JJ’s walking blog 4: “Now sitting by a little stream in the village of Coton in the Elms with 12 very happy but rather tired people. A couple of miles to go – we can’t see the festival site yet but we gather it’s dry and looks stunning. It’s been a remarkable 36 mile journey over the 2 days – leaving Leicester, visiting the site of the Battle of Bosworth with its simple, humbling monument, and today walking through SW Leicestershire – some of the most fertile agricultural land I have ever seen – and then into NW Leicestershire, an area where the mining industry has come and gone. It is now the national forest with many young trees – native species – and you get a sense of the landscape returning to how it might have been before mining began. This walk has given the week a sense of purpose for me – big thanks to all involved – and now we’re looking forward to a drink: we’ve deserved it!” JJ

“Great night in the Red Lion, Market Bosworth – a lively pub with an excellent atmosphere & beer to match! 17 people walked at different times yesterday and amazingly the weather stayed dry for us – the rain began just as we got to the pub. Great to see the exhilaration of people completing the walk – for some the furthest they had done. This morning we met in the market square, a little bleary-eyed – 11 or 12 people. Now all around us the lush summertime Leicestershire countryside, fields of corn and huge hedgerows. A beautiful walk through a series of villages on the hills, now heading north west towards the Ashby-de-la-Zouche canal.” JJ

“Incredible morning walking out through Leicester! With the help of local knowledge we found a green corridor like a lung through the heart of the city, not evident from the Ordnance Survey map. We walked along the canal towpath and it was quiet, with very few people – an extremely pleasant way of getting out of Leicester. Then the suburbs, under the M1, and out to Enderby Church. There three walkers left us but we gained another eight so we have 13 or 14 people walking out into the heart of the countryside – including old friends from previous walking tours. We’ve lost the sound of the M69, high corn is growing, and the weather is fantastic.” JJ

“It’s an overcast day but dry, thank goodness – cool, and good walking conditions. There are ten gallant (foolish?) people here who are going to walk with me: we’ll be heading out through the “mean streets” of Leicester, out to the canal, past what used to be the Walker Stadium but is now the King Power Stadium, south west through the suburbs and out to Enderby Church where we are going to meet a lot more people. But first I have just walked round De Montfort and said goodbye to the staff. I have mixed feelings – it is sad in a way to be leaving and I have a lot of great memories of the Big Session here, but it is exciting to be going to the new site and to have the two days of walking to get there. My part of the adventure starts here.” JJ

John Jones, singer with multi-award-winning, folk-rock giants Oysterband, walks off stage and out into some of the most glorious landscape in England. With a rucksack, fellow musicians, fans and friends he follows the ancient Ridgeway from Oxfordshire into Wiltshire, taking in White Horses, stone-circles and monuments to a different age, stopping each evening to be reconnected to their instruments and play a full gig to round off the day. Exhilarating walking by day and fun gigs at night…join him for a short walk, say hello over a pint at lunchtime or evening, or just come for the gig. Once up on The Ridgeway the walking is easy under foot and the views tremendous.. a chance for a really unique shared experience. John will be debuting new songs especially written for the occasion.

Have you come along for any of John’s previous walking tours? What was it like? Do you have any advice for people thinking of joining us for any part of this year’s walk?

Tim Cotterell, a stalwart member of the Reluctant Ramblers who has been involved in the walking tours from the early days, has a new album out, “Gathered” with Nick Burbridge:

http://www.burbridgearts.org/music/gathered.html.

John Jones says: “Intense lyrics, delivered with real passion and beautifully played.”

Available for download here: http://gathered.bandcamp.com/.

Highly recommended!