SPONSORED WALK

As we started the walk at Riverside Park, Southampton, I felt a buzz of excitement as we walked along the river, chatting and laughing. Within the first mile, my legs were a bit tired, but not too much. We passed beautiful parts of the River Itchen with lots of flora and fauna, but some parts smelled horrible from Southern Water dumping sewage. Mostly, the path was narrow, and we walked in single file, with tall thorny berry bushes and other plants standing high on both sides. 

Some of us, including myself, got stung by nettles, but we found plantain leaves to calm the stinging pain.

At mile five, my legs felt like jelly, but talking and laughing with friends helped distract my brain. The knowledge that if we pushed through we would get donations to help the River Itchen motivated me mostly.

At mile six, we took a lunch break, and after that, we kept walking. By mile eight, my legs got wobbly, but we pushed on. At mile ten, we made it to Compton Lock. Some of us swam in the lock, but I didn't. 

Then, we went to a campsite where some of the Guardians were camping. We sat down and had some snacks, then played around with a football. After resting some more, we played some Connect Four, and then it was time for me to go home.

My legs were full of energy but also very achy on the morning of the second day of our walk. We made it to the campsite, played a bit, had breakfast, and went to the start of the walk from Compton Lock, where we had stopped the previous day. Halfway through our walk, I found a stick that was perfect for walking. At four miles, my legs started hurting, but we had breaks now and then. We made it halfway there and saw a beautiful lonely heron in the river in Winchester city centre, where we had our lunch.

After that, we had to make a detour because a portion of the Itchen Way was closed due to roadworks. As we kept on going, we passed lots of dried fields; some had wheat growing and some were filled with corn. We didn't get to see much of the river on this day. As we neared the end, we found a rope swing in a dead tree, and all the children took turns swinging on it. After that, I found new energy to finish the walk.

I woke up with my lower back killing me and my ankles aching, but after breakfast, I felt way better. Once we made it to St John the Baptist Church in Itchen Abbas to start our walk, I got a huge burst of energy, mainly from hearing that we had reached £800 in PayPal! With my walking stick in hand, we set off. We walked and walked; we went uphill, downhill, through fields, over bridges, and along the side of the River Itchen.

Along the way, we encountered a squashed frog on the road, preserved by the elements, and a dead field mouse on a shady path.

In the final stretch, we passed cornfields that were ready for harvest. Finally, we finished the walk right where the River Itchen originates. We were relieved and tired all at once, but we felt a wonderful sense of achievement.