Blog Your comments This section of the blog will contain views from the perspective of the walkers, organisers, spectators and anyone else involved with the walk. If you would like to contribute, please click here. Malcolm Bowen (Walker):- "What a feat! What a team leader! What a great team achievement! 250 miles on the road over 13 days - come rain and come shine. OK, so I am no longer a young man but then neither is Steve, nor a few others of the other fellow travellers comprising this odd band of "Merry Men." Steve and I are essentially both aged office workers. I have loosely worked alongside Steve Speczyk for almost 7 years. It was only in early April of this year that Steve outlined to me his Treloar's centenary plans - a sponsored walk from Helston in Cornwall to Alton in Hampshire in September. Everything was at a pretty embryonic stage at that time but I was immediately "fired up" by the thought of such a truly wonderful challenge. Footwear! What should such intrepid people wear? Different people have different ideas. As an "old soldier" I immediately bought myself a couple of pairs of strong boots and started pounding the streets; lunchtimes and weekends. In the event the final day was never going to be an option for me since we had a family wedding scheduled for Saturday 13th September and, as it turned out, I was only with Steve and his "Merry Men" (and Janet) for 24 hours. I arrived - by train - in Salisbury just after 4.00 in the afternoon on Thursday. I had with me that essential piece of modern day equipment - that I personally do not possess and do not understand the functionality of - my (wife's) mobile phone. My efforts to have any meaningful telephone discussions with anyone were predictably abysmal but Steve was patient with me and at around 4.30 I located Steve and his team at "the Ox's Row" in the Market Place and sat down to a few drinks and to begin to get to know some of these fellow travellers. Except for Steve S (250 miles = "Mr 100%") the whole thing was a little like musical chairs (with team substitutions etc.) Dean's wife and their two boys had come - on cue - to rescue him and take him home but not before an evening meal at a Premier Inns establishment just outside Salisbury. A great evening and a great start for me. Friday morning, and as planned Andy also left us to return home (with his blisters!) Both Dean and Andy had been with the team and on the road since Wednesday morning (two days from Yeovil) so they had earned their stripes and their very honourable discharge from further active service. My duties were about to become reality. I was about to become "Mr. 10%"! (25 miles only or thereabouts for me.) After a really surprisingly splendid breakfast Steve, Eamonn and I started out. Nigel (the driver) and Janet drove us back to the edge of the City environs and our walk got underway. Half an hour or so later we were back where we had started and rejoined the rest of our team and then set off once more with the wretched pasty pusher; a "giant pasty micro-wave cabinet on wheels." I had already seen some images of this contraption on the blog and the previous evening when I had arrived but it is a true monster and - as I was soon to discover - certainly required a good deal of team oooomph on the inclines (the uphill bits!) We should all appreciate the early days downhill difficulties experienced by Steve and the Cornish pioneer contingent before (inspirationally) they had had Cycle brakes fitted to this monster! The day started brightly and (blissfully/ woefully oblivious of the fact that Steve G - aka "Kenny Everett" - was "off the pace" - see separate notes of the Winchester reunion later that day) the rest of us made pretty good progress and "the micro-wave" was working a treat on the giant pasty when the sun shone through from time-to-time. Our transport (support vehicle - driver Nigel and Janet) crawled along attentively behind us, probably never getting out of 2nd gear. Yes the inclines were hard work but I was (relatively) fresh and we made very good headway. At just about noon we descended into the charming country town of Stockbridge. I noticed that both Steve and Roger stopped off at the local pharmacy for necessary repairs/ medication etc., and at the end of the main drag we came upon our midday stop off for lunch and refreshments. Stupidly I cannot now bring to mind the name of this pub, although I see that elsewhere it is referred to as "The White Hart." I will accept that for now (although "Black" something or other seems firmly embedded in my head.) The young landlord; Chris was a true gent. Deservedly there is a lot more about him in various other of the accounts of this great adventure. I will certainly aim to return to Stockbridge - which I would recommend to anyone - and seek Chris and his "White" or "Black" establishment out again for a long weekend. Chris had treated us all royally. Most of the morning I had been marching along with Eamonn and Steve and the monster Pasty whilst Roger - aka "Parker" (Lady Penelope's chauffeur from "Thunderbirds") - had like some demented latter-day "Hop-along-Cassidy" been way out ahead (waving instead of wearing) with his florescent safety vest - for which he was duly "cautioned" by a passing traffic cop. Roger was plainly in very considerable pain but he continued manfully "out-riding" ahead of our convoy alerting oncoming traffic of our slug-like procession. Roger was nursing a weakened ankle resulting from a previous break, but he scurried ahead of us all the way into infinity (Stockbridge) and beyond. In the previous week I had attempted to monitor the team's progress (watching the occasional weather reports and trying to "keep up" with the occasional blog reports and I had been "worried" as to their "progress" with all the (reported) wet weather and flooding etc., but when I had spoken to Steve on the Tuesday (9th Sept.) I had understood that he had, very fortunately, managed to avoid a good deal of the most unpleasant weather - and so it had certainly proved for us on the Friday morning as we had left Salisbury behind us. The rains descended quite suddenly in the early afternoon shortly after we left Stockbridge en route for Winchester - but our spirits were in no way dampened as we ploughed on with Roger still maintaining his forward crab-like vanguard momentum. The wet weather was not too bad but the inclines between Stockbridge and Winchester remained very testing for us - but we arrived bedraggled in Winchester just as the schools were finishing for the day as we jostled with all the Winchester traffic and the Winchester pedestrians (both young and old.) Several times we were necessarily half on - half off the kerbs and Eamonn had to use considerable extra muscle-power to steer the protesting monster that had by this time developed a very wonky wheel/ wonky wheels. The rain had finally abated a little - just after 4.00pm - as we waited in central Winchester for our support vehicle to negotiate the frustrating one-way system and finally catch up. I then left to head off for the Station. My 24 hours were completed. Meanwhile Steve and the rest of the team got themselves adjusted for Monkey-suit mode. I'll let someone else (a true witness) regale you in all that then followed. For me it had been a truly exceptional and most memorable experience. Thanks fellows (and Janet) for this really great experience! From the venerable Malcolm (now "aged almost 65 and a 1/2") Denise Gillies (Treloars):- I got the feeling from the start of this event it was going to be some adventure for Steve and his friends. As you can see from the daily blogs it was an incredible journey with some interesting twists and turns. I travelled down to Helston on Sunday 31st August to meet with Steve at the Angel Hotel. Having taken Steve's advice on departure time, myself and photographer Henry Quarton set off in our little Treloar's Belingo at approximately 10am. Steve and I had anticipated the same arrival time based on this. About half way through my journey it really began to dawn on me what Steve had let himself in for, it was a mammoth journey up and down hills pretty much all the way and I just kept thinking to myself, "my goodness, he's going to be walking all this way?!" Well, our dual arrival was not to be, I arrived at 4pm and the first thing I noticed was the monument the walk was starting at is situated at the bottom of a very steep hill. The clock was ticking and the first guests for the launch reception arrived early at 6.30pm and there was still no sign of Steve or the Pasty... my mind began to race... it turned out Steve and the gang were near to pulling their hair out - (what they have) because Treloar's had forgotten to mention that our mini bus he had borrowed has a speed limiter on it! eek Well, Steve and his team all arrived in the nick of time and as you know a great evening was had by all. Steve and his friends have once again done Treloar’s proud - and achieved the unimaginable. It was not easy for the walkers, they discovered on the first day that the pasty was rather heavy to manouvre, so much so that it was pulling them down the hills. They sensibly had some brakes installed on the pasty vehicle, unfortunately the brake handle ended up going through the rear window of the minibus and the 'special' replacement glass had to be sourced and thankfully the next day it was repaired on route, but they carried on regardless in great spirits! that was just one of the unexpected turn of events! Dean Saunders (walker, Yeovil to Salisbury):- “Is it just me Steve, or does Shaftesbury appear to be at the top of a big hill?” A line that will live long in the memory, along with Steve S’s response of “I don’t know, the Recce got a bit boring after a while and I switched off, only focusing on where the Pubs were!”. Well, as it turned out the “Category 1” climb (That’s like really hard Tour de France stuff) turned out to be my personal highlight. Like Steve mentioned in the earlier Blog, three fully grown men pushing a giant Cornish pasty up a hill, looking at each other and just hysterically laughing through the effort. It doesn’t get any more surreal than that! I thoroughly enjoyed my two days pushing and will treat the thing as a unique learning experience! Meeting up with old friends and meeting some great new ones made it that extra bit special, and the money being raised for such a great cause is fantastic. Steve S, you are a Legend and should be so proud of what you’ve achieved. I can’t wait for your Autobiography!
Friday 12th and Saturday 13th September - Salisbury to Alton via Winchester The blogs for the final two days are linked together for reasons that will become obvious. We left Salisbury with one new team member, Malcolm, but with two that were suffering badly. Friday was to be the longest day of the trip in terms of mileage so we set off at around 8.30 for the 25 miles ahead. We joined the A30 and had to run with the vehicle for a couple of hundred yards to avoid holding up the traffic too much. That's all we needed to start off the day. This brief period of activity proved too much for Steve G and he was lost for the day. He did, however, re-surface in Winchester having caught a train there, much refreshed after spending a few hours in a bar! Roger's ankle was badly swollen and it was easier for him to run rather than walk. He spent most of the day well ahead of the vehicle on point duty directing the traffic. Anybody else would have given up. We covered the first 15 miles to Stockbridge before 1pm which was a sterling effort. Eamonn was the powerhouse behind the pasty vehicle pushing with Malcolm providing fantastic support, belying his 65 years. We headed for the White Hart Inn, a Fullers pub at the top end of the town. We were met by the landlord who not only offered us a drink on the house, but then proceeded to not accept payment for lunch and gave us £50 from the pub's charity fund. We took photo's of the occasion for our own records and for the in-house Fullers magazine. They will appear on the site very shortly. As you know the weather has been a regular feature on the site. In the morning it had been perfect but in the afternoon the skies darkened and by the time we reached Winchester we were soaked. We still managed to collect some money and goodwill from all the passers by. There was one ray of sunshine in the rain. Our beloved pasty vehicle suffered a bent rear wheel which, at the time, looked terminal. We managed to push it on to the pick-up point, perhaps never to be seen again. One of the reasons we started the day early was that we were all to attend the Centenary Ball. This meant driving up to Alton in good time to get ready for a 7.30pm champagne reception. That gave us no time to say goodbye properly to Malcolm who at times had been a man possessed on the day's journey. Without his support we would have struggled to make the day. The Ball was a "quiet" affair. The highlights probably being Roger's attempt to do the "Sweet Alabama" dance with the pain of his bad ankle softened by red wine, followed by an impromptu pole dance which brought into the question of the stability of the marquee in which the Ball was being held. We retired to the hotel where the night porter was "persuaded" to let us have a nightcap. Luckily we were in bed by 3am for a 7.30 breakfast for the trip back to Winchester and the walk back to Alton. Are you following this? Six of us got off the bus with the intention of walking to Alton. The core of Steve S, Steve G, Roger and Eamonn were joined by Sarah Treloar, a distant relative of Sir William and a representative from Treloar's, Gail Pussard. Within a couple of minutes Roger realised it was impossible for him to go on and then the sole of Sarah's left trainer decided to part company with the rest of the shoe. Steve G's feet were still bad and could not maintain the pace set by Eamonn. Then there we three. Meantime Nigel and David, who had rejoined us for the Ball, went off to see if the wheel could be fixed so the pasty could take some part in the days proceedings. The three musketeers thus strode off single file along the A31 to Alton. Those nice people at Halfords managed to straighten the wheel, with the coach overtaking the walkers some 10 miles or so along the road. Roger, meanwhile, had bought Sarah some trainers so she was back with us. We were now nearing the end and had a final lunch together in Four Marks. A realtively short walk then to the Walk's final destination, the Alton Community Hospital. This was the site of the original Treloar's building where there is a bust of Sir William in the gardens. Steve and Sarah, on behalf of the Treloar relatives of Helston and beyond, laid a wreath at the foot of the bust. Job done! One last task. We drove over to the site of Treloar School, unloaded the pasty vehicle and walked up the hill to be met by the teams and supporters who were there for an "It's a knockout" afternoon. It proved to be quite an emotional moment and was a memorable way to finish.
It had been a tough couple of weeks. We pushed the pasty as much as we could and Steve S walked every step of the way as he had undertaken to do. The blog won't end here. Everybody who took part will be asked to give their own personal memories of the trip and these will be posted on the site. There are hundred's of photo's to be sifted through and added, again over the next week or so. We will update the Just Giving site on a regular basis so you can see how the monies are progressing and if you can persuade someone else to add to it, it would of course be much appreciated. Thursday 11th September - Shaftesbury to Salisbury We were joined today by Eamonn who was the next to face the pasty pushing test. Regrettably, the landscape was a lot flatter so he wasn’t properly challenged. He is with us for the rest of the trip so there still remains the opportunity for him to go through the pain barrier. It was a fairly uneventful day with the main priority being to eat up the miles, in fact the 200 mile barrier was breached today. We had a pleasant lunchtime spot at the Pembroke Arms in Fovant where were made to feel most welcome and a donation made. We also had a good day’s collection on the road. The best collecting opportunity was to be found when there was a queue of oncoming traffic. We took it in turns to feign a heart attack to maximise that opportunity although Andrew looked at one time as if it was for real. Needless to say, no-one rushed to offer any mouth to mouth resuscitation. We said goodbye this evening to Andrew and Dean and Malcolm joined us for the longest run of the trip. It was agreed that a night out in Salisbury would not help the day ahead and an out of town Premier Inn was chosen for the overnight stay. Weather update – another day with no rain. Suntan topped up and early to bed (for some at least) to set us up for the next two days. Wednesday 10th September - Yeovil to Shaftesbury Two new walkers today. The youngest participant Dean and the relatively ancient Andrew. It gave Andrew the opportunity to show how a bus pass holder could fare against a young buck. The first hill was crucial with Andrew waving the white flag halfway up and Dean finishing matters off. Honours even, so far. Talking of hills, the Captain had confirmed it was a fairly flat day having carried out a detailed assessment of the route. Regrettably, that statement was a little off the mark. Apparently Shaftesbury is 800 feet plus above sea level and to get there of course you have to catch the odd hill. The final run into Shaftesbury featured a monster which sorted out the men from the boys with Dean the victor. Andrew had to concede defeat after just under a mile and Dean, Roger and Steve S looked manically at each other until the summit was reached. We were due to meet the members of Shaftesbury 41 Club who had kindly agreed to house and entertain us for the night. Their normal meeting night was moved in our honour and as well as feeding us a donation was made. Thanks to Chris Banbury for setting the whole thing up and for Ed, Mike and Anthony for putting us up and for the whole of 41 Club for putting up with us in the evening. Tuesday 9th September - Chard to Yeovil For once the forecast was correct. We awoke to hear the rain lashing down and it continued to do so for virtually the whole day. The breakfast was superb and included ample fresh fruit which Steve G decided to take advantage of. That was a decision he was to regret later that day when he had to make a couple of unscheduled visits to rain sodden fields to enable him to continue. We had left the pasty out overnight ready for the stroll down Chard High Street before the Cycle race was to start. The weather was atrocious but even allowing for that, the turn out was poor. We decided then to put the pasty in the support vehicle for the day, a decision that proved to be justified bearing in mind the weather conditions. We said goodbye to Steve A and welcomed Dean and Andrew for a couple of days. Weather update – forecast for tomorrow dry, the rest of the walk not so good. Monday 8th September - Honiton to Chard This was the shortest day of our trip at less than 14 miles. We decided to crack on and get the walk completed by lunchtime so we could have an afternoon off and sample all that Chard could offer. Coincidentally the following morning was to be the start of the 3rd stage of the Tour of Britain Cycle race. One would assume this would be a big occasion for a small town like Chard and we were expecting flags, bunting etc to be everywhere. But no, the only evidence seemed to be that a couple of pubs were opening early for breakfast. Even the evening celebrations were muted with a couple of bands playing simultaneously and no more than a couple of hundred people milling around. Most strange. The shining light of our visit was our accommodation. As soon as we arrived we were made most welcome by Joan and her family. She even allowed me to use her computer to send the previous blogs. Their website is www.lindenshouse.co.uk. Weather update – stayed dry again but the forecast for the following day was not brilliant. Sunday 7th September - Topsham to Honiton
With our new team in place we set off for Honiton. This was an uneventful trip passing through the ghost town of Ottery StMary. We had a brief visit to the A30 against the instructions of our friends of the Devon and Cornwall Police. Roger decided that if he ran the remaining distance there was less chance of us being spotted and dealt with. Despite his apparent fitness he was an exhausted wreck and only a Marlboro light saved the day. The evening was spent at a splendid barbecue with members of Honiton Round Table and 41 Club. Steve G and Roger spent the night in a summer house (no Roger it really was a summer house not a shed), but more importantly they had the opportunity to share a double bed! Roger was walking somewhat differently when he set off in the morning.
Sorry for the delay in producing this blog. This is as a result of two factors. Firstly, we have little time available between arriving at our accommodation and going out again and more importantly because of the inability to get a decent signal on Steve S' phone since Truro. If you are considering changing networks give the 3 network a miss it is an absolute disaster. Anyway back to the blog. We left Chez Mogford to traverse South Devon for a lunchtime appointment at the Smugglers' Inn where we were joined by the muscular presence of Roger Moore. We were expecting to have a gentle walk through Dawlish and along the River Exe cycle path so that we could pick up the river ferry across to Topsham. It is actually an old boy with a rowing boat. Regrettably we arrived at 5.45 pm but the last ferry left at 5.30pm. Thanks David. Luckily we only had another two miles to walk along the path in the biting wind. Our driver, Bow, saved the day by ancticipating where we might end up which meant we got to the Hotel Southgate just before 7.pm. We were meeting some members of Exeter Round Table at 7.30pm so that left us ample time to get ready! That night we were joined by Steve Allen and Nigel and Janet Jenn. David and Bow said goodbye to us and thanks for to them for all that they did.
Roger and Bow had an eventful night visting the Exeter Hot spots and experiencing a "naughty forty" with some friends from Tiffany's.
Set off this morning in light rain which eased off, returned, eased off and returned with a vengeance. Not always safe to push the pasty, Steve and any one else with any energy walked the route through the lanes to Totnes. At Totnes The Pasty was loaded into our support vehicle and lunch was consumed outside The Seven Stars. I have to say to you avid reader, that whilst no one is looking, I must tell you that "The Captain" is losing his marbles. Steve is on a "mission" to cover every inch of the route at a pace and the rest of us just trail in his wake. He has that "look" in his eyes and his resolve will not be shaken. Once or twice both of his eyes have looked at us out of the same socket!! I tell you, he is stark staring mad. Steve Geary will tell you that he has been striding down the middle of the road directing both streams of traffic. We are all scared. We've tried voicing our concerns but he won't have any of it. Let's face it, he's bonkers! All that said in confidence to you reader, we today passed Ipplepen before rain stopped play and are now being entertained by the delightful Andrew and Pym Mogford at their cottage in Staverton complete with a barrel of beer! Yippee! In confidence;
One of the crew.
After that it all went pear-shaped. After two visits the Devon and Cornwall Police advised us that our attendance on the A38 was no longer required. Apparently some fat BMW drivers objected to having to wait in their air-conditioned comfort for two minutes while the traffic cleared the pasty vehicle. We loaded the vehicle into the van ready for the trip to Plymouth Argyle FC for a photo opportunity with some of the players. We don't know who they were because we didn't recognise them. However, while on the way the pasty vehicle decided to try and escape from the van and broke one of the rear door windows in doing so. Oh dear! A call to base camp was necessary with a repair due on Friday. Bow was completely oblivious to the fact that the window had broken even though it could be heard in Devon. David was suffering from excessive flatulence so he decided to sit out the afternoon walk. That left the two Steves to walk from the Tamar Bridge to Ivybridge. Steve G didn't fancy risking his life on the A38 and decided to generate a blister on the sole of his foot which meant that "reluctantly" he was unable to continue. Steve S was left to walk on his own to Ivybridge where we were greeted by Alan Wright and others from the Town Council. Steve arrived in the pouring rain and it was interesting to note that had he not wasted time with Steve G in discussing his blister and the implications he would have arrived in Ivybridge both in time and in the dry. Steve S and Bow were regally entertained by John and Sue Kemsley before they visited the Imperial pub where they had the opportunity to stroke the breast of an attractive young bird. Else the Eagle Owl that is. David and Steve G stayed at a local B & B which was "different". Weather update - terrible forecast. Steve S defied the forecast by applying some factor 50 and he was right to do so. Another top-up to the suntan. We will see what tomorrow brings. The forecast, again, is for thunder and lightning and thereafter. Visit our Gallery page to see more pictures from today.
When we reached the town we were met by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Liskeard and a couple of Round Table members.
Having reached Trerulefoot we retired for the day and our steadfast driver, Jim, said goodbye to us travelling back home to have a knee operation on Thursday. He has provided great support and good luck with the operation, Jim, it's a shame they can't do anything about the rest of your body. As we dropped Jim off at Plymouth station we were joined by Steve G. He had the look of a man who was about to go to the gallows. Obviously we eased his mind by emphasising how tough the walk had been to date and that, as the new boy he was expected to do do all the donkey work.
Weather update - despite the threat of driving rain we only had a couple of brief showers. Alan, Steve S and David are sporting suntans and are threatening to put on sun block tomorrow, something that has not been needed throughout the summer, according to the locals.
Lo and behold, the sun was out but little did we know at that time what lay ahead. "There might be one or two hills", they said. By the time we got to St Austell we were exhausted and we had the delight of the big hill into Lostwithiel to come. We had a break though at lunchtime with our friends from St Austell Round Table who supplied us with some proper sandwiches for lunch and helped us push the pasty through the town. Our thanks of course go to them. You will find a running theme through this blog of the support provided by the Round Table movement both current and past members. If you are young enough contact your local Round Table and join it. You will make friends for life. One of the support team, Paul Bowen (Bow) decided to join us for a short walk in the morning but ended up staying the whole day. He formed the engine room with Alan in pushing the pasty up the many hills. His chosen form of footwear was a pair of Chelsea boots. Not exactly text book equipment, but it worked for him. We were invited by Anthony and Elizabeth Fortescue to stay in the magnificent grounds of Boconnoc House. They proved to be the perfect hosts and made us feel most welcome. The visit summed up the way the people of Cornwall had taken us to their hearts. Another bad weather forecast but we will see.
We're off!
Steve S, David and Alan were joined by local policeman Nigel Treloar, his son Richard and grandson Ethan, aged 8. Nigel regailed us on the road of stories of where the major accidents had been and he took particular delight in pointing out the house where a man had clubbed his wife together with a club hammer. Ethan, god bless him, managed to walk about 10 miles during the day without drawing breath. The weather was pretty good when we stopped for sustenance at the Norway Inn. When we re-appeared the heaven's opened and we had a driving wind to contend with as well. By the time we got to Truro we were ready for a reviving drink and were soon joined by John Reid of Truro 45 Club. The Club had kindly agreed to host us for the night and we went to dry off at our respective houses and then go back together for the evening meal, paid for by the Club. We had a most enjoyable night and our thanks go to John, Chairman Martyn and the others who had showed such generosity. Steve S was hosted by an old school colleague, Mark Gripper, thanks go to him as well. The forecast for the following day was grim so we went to bed fearing the worst.
The start of the walk has been covered by local news, click here to see the article in the Falmouth Packet and here for the West Briton News.
As ever the people of Helston were more than generous in their support of the work that is carried out at Treloar's and we had a splendid evening. This was capped by a visit to the Blue Anchor and a moderate tasting of their famous house beer Spingo. It was decided that an early night was in order (11.30) and went to bed after several failed attempts to get into the hotel.
Visit our Gallery page to see pictures from the day.
As Steve and his band of intrepid walkers journey down to Cornwall, we get the first glimpse of the pasty and vehicle!
Steve is now in serious training as the beginning of the walk looms - as you can see! So much to do, so little time - but things are starting to move at pace. The route is now firmly established. We are having to stop in some odd places but you have to try and spread the distances evenly. We are being strongly supported by various Round Tables and 41 Clubs on route, more of which later. We are waiting for the first pictures of the pasty and will put them on the website as soon as they are to hand. We have a mixed bag of walkers lined up so far. They all share the same goal of wanting to raise as much money as they can and to do so in as social manner as possible. Take a look at their biographies, some are even accurate. The feature of the launch day will be the number of relatives of William Treloar we will have in attendance. Joining us will be the local Helston beat bobby, Nigel Treloar. He will be walking with us to Truro and he is trying to persuade his son and grandson to come along for the day. We are very much at the Countdown and blog entries will be added on a regular basis. We are also intending to have a daily blog once we start the Walk with special guest speakers. Keep watching!
Steve and David set off for Cornwall last friday (9th May) to check the proposed route. After a fruitful meeting with Larry File of Ginsters, they moved to the Halzephron Inn in Gunwalloe, a few miles from Helston. They adjourned to the bar and struck up a conversation with the barman. It transpired that the owner, Angela Thomas, was born a "Treloar". At breakfast the next morning our interpid duo had the opportunity to speak to Angela who confirmed she was a distant relative of the great man. She has offered to support the Walk and will be there for the launch in Helston on the 1st September. She hopes to have her brother and sister in attendance as well to boost the family presence.
 Angela kindly agreed to have her photograph taken with the boys. The two days on the road back to Alton only emphasised the task ahead and led to potential changes to the provisional route. Luckily,Andrew Mogford of the Smugglers Inn near Dawlish will carry out some local research and help as formulate our plans in South Devon. So, if you want to drink, sleep and eat well in Gunwalloe look at the website www.halzephron-inn.co.uk. If you just want to drink and eat well in Dawlish look at the website www.thesmugglersinn.net.
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Alan said goodbye to us this morning and got up early for the first time as he was promised a lift to Plymouth Station by the rather attractive Joanne.
After a "right royal" stay at Boconnoc we left Lostwithiel this morning to cover the undulating road to Liskeard. The down hills proved to be the hardest in that they strain the shins and kneecaps until they burn. We went through the roadworks for the new bypass and approached Liskeard via the old road surprisingly called the "Old Road". We were struggling with the gradient when a fit bloke called Neil ran past us. After a fit of conscience he ran back and helped us push the monster up that very steep hill! We could not have done it without him.
Our thanks however go to Jake the Bicycle Repair man who whilst we ate lunch was able to fit brakes to the pasty vehicle and during the afternoon we experienced the luxury of braked downhill descents and even "braked turns". We were in Pasty Pushing heaven! It's always the little the little things in life isn't it.
The pasty was led to the starting point by the fire crew of R.N.A.F. Culdrose. We gave them some of the Ginsters range of food as a thankyou.
Despite Alan Van Winkel's best efforts we managed to arrive
in time for the 7pm reception with seven minutes to spare.
At the reception we had the opportunity to meet all the
Treloar's we have spoken to in the run up to the Walk.
There were over 50 in attendance and it was a marvellous
opportunity to learn more about the Treloar heritage.
Steve with Karen Cutting from McKenzies, who are sponsoring the walk
