King Athelstan - 924 ~ 2024
LATEST NEWS
The Mayor of Malmesbury’s celebration of the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walk and Cycle from Malmesbury to Kingston on Thames in November resulted in a packed Malmesbury Abbey and a great fun evening. A notable element was the presentation of certificates to the five walkers who completed the whole Walk – the Mayor himself, Stephen James, Diana D’Arcy, William Allberry, Bill Hall and David Pope - and to the event organisers.
Our plan now is to make the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walk permanently available as an extension of the Athelstan Pilgrim Way already in place in North Wiltshire. Watch this space!
Before then we are looking forward to Prof David Woodman, the author of an acclaimed major new book on Athelstan, talking in Malmesbury on ‘Athelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom’ on Friday January 16th. Tickets for this talk are already SOLD OUT.
BUT there is a new opportunity to enjoy Athelstan in Malmesbury! For just £50 you and up to seven more friends can enjoy an exclusive guided private walk in Malmesbury with a local history expert on a day and time that suits you. You will be immersed and amazed by Malmesbury’s amazing Anglo-Saxon history. E-mail
110 miles completed! 20 miles to go. Suddenly it's the 1st September; the sun chased the rain and we were treated to magnificent rainbows over Windsor. The Thames is all grown up now and it's a river with stories - a bit like the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walk!
We enjoyed music in isolated St Mary Magdalene Church in Boveney, hearing lost secrets being revealed at the site of Cookham Abbey and the interaction of the walkers, some new, some who will complete it all, all welcome. Windsor was a beacon from afar and we had a super welcome from the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Cllr Mandy Kaur and fellow councillors.
58 miles completed. 72 miles to go. Day 4 took us from the Rose Revived at Newbridge to Abingdon and a warm welcome from the Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Rawda Jehanli. This is the day we felt we were well on our way. A cross-country shortcut moved us past Oxford and the Thames has now 'grown up'. The walkers are enjoying themselves!
Two great new Athelstan 1100 events have been announced.
On Wednesday 26th Nov at 7:00pm - join the Mayor of Malmesbury to celebrate the success of the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walks and Cycle 2025. Enjoy stories, pictures, momentos and a fun in the great setting of Malmesbury Abbey. Tickets are just £10 and include a glass or wine or soft drink and cake. The funds raised will go to the Mayour of Malmesbury's Charity Appeal.
On Friday 16th January at 7:00pm at Malmesbury Town Hall. We are very pleased to be welcoming Athelstan expert and author David Woodman to Malmesbury to give a talk 'Athesltan and the Birth of a Kingdom'. David's highly acclaimed new book 'The First King of England' received national and international attention when it was published in September to co-incide with the 1100th anniversary fo Athelstan's coronation. Tickets are just £10.
There is more information and tickets at Events.
99 miles completed, 31 miles to go. With the Mayor of Henley wishing us well Day 7 of the walk was alongside the Thames – and our first rain! There were delights and surprises, with important landmarks such as Hambleden Lock, the start of the first ever University Boat Race, a herd of near white deer and the discovery of a dynasty of brewers in Hurley. We dodged showers while enjoying a notable lunch at St Mary’s Church, Hurley and a very welcome tea stop at All Saints Church, Marlow – thank you! It was a slightly soggy but happy group that arrived to a warm welcome in Bourne End. Seven days completed, just four to go!
You can still join the walk. The last three full days walking - on the Monday 1st Sept: Bourne End to Windsor, Tuesday 2nd Sept: Windsor to Chertsey Bridge, and Wednesday 3rd Sept: Chertsey Bridge to Hampton Court - are all delightful. The finale - on Thursday the 4th September: Hampton Court to All Saints, Kingston - and the delivery of Athelstan’s crown is not to be missed! Ideal if you live nearby – just email
If you are in North Wiltshire we've got a minibus going to and from Malmesbury on each day we are walking and there are a few spaces left. Don't delay. Just email
Full walk details are at: https://www.athelstan1100.co.uk/events-ticketing/the-athelstan-1100-pilgrim-way-walk-to-kingston-2025
43 Miles completed. 87 miles to go. Day Three took us from a great send off at St Lawrence Church in Lechlade via kind hospitality in Arts and Crafts Kelmscott - thank you David - to Newbridge and one of the oldest surviving bridges on the Thames. We had our first footwear failure - skilfully replied by a kind Thames lock keeper! Suddenly it feels like we are long way from Malmesbury.
Walk: 11 Days. 130 miles completed! 0 miles to go.
Cycle: 2 Days. 103 miles completed! 0 miles to go.
At 10:30am on Thursday 4th September the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walk and Cycle from Malmesbury to Kingston arrived at All Saints Church to start of a great day of celebration. The Mayor of Malmesbury, Cllr Stephen James, has done it! The crown transported from Malmesbury in time for the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan’s coronation is safely delivered.
A huge number of walkers and a large group of cyclists from Malmesbury, Kingston and the towns along the Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way and further afield have taken part. Our arrival and welcome in Kingston exceeded all our expectations.
A huge congratulations to Stephen and all those involved. We’ll add the story of the journey over the next few days.
If you would like to recognise Stephen’s remarkable effort please donate to his Mayoral charity appeal: https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/9061/mayor-of-malmesburys-charities/
87 miles completed, 43 miles to go. We're closing in on Kingston! Day 6 took us from an encouraging send off by the Mayor of Wallingford, Cllr Ros Lester, to a very warm welcome from the Mayor of Henley, Cllr Tom Buckley. We combined the Thames Path and the Ridgeway along a section of Grim's Ditch for a delightful 12 mile walk to Henley. And such hospitality! Thanks to the teams at St Leonard's, a beautiful and remarkable Anglo Saxon church in Wallingford, Wendy Tobbit, Chair of the Thames Path Partnership for fascinating insights along the way, and to St Mary's, Henley for a beautiful home-made tea!
You can still join the walk. The last three days walking - on the Monday 1st Sept: Bourne End to Windsor, Tuesday 2nd Sept: Windsor to Chertsey Bridge, and Wednesday 3rd Sept: Chertsey Bridge to Hampton Court - are all great. And the finale on Thursday the 4th September: Hampton Court to All Saints, Kingston and the delivery of Athelstan’s crown is not to be missed. We've got a minibus going to and from Malmesbury on each day we are walking and there are a few spaces left. Don't delay. Just email
If you would like to support the Mayor of Malmesbury and the effort to reach Kingston upon Thames with Athelstan's crown in time for the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan's coronation, please donate to the Mayor's Charity Appeal in aid of HEALS and the Malmesbury and District Foodbank. https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/9061/mayor-of-malmesburys-charities/
Day Two: Suddenly we are walking along the Thames, the historic border between the kingdoms of the West Saxons and Mercia. Highlights include the rousing send off by Cricklade's town crier, the friendly break in Castle Eaton, the amazing church at Inglesham and our warm welcome in Lechlade.
119 miles completed! 11 miles to go. We're thinking about Athelstan, the crown and an approaching end. We were treated royally again on our way - at St Peter and St Andrew's Church in Old Windsor and St Mary's Church in Staines. Passing through Runnymede we wondered what Athelstan would have thought about the Magna Carta. We'll have to ask the famous historians at Kingston's great celebration of the 1100th anniversary of Athelstan's coronation on Thursday.
Arriving at Chertsey Bridge we were warmly greeted by the Mayor of Runnymede, Cllr Margaret Hampden and her consort. She'd looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow and, very appropriately, presented our walking Mayor of Malmesbury with an umbrella. On to Hampton Court tomorrow.
Thanks to Alan Bostock for use of the photos he took, a couple are in the montage.
75 miles completed. 55 miles to go. Day 5 was along a glorious stretch of the Thames and delivered treat after treat. The Mayor of Malmesbury is now
The Athelstan 1100 Pilgrim Way Walk from Malmesbury to Kingston upon Thames has started. A great crowd was in Malmesbury's Cloister Gardens to see Athelstan entrust his crown - made buy local blacksmith Isaac Owen - to 'Stephen Mayor of Malmesbury' and the 43 walkers setting of on the first day of the walk towards Cricklade.
Photos: Richard Harris