By Chris Gleadell
October 12 2005

Right you 'orrible lot, get in line, no shuffling, heres the guide to the first part of Saturdays walk from Wolverton Station to Stoke Bruerne. Read on........ Instructions for SWH4 Long Walkers

PLEASE READ DIGEST PRINT AND BRING WITH YOU.
LET’S NOT HAVE PEOPLE UNSURE OF WHEN AND WHERE THEY ARE GOING THIS YEAR.

Before the off:

Firstly. Are you confident in your fitness to do this walk? Remember the first part is a bit of a route march, nine miles, and we cannot leave people behind due to health and safety requirements. Stragglers will have to be waited for which could alter everyone’s day and cause problems later in the walk. Lets not please have anyone thinking they can amble along behind, we can’t let you, our hands are tied on this. If in doubt switch to the short walk, no one will think any less of you but they might not think too kindly of you if you keep holding the other 30 or so walkers up. If you’re lagging behind too badly we will have no option but to ask you to leave the walk, something of course we do not want to do.

Secondly. Ensure you are properly prepared for the walk.
Some of the walk is over uneven and possibly wet ground. Make sure you have the correct footwear for a walk of this length and something to wear should there be an unexpected shower, there’s nothing worse than walking in wet clothes, it makes the distance seem twice what it was.

Bring something to eat and drink on route. Refreshments and food will not be provided and there are no shops on the length of the walk. Beg steal or borrow a rucksack, you’ll find that Netto bag a big of a burden after three or four miles.

Thirdly: The common sense bit but we have to tell you. Don’t be tempted to wash your hands or drink the canal water, however appetising it looks after 15 miles.
There are no toilets on the length of the walk, if you do need to go wait till everyone’s past and find yourself a bush, not recommended though down the Weedon Road though.

Fourthly: Listen to what we’re telling you, it’s for your benefit and safety not ours and the last thing we need is loose cannons wandering off and doing their own thing. We need to stick to the chosen route and schedule, we do not have time for any other additions or stoppages.

THE START

We leave at 7:30 on the dot from Wolverton Station. Please try and be there around ten or fifteen minutes before that so we can inform you of any last minute hitches etc.
As mentioned earlier this week there are NO trains on Saturday morning so please ensure you have your travel arranged beforehand. If you are getting the replacement bus from Northampton please get the 6:26 from N’ton station. The next bus will be cutting it very fine, these buses cannot be relied on to keep time, and you might find yourself left behind.

IF YOU ARE LATE

Up to twenty minutes. Don’t try and catch us up, you’ll tire yourself early and pay the price later on and probably hold other walkers up. Instead walk up over the railway bridge and down the metal steps to the canal bank on the right. Take a right on the towpath and after a mile or so you will come to the junction of river and canal, we should be in view, wait for us there.
Over 20 minutes. Too late. Call a cab, get yourself to Stoke Bruerne, take part in the short walk.

THE ROUTE – Wolverton to Stoke Bruerne (for rest see guide for Short walkers)

Again you will be guided for the length of the walk and we will be walking as a group, so just a brief summary.
The route is almost identical to last year. We head off from the station and join the Ouse Valley at New Bradwell. Two miles in we join the Grand Union Canal (GUC) at the aquaduct, or the Iron Trunk as it’s known locally.
Over the Iron Trunk, close your eyes if you get vertigo, we head North on the GUC to Cosgrove. No stop at the lock this year we head straight on through the village and all stop for a 10 minute breather at the carved stone bridge, this is where the right hand towpath runs out. Remember this time is set by the medium range walkers, if you are ten minutes behind them, no rest. Again a point to ponder on the fitness question posed at the start.

Crossing the canal we continue North crossing back over the GUC at The Navigation, and no you can’t stop for a pint. Continuing on a couple of miles we come to Yardley Wharf, you’ll see a boatyard and small marina on opposite bank. Again we stop here for a 10 minute breather. Be warned on this stretch it is slightly more overgrown than last year and although the path is clear for a mile or so it will be single file. Please don’t try and walk side by side in the undergrowth, there are lots of hidden trip hazards here and you might find yourself taking an early bath, or worse.

Continuing along the towpath up towards Stoke B keep an eye out for a small wooden bridge at the first few locks and cross back over to the left hand bank. Then under the bridges back over a second small bridge by the bridge in the village and meet up with the second set of walker who will be gathered by the museum on the left bank.

Take a breather. The hills coming up.

Guide for the Short part of the walk see link below.

Any questions, no suggestions please, to the SWH4 Message Board.