Join John on 21st September for a walk in the Welsh Borders, starting from the source of the River Arrow, down hidden valleys and through magnificent countryside into Gladestry to finish at the Royal Oak pub. Transport provided from and back to Kington. This is part of the Kington Walking Festival. Space is limited so you should buy a ticket in advance. See here for details.

Then in the evening, John and the Reluctant Ramblers will play a gig at the Burton Hotel in Kington. John will be joined by his regular ramblers – Al, Dil & Tim — plus special guests to be confirmed. Tickets are available here (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the gig).

Meet you there!

Now that the dust has settled after the Song of the Downs tour, we are starting to plan the next one for 2014.

The walking itself

The gigs and venues

Transport arrangements

Lunches and dinners

The Website

Information available before the tour

Information available during the tour

Anything else….

Please email your comments to info@jj-rr.org

A solitary walk this morning with just the 2 dogs working the hedgerows in the distance, and me trying to finally free my head of the sights and sounds of last week…Moving, talking, singing, walking, map-reading, packing, playing tunes, listening, waiting, drinking…and then walking again.

The South Downs area is great walking country but it is more than that. There were some eyebrows raised when it became our latest National Park only a few years ago. Certainly it doesn’t have the wildness and remoteness of some of our other parks but it has a distinct shape and character and is just as precious, lying so close to a heavily populated area. Descending onto one of the busy roads you are immediately aware of the noise and pressure of ‘normal’ life – but up on the ridge you can find a peace and calm that is as timeless as the rolling chalk downlands themselves. From the emblematic cliffs of Beach Head and Seven Sisters, startlingly white on the day we were there, to the distant views across Sussex at Ditchling Beacon, the Graffham beech forests and the expansive views around the Meon Valley reminiscent of the Wessex Downs, this is a rural breathing space and a chance to live at a different pace.

With 30 walkers each day and 50 on one day and most of the gigs sold-out or full, this was a fantastic week. I am not sure how much bigger this can or should go, but everyone finds their pace and the ribbon of walkers stretches out and people find friends and meet their own personal goals. With the help of my walking mate Colin we try to keep it fun, even through the blisters. The fact that any of this can work is down to an incredible back-up team of Tom, Caz, Fran, Bev and many others, keeping us supplied at lunchtime and in the evenings; and the indefatigable Tim Porter, Oysterband sound-man, who was ready for us at every gig and made the transition from walking to gigging as easy as it could be.

For us in the Ramblers the transition is the most difficult part of the day. The hallowed, hidden, backstage area [as Boff put it] just disappears, with little time for preening and preparing and thankfully little time for nervousness and anxiety either. You have already achieved something that day so just roll into it and enjoy the gig…and we did. My huge thanks to Dil, Al, Tim, Benji, Boff and Rowan for special friendship and music.

For me it was wonderful to hear new songs like Black and White Bird, She Wrote her Name Today and Pierpoint’s Farewell come alive at night. Thanks to the woman who brought her chestnut horse to the pub at lunchtime. By day I just simply didn’t want some of the walks ever to stop. A great week. JJ

This walk was brought to you by Harvey’s Best, Seafarers, Aspalls cider, Compeed and factor 30 suncream, as the weather is now glorious. Hampshire’s South Downs have opened out with some magical views from Old Winchester Hill.

Great gig at the King’s Head, Wickham last night, big thanks to all who came and especially Peter Chegwyn for all his help with this venture. I am constantly amazed by the genuine enthusiasm and support for this strange project.

Last day. Great stop at Millbury’s pub. 100 miles down and heading into Winchester for the final night at The Railway. Meet you there. JJ

I just witnessed one of those mad eccentric walking tour moments – a dance on the top of Beacon Hill while other walkers hummed the tune “The Canal In October”. I actually saw Boff dance a schottische. This was his punishment for not dancing last night at Elsted Village Hall. Our concert turned into a great session and ceilidh with lots of local musicians and singers. Where everyone’s energy comes from is a constant source of amazement to me. Elsted is a beautiful village hall fronted by a lovely cricket pitch with great views over Sussex. An idyllic place to finish a hard day’s walking. Our thanks to all the musicians and dancers, and special thanks to the Knock Hundred Shuttles morris team for hosting us, and to Marion for organising the whole thing. Good luck to Becky & Ben on their forthcoming marriage.

A red kite circled the cricket pitch as we left this morning, and we glimpsed a herd of fallow deer resting in the sun. No rest for us – we’re on our way! JJ