In 1993 Sophie and I went trekking in Nepal in the Gorkha district which was at the epicentre of the earthquake that has caused such devastation to that country and hardship for its wonderful and stoic people.  We went with our friends Ed and Sarah Mackaness.  Ed was serving with the Gurkhas at the time.  The hospitality we received in every village we visited was astonishing - even if warm fermented yak milk is not really your thing.

I had been umming and erring about whether or not to run the Neolithic Marathon down in Wiltshire with my brother William this weekend.  I have a slightly strained calf muscle and a hint of shin splints if you must know.  Poor me. 

But there is something ironic and poignant about this run which starts at the standing stones of Avebury and ends at those at Stonehenge.  These boulders were positioned some 5,000 years ago and how tectonically lucky are we to live in a country where they remain in place.  In Nepal they would have toppled over last Thursday I suspect.

The picture above shows me trying to tiptoe ( do you like my purple boots? ) past an old boy I found asleep on the path coming down the hill into one of the very villages that has most likely now been destroyed.  I really don't want to stand quietly by now though......

So here's what I'm thinking.  If I wake up at 5.30am on Sunday morning and by that time £5,000 has been pledged by you generous souls to the Gurkha Welfare Trust which I have seen at first hand do wonderful and vital work, from their base at Pokhara, to sustain and support the Nepali community in the very region which has been hit so hard, then I will get in my car, drive the 2 hours down to Avebury and do this damned thing.