All the Tens by Graham Burgess
- lynnironbridgewalk
- May 2
- 3 min read
Ten years ago to the day we were celebrating the 10th Anniversary Festival, with Neil and Graham leading the way. Neil was Chair and Graham had joined the committee and both designed and led walks for the festival. The basis of these walks are still used today albeit with tweaks and changes.
Graham and Neil were great plotters and the plot they came up with for the 10th Festival was to add an extra day, and do 10 days of 10 mile walks, starting at, you guessed it, 10am. This meant that walkers could achieve a 100 mile medal by not doing the longer walks, but still be challenged walking 10 miles every day for 10 days! The idea went down really well and many walkers achieved their 100 mile medal. One of the most memorable, some would say, legendary things that Graham did, was to post his map of the walks he was doing the following day, which he tells us about below. They are well worth taking a look at and if you were walking with us then, you may even get a mention!
Graham's Festival Story
Shortly after retiring I started working with Pete and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, on a Friday in Telford. Pete led a walk over the Wrekin for the 7th festival and I went on the walk. I knew nothing about the festival at this point, but I do remember the walk! The following year, Pete's role at the trust had changed and he could not lead the walk and asked if anyone else wanted to do it. I thought I was well down the pecking order to do it but as the only one interested, I ended up leading my first walk.
Somehow I met up with Neil and quickly realised that the guy was as daft as I was and….well read what Neil says. The 9th Festival had us doing 100 miles and some of the people who came with either Neil or myself are still part of the festival. I think it was the Thursday, or was it the Wednesday, of that week it rained. Actually, rained is far too trivial a word - it was the wettest day I walked as part of the festival. Neil went up the Wrekin. I went out to the east. The event went well but we needed more ideas.
So between Neil and I we came up with an idea for the 10th Anniversary festival - I did 10 (yes, an extra day) 10 mile walks. Okay, one was slightly over but the extra was into Much Wenlock for tea, pork pies and relief. More ideas followed to help make the festival develop and I started doing the maps. Each night after a walk, I would post 3 or 4 pictures of that day and a map of the next day's walk on Facebook. I printed a few off but many people printed off their own and would follow them on the day. I tried to make them informative and fun.
My early maps were not in the least bit accurate. The maps became more accurate, when I started using Map My Walk, but I still had to fill the page so liberties were taken. I have so many memories of doing the maps. My Sister still has her Birthday on May 2nd!
Another time, Jane, (current Chair and long time walk leader) did a recce and walked up a slight grassy hill that was so wet, all you could hear was splish, splash. So it was labelled as such, even though, a week or so later, for the festival, it was dry.
A warm drink and cake often featured at the end of each walk, and my favourite was 86'd, even though you had to climb stairs to get to it after a strenuous day (and very sadly, it has now closed).A perfect way to rejuvenate ready for the next walk. Another one of my famous walks included a stop at The Codfather Fish Bar in Horsehay. There's a theme emerging here, pork pies, cake, fish and chips, and all with a topping of wonderful memories.
It is so good to know that the work Neil and I started is still getting better. I feel so privileged and proud to have been one of the building blocks that helped it grow. Long may it continue.
Best wishes
Graham
Ten of Graham's Legendary Maps
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