Paddling for glory
There was much more traffic than there should have been on those remote roads by the canal at 8.30 on a Saturday morning. At last it dawned on me: It’s the D-W!
Devizes - Westminster Canoe Race
The Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race has taken place every year since 1950. Last year the winners completed the 125 mile course in 17.5 hours. It was a reminder of the race Christians are called to run, but the glory goes to God, not to us.
We headed north from Honeystreet past the White Horse at Alton Barnes, cut into the chalk hillside not 10,000 years ago, not 5,000, but in 1812.
Alton Barnes White Horse
Robert Pile paid for the job, but not before being fleeced by a guy who drew the horse, then scarpered with the £20 deposit. He was chased and hung for his crimes, which just goes to show you can trace a horse to order, but you can’t escape the digging.
Ten of us followed the Ridgeway path over Hackpen Hill to Barbury Castle, site of a battle in 556 between the Britons and the Saxons. It’s an area rich in earthworks and burial mounds dating back as far as 1700BC. Others joined the walk on to Coate Water Country Park where the numbers were swelled further to 24 for the final mile to Lawn Community Centre where refreshments awaited us.
Coate Water
Coate Water is a beautiful spot right on the edge of Swindon – a great facility for the town.
Crowd of joyful walkers set out from Coate Water
The evening celebration was led by John Roe who is pastor of Lawn Community Church and leads the Causeway Group. A highlight of the meeting was the reading of two poems written by Carol, a member of the group, called “I am only a shadow”, and “In the shadow of the cross.”
Walk 3 resumes on Thursday April 16th with a breakfast at Park Road Baptist Church and a walk from Stamford to Spalding. See the web site for details. Today’s walk was 19 miles, so I now have more than 25% of the distance behind me. Please continue to pray for people planning future weeks, and for sponsor money to meet target.
Tony
April 11, 2009 at 11:30 pm | Walk with me | 1 comment
You had a good weather day for this walk! It is a beautiful part of our county and glad you enjoyed it