So, after months of planning, we reached the finish line of our walk to Mont St Michel cathedral on Thurs 29th May having started at the west door of Winchester cathedral on Wed 21st May.
It’s not too late to sponsor us! We hope you’ll be interested to read about our venture and lend your support.
We walked in Dad’s memory, to raise money for the Sarah Matheson Trust for Multiple System Atrophy, covering 170 miles in 9 days and it really was a fantastic trip despite the weather and resulting conditions testing us greatly. We had everything from brilliant sunshine to thunder and lightning with torrential rain, bringing the aftermath of knee deep mud and flooded paths! We completed it virtually unscathed, with minimal blister problems – thanks to meticulous foot care every morning and evening. We’ve gained a walker’s tan (face and arms!), the appetite of a large horse and vastly improved our French conversation skills and vocabulary (including the words for mud, wet boots and queen wasp!). We’re also feeling pretty fit.
We paid our own ferry crossing, whilst our family - Jay and Richard, across the water in France generously financed our accommodation en route, and also came to the rescue after our ferry bound for Cherbourg was diverted to Caen due to a fishermen’s strike blockade. They met us at Caen and took us back to our hotel in Cherbourg, so thankfully we could start the French leg of the walk in the right place the following morning!
Our French hosts en route were charming, most were very interested in our project and several sponsored us. We stayed in a range of lovely accommodation, including the converted turret of a 16th century manoir, and with an ex-Paris restaurateur who cooked an 8 course gourmet meal, complete with Kir Normande, a shot of 45 year old Calvados, and shellfish which her husband had caught that day.
Our reception committee: Jay and Richard, Chris's wife and children, plus Mum met us at Mont St Michel with a bottle of champagne! We relaxed in France for a few more days before returning to the UK.
The whole project gave us a great sense of personal achievement and we are delighted to have had such great support towards a superb total for the Sarah Matheson Trust, which will be used to design and produce new information especially for children, to help in understanding this complex and devastating neurological disease. So, that’s our story – if you’ve not already done so, hope you’ll sponsor us!

Best wishes,  Chris and Anna