Ave, Welcome to my site and many thanks for visiting.

Ok lets cut to the chase... Statistically 1 in 3 people are gay. Statistically 1 in 3 people will suffer from some form of cancer. Shocking isn't it? Not the gay statistic (i fully endorse that way of life) but the way that for every 3 people in the UK at least 1 will suffer at the hands of cancer.

Cancer doesn't just kill people. It destroys whole families. We all know someone who has been either killed by cancer or somebody who has lost a loved one to cancer. Its a crap, nasty, vindictive disease and its time we kicked its hateful bottom hard, fast, and repeatedly.

With this in mind i have decided to embark on a sponsered trek across Hadrian's Wall... from start to finish. That's a whopping 84miles. Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. Impressed? well what if i tell you that i'll be doing the walk in a mere 5 days. Impressed yet? Ok, i'll up the ante slightly. I'll be doing the entire walk in period 4th century Roman Legionnaire uniform (excepting Roman underpants as i have sensitive buttocks). If that wasn't enough i'll not consume a single Tracker bar or sip a single Lucozade as i will be only eating Roman Legionary rations!!!! Wherever possible i'll be sleeping in a Roman 'dog' tent for the duration of the sponsered trek.

My itinerary for this gruelling trek is as follows....

Day 1, Wallsend to Heddon-on-Wall. 15miles mainly flat walking with the added thrill of avoiding being mugged as i walk through one of Newcastle's many estates.

Day 2, Heddon-0n-Wall to Chollerford. 15miles of glorious Northumbrian countryside.

Day 3, Chollerford to Gilsland. 21 miles and perhaps the most difficult part of the walk. Up hill and down dale with little in the way of civilisation or lavatories until i reach Gilsland.

Day 4, Gilsland to Crosby. 15 miles of thinking why am i doing this? missing a decent cotes du rhone, and yearning to watch Emmerdale.

Day 5, Crosby to Bowness-on-Solway. 20 mile finale skirting the north of Carlisle and testing the tidal Solway Firth. I will need to consult the tidal chart for the last few miles.

So there you have it. Spare a dinarii, give us a sestertii. Please donate all that you can for this good charity.

Ave, Hail Caesar, Rome salutes you.

Antonius (thats Anthony is Latin)

p.s. I must just say a massive thankyou to Claire Marshall and all the members of the Comitatus group (check out their informative link below). The entire Roman kit that i will be using has been very kindly supplied by the Comitatus who keep alive the interest in late Roman occupation of Britain. Without their help this would just be another sponsered walk. With their help it has become an exciting adventure. 

******* UPDATE - Wednesday 13th August 2008 *******

John and all those kind chaps at 'Comitatus' have today sponsered me a handsome £100 for my journey. Not only have the group advised and helped me in every way possible they've dipped into their pig skinned purse and donated enough sestertii to buy off a Germanic tribe or to fund an empire wide persecution of Christians. Thankyou and Rome salutes you!

******* UPDATE - Thursday 21st August 2008 ********

Another more than kind donation for my trek. This time the sum of £100 was donated by David Allan of Ian Allan Publishing. I have worked for David's company for 3 happy years and i'm touched by such a hefty sum.

David has expressed interest in what my Roman rations will consist of. The diet of a 4th century soldier is easily imagined due to the existence of the so-called Vindolanda Tablets. These wooden tablets were discovered at the fort of Vindolanda in the 1970's and give us a unique insight into daily life on the wall. Party invites, requests for warm socks, and the hum drum life on the wall are all touched upon. My rations sound very tasty (see link below which contains many foods referred to in the Vindolanda Tablets). I'm looking forward to stuffing my Roman gob with delights such as pork crackling, oysters, and roe... i'm yet to find a Roman indigestion remedy though. It will be harder avoiding modern basics which were unknown to the Roman world such as peppers, bananas and spuds. Tomatoes are out as they were thought to contain poison?????

************ UPDATE 30th SEPTEMBER 2008 **************

A big thankyou to Adrian and Claire at Transpennine Express. They've issued me with free travel to and from Hadrian's Wall. This means that i can maintain my record of begging, borrowing or stealing everything i need to complete my trek. Cancer Research get 100% of everything i make and i've managed to avoid any 'overheads'.

A big thankyou to the lads at Timpsons in Manchester's Arndale Centre as they waterproofed my leather Roman fell boots with a very nifty can of something or the other. In short, i'll not have wet feet on my trek!!!!!

www.romanarmy.net/other/food.pdf

I must also say a massive thanks to Adrian at Armamentaria. He has kindly offered to donate authentic Roman footwear (either the caligae or, the late Roman, fell boot) for my trek. This is a life saving offer and i cant thank him enough. Remember, if my feet get a pounding then the whole trek could be compromised. Through the kindness of others yet another weight has been lifted from my mind.

************* THE NIGHT BEFORE!!!!! *****************

By Juno what a day! I did an interview with BBC GMR at 8.50am and was made to feel very very welcome by Eamon O'Neil and the LOVELY Diane Oxbury. Big thanks to Eamon for arranging an interview with Channel M and the splendid Andy Crane (no Ed the duck questions please) and my thanks and affection  to Diane for arranging a rain and windeswept live interview with BBC Northwest at 1.30pm and a healthy slot on the evening show with Farah sponsered legend Gordon Burns. Rome salutes you all and invites you all to an Orgy in Naples (small boys provided but bring your own olives).

I collected my nibbles, tit bits and staples from the heaven sent Gastronomica in Manchester's newly fitted food hall in the much derided Arndale. My senate elected dietry advisor, Jay, has prepared the most excellent grub including the salty, crunchy, yet moorish, Pecorino Romano  and a bit of pork crackling that would grace the emperor's table. Rome salutes you twice and insists you do the challenge with me next year.

Very touched to have a donation from my Latvian friends..... the Pitans clan. It was a suprise and it has feeled me with fond childhood memories that will feed me in the next 5 cold lonely nights. Rome salutes you and grants you tax farming in 8 of her wealthy provinces.

As this is my last message before my trek so i would just like to thank Sam. I know that she will conquer breast cancer like Rome conquered all before her. Sam is in my heart and in my thoughts and as we all know our very own 'Sam' i would implore all who read my site to do something, no matter how small, to fight and defeat cancer. Dont let someone else fight it for you...... it is time you fought!

www.comitatus.net

www.armamentaria.com

Below is the link to my Flickr page and it contains a few 'action' shots of me in full Roman uniform. I really enjoyed dressing in the 4th century Roman uniform.... it actually topped playing doctors and nurses.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22567758@N03/?saved=1

p.p.s. Just found out that a sea sponge on a stick passes for Roman toilet paper. The plot thickens.

p.p.p.s. This is the imortant 'taxy' thing explained easy....

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cancer Research UK gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!