An amazing 20 people turned up to walk today! We’ve started walking by the side of the Thames, on a well-worn path out of Goring & Streatley through the beautiful village of South Stoke. To my right, open fields. The Thames is very very high and I see the local regatta has been cancelled. There are some very big houses on the waterfront with extraordinarily large private boats. We’ve seen our first red kite – they come from Rhayader in Wales but now there’s a population here too. I’m just knocked out by having 20 people walking with me, in clear weather and it’s not raining – what a great start!

Rowan Godel has just joined the bill for the first night of the walking tour, at Nettlebed Folk Club next Monday. She sang on JJ’s album and is the beautiful voice on Oysterband’s Street of Dreams. She’ll be joining JJ and the Reluctant Ramblers (Dil Davies, Al Scott and Tim Cotterell) as well as Monday’s other special guest, Benji Kirkpatrick from Bellowhead.

JJ ON BBC WILTSHIRE: Heather Skull talks to JJ about the motivation behind his walking tours – and plays extracts from the new song, “The Wanderer”, by John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers (song available for you to hear in full here). You can listen to the interview here (come in around 2:45:10).

JJ’s WHITE HORSES WALKING TOUR – starts exactly one week from today, Monday 16^th July, come rain or shine! We’ve been previewing the highlights for each day of the walk, so here are the key points for anyone planning to join in on Saturday 21st July. Starting from Devizes, we’ll walk to the Three Daggers at Edington for lunch. Then along the Ridgeway to the Westbury white horse and hopefully meet a welcome party from the Village Pump Folk Festival to walk down to the site and play a gig on the main stage that night. See route guide for details. And don’t forget Oysterband will be playing the Village Pump Folk Festival on the following day!

JJ’s WHITE HORSES WALKING TOUR – highlights for Friday 20th July. On the penultimate day of the tour, we’ll be following the Kennet and Avon canal from Pewsey to Devizes. We’ll be accompanied through the day by the narrowboat “Uisge Beatha” (for those who don’t recognise it, this is gaelic for “water of life” – whisky…how appropriate…). Owners Craig and Kirsty (plus Noodle the dog and Morgan the guinea pig) will be transporting the instruments for us, as well as sandwiches, hot tea and cold beer (and also providing another valuable feature for distance walkers…a toilet). See route guide for details. The evening’s gig will be at The Southgate in Devizes with special guest Rowan Godel. No tickets, just turn up for 8.00pm.

Walk from the car park at Knoll Down, on the A4 west of Avebury, to the Wansdyke and along the ridge before dropping down to the Kings Arms in All Cannings for lunch (http://www.kingsarmsallcannings.co.uk/). Then a choice of routes – flat beside the canal, or a longer steeper route to take in an extra white horse (see route guide for details: www.jj-rr.org/july-2012-route-brochure/). The day ends with an informal session rather than a gig, in The Crown, Pewsey (http://www.thecrownatpewsey.co.uk/) – bring instruments!

Now available for you to hear: a demo of a new song from John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers written for the White Horses walking tour which starts in less than a fortnight! Let us know what you think…

JJ’s WHITE HORSES WALKING TOUR – highlights for Wednesday 18th July. In a change to the original route, we have found a pub which is very kindly opening for lunch especially for us: The Inn with the Well, Ogbourne St George. All welcome even if you are not walking – email info@jj-rr.org just so we have an idea of numbers. After lunch, descend with John from the ancient ridgeway path down into Avebury, walk the stone circle, then a pint in the Red Lion, followed by a gig in the handsome market town of Marlborough.  Anyone thinking of walking or joining JJ and the Reluctant Ramblers at any of the stops on the walk, see here for a route brochure. Meanwhile, don’t forget to look out for a new song for the tour, which we shall be posting in the next couple of days!