From: Anchorage, Alaska
Started: 20050206
Finished: 20060206
Walker number one in the Cotswold Way Hall of Fame came all the way from Alaska, and completed it in four sections over a year. So, why did the Alaskan walk the Cotswold Way? It started around 1998 when a back injury took some other sports away and walking was recommended as the ultimate way to stay fit and avoid surgery. The April 2005 issue of “Realm” had an article on walking a stretch of the Cotswold Way which really caught me somehow, and I decided to walk the Way in full. I had to split the walk over a few separate periods, which made for seeing the CW in different seasons, during autumn, early spring and winter: as I well know now, walking the CW can be done year-round. Coming from overseas, I had no car or people to drop me off, so I depended on trains, buses and the occasional and sometimes hard to find taxi on Sundays when buses don’t run, as I found out the hard way before getting wise and taking along a printed copy of your webguide. I stayed in some wonderful B&Bs and hotels along the Way, making the overnights (and their English breakfasts) a cherished part of the long-distance experience. Inspired by the Cotswold Way I even joined the Ramblers and always look forward to “Walk” magazine, feeding the addiction of yours truly who’s likely their only Alaskan member!