The monument in the distance was on top of the hill and I felt a disappointment and realisation that my shoulders hurt, my legs hurt and I wasn’t going to make it. I looked at where it was on the map and understood that the monument was closer than I had intended to go that day, and I wasn’t going to make it. There was nothing else to do but keep walking anyway, not as if I’ve got anything else to do.

A few hours later I was standing at the base of the monument in shock and feeling rather humble that I had underestimated walking so much and given up hope so easily. The beauty of the Cotswolds really grabs you as you walk in from the west, and being able to see where you are headed and where you’ve come from is quite a shock.