The Last Post

This is "the last post" on the NWR Walks the Staffordshire Way 2012 blog.  The blog started in response to a challenge that, between them, the NWR groups in Staffordshire would walk every inch of the 92 miles of the Staffordshire Way.  That challenge is now complete and the blog has  documented the stages as they happened. Also included within the blog is an account of the "long walk" where a few NWR members walked the whole length of the Way on seven consecutive days in late June. It is worth noting that, in the wettest summer for 100 years, walkers contended with rain, mud, floods and some of the tallest nettles and grasses ever seen in Staffordshire!

At the celebration to mark the end of the challenge, we prepared a unique NWR map of the Staffordshire Way, where groups reflected on their experience and recounted the highlights of their particular stage.

 

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

As a final reflection on the challenge, the Area Organiser for the Staffordshire NWR groups was quoted as saying....

I think what has impressed me most was the camaraderie within groups, the beamimg smiles from under dripping rain hoods, sharing lunches in some very odd places, sharing clothes when someone fell in a bog, not getting ratty when someone locked their keys in the car and we couldn’t get back to where we started! Helping others over the interminable stiles. The ease of company, putting the world to rights, sharing confidences, some very black humour and partners galloping to our rescue when needed. I’m glad we did it and we probably wouldn’t have done it, if NWR wasn’t binding us all together!

Thank you to everyone who took part!

Next year we are intending to walk the Sandstone Trail, from Frodsham in Cheshire to Whitchurch in Shropshire. We hope that more NWR groups and members may join in along the way. More details will appear on the NWR website in early 2013.