

Strenuous.  Now what does that word conjure up for you?  A grassy slope?  A narrow path and steps into the valley?  We though our training in the Chilterns and the Lambourn Downs was just about on the money.  Wrong!  Think 1-in-2 precipice, scree, tree roots, mud, potholes, loose boulders, ruts, and you'd come somewhere close.  To get to our overnight stop in Tintern, we had to negotiate the 'path' from the Devil's Pulpit (another clue is in the name) way up there to down here in the valley.  Nightmare on Caswell Wood!  Owen got leg cramps and was in agony on this descent where every step and foothold had to be carefull considered and made.  And this was only Day One!

A few days into our walk, we noticed a piece of metal stuck to the underside of Owen's boot.  Further investigation revealed that the boot's metal soleplate had chopped clean through the tread!  In Hay on Wye, he bought another pair of walking boots, which turned out to be turbo-charged, because he marched along to Knighton at top speed then.

We walked with a party of 13, mostly young schoolfriends in their mid-60's (!) and their partners.  This was our second walk with them, after walking the 80-mile Isle of Wight Coastal Path last year.  They had already knocked off the Coast to Coast and the West Highland Way in the previous two years to celebrate being 60! 

13 was obviously a lucky number for Owen; he led the field to the finish at Knighton.  It was an unlucky number for me though; after a 13-mile trek to Hay on Wye, 50 miles from the start, I got overheated and my ankles and feet swelled like two balloons, so I had to follow the luggage van after that, unable to walk the last 30 miles.  (I know my place.)

The walk was so scenic and beautiful, with riverbank, bluebell woods, moorland ponies, buttercup meadows, steep country lanes, undulating sheepfields, dry stream beds, cider apple orchards and high heathland, all picture perfect in May.  The blue sky enhanced the wide views of green valleys and little villages, especially from the spine of Hatterall Hill, 1,800 feet high, with dangerous slopes on either side to Llanthony and Longtown, west and east. 

Do have a look at the 10 photos here; every picture tells a story.  Owen now has a real sense of achievement, knowing that he managed to walk such tricky terrain in such a good cause.

Thanks for taking the time to visit Owen's JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - Owen raises more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much for your most generous donation.

Madeline & Owen