At the beginning of September I am going to take ten days away from my parochial responsibilities and walk from London to Stratford-upon-Avon. It won't be just any old walk, as I shall be following the 'Shakespeare Way', a 146-mile walk.

Starting outside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in Southwark, the walk follows the Thames through London before following the Grand Union Canal for a while. It then meets the Thames again at Cookham, climbs the Chiltern Hills and continues to Oxford. From there the path follows roughly the A44 to Chipping Norton and then the A3400 to Stratford-upon-Avon, finishing at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon.

I hope to do this in ten days, an average of 15 miles a day. Why? Well, the walk will be sponsored and the money will be divided equally between the fabric (not the roof!) of St. Laurence's Church, Bidford-on-Avon and the Shakespeare Hospice. The 'Way' is primarily designed to raise funds for the Hospice, where I have been one of the part-time chaplains since it opened seven years ago, but they have agreed to split the money with the church.

These are two causes dear to my heart and I hope to be able to raise several thousand pounds for them. At 10p per mile, the walk would raise £15 and if several hundred people sponsor me for this, the amount soon adds up. I hope that those who would not necessarily want to support the church will sponsor me so that the Hospice will benefit (see the Sponsorship details Web page for details).

I will be giving up-to-date Progress reports on the walk, including 'refreshment stops' made! I reckon that six hours a day at 2½ miles per hour should do it. So if you see a grim-faced, sweaty vicar striding around Bidford over the next two months, you'll know he's in strict training!

The Revd. David Hall