F eedback from the 2019 event (10, 14, 18, 26 and 40 miles routes) 

 

Thank you so much for a great event! It was a lovely route - I don't know this area of the country well, and it was a great way to explore some beautiful scenery, I loved it. Big thanks to all of the people who were helping at the checkpoints and start/finish - everyone was so lovely, happy and very encouraging! The food at the end was amazing! Thank you for a great event, I shall be recommending it to people, and hope to be back!

 Here is my blog about the run: http://timeonyourfeet.blogspot.com/ 

 

Best wishes 

Amy

 

Many thanks to for organising this years event.  It must have taken a long time to add all those navigation stickers but they were a big help. 

 

You definitely achieve a relaxed and well organised event, really enjoyed it. 

Steve

 

We (me and two friends) would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of the event. I have done all of the 40 miler events since it started and it has just got better and better. The food this year really was exceptional, a perfect mix of savoury and sweet, plenty of delicious homemade cakes. The support was lovely and very welcome, the route (and description) great, You should all feel very satisfied and pleased with yourselves.
Regards
Linda

 

Really enjoyed the 26 mile route. A great challenge. And a great training run for Lakeland 50
Check points were well organised, great choice of food and drinks. The volunteers did a great job.
Hopefully see you next year
Kimberley

 

Really enjoyed the 40 miles yesterday, beautiful route, friendly volunteers and lovely food.
Just a suggestion for next year, tell people to bring their own cups (all LDWA walks insist on it), so we can save the planet :-).
Thank you, see you next year

Kerrin

 

This was my first year at the 12 Parish Challenge and it's unlikely to be my last. Very well organised, friendly checkpoints and a very scenic 18 mile route.
Thanks for organising. Hopefully see you next year.
Regards,

Stuart

 

Just a quick note to say a very big thank you for – the event was really well organised and really enjoyable – thank you. 

Regards
Mark

 

The Challenges are a credit to all who participate in working so hard to make the day such a success. Congratulations to them all.
I presume that I was the oldest competitor? whereas last year the 18 mile challenge escaped my 86years, by me getting lost and tramping the wrong way.
The 10 mile challenge suited my 87years I only lost myself once and found the way marks a great encouragement.
After having cancer surgery, in December, my training was very hit and miss.
Next year maybe the 14 miles?
Regards
Stanley

 

Yet another fantastic day, you could have ordered a little less humidity but with that exception your planning was great.
Parking spacious and easy to access.
First time doing the amended 18 mike route for me, I like the tweets. We missed a couple of markers near the start, but that was due to us chatting and catching up on news not your labelling, once we got our eye in  for the symbol it was easy peasy and the written instructions were spot on. I was pleasantly supplied to find that a few of the styles have been replaced by metal gates.

Particularly impressed with your support team at base and the check points, especially the lady who beeped at us where her technology failed .

See you next year.
Deb

 

 It was my first time doing this event I will definitely do it again next year it was lovely very nice route loved the little orange markers and it was so nice at the checkpoints to have healthy options I think I ate my own body weight in watermelon The email you sent out about the course only being 10% overgrown was a tad misleading I have been bitten scratched and cut to pieces I know this cannot be helped next year I will wear full body armour my only criticism would be the timings I walked it with two friends one of whom had all the tickets and handed them in at each checkpoint at the same time and the beginning and the end yet we seem to have finishing times four minutes apart it didn’t bother me but my friend wasn’t very happy it happens quite often On similar events thank you for a lovely day and I will definitely be back next year

Jude

 Thank you and the team for putting on a great event. This was our 2nd time and we doubled our group size, all enjoyed it and will be sharing how good it was with others in our clubs.
Looking forward to next year

Regards
Nigel

 

 

 

As I said at the end, feet and legs knew I had been a walk but not the stomach. The food was excellent in quantity, quality and variety terms. The baked potato and cheese at the finish were just the right thing and amount. I'm not a vegitarian but do appreciate vegitarian since at 63 meat is harder to digest during excercise over nearly 14 hours. Things that slip down easily are thus favoured.

Route marking was excellent but can never be relied on totally. The route description is just right not over the top or too succinct. There was one stile  replaced with a new kissing gate I believe. Between marking route description and the GPX getting lost is not an option.

I first did the event when I spotted it in the LDWA Strider magazine in 2016. The improvements in the marking and food over the last four years have been much appreciated. For a days entertainment and what you provide, compared with other 40 mile events, £15 is a real bargin.

Please pass on my thanks to all your enthusiastic helpers in what ever capacity. As I checkpoint on events each year myself, Including once a snow covered summit, it's can be far easier and much more pleasent walking. Organizing involves so much more time over a long period. Incredibly I did once hear it said that when an event has been run the first time there is little to do next year. Obviously someone who has never been involved even on the fringes of organising and not the norm. Your considerable labour of love efforts are definately appreciated.

See you 2020.

Thanks, Nigel

  

Firstly thanks for organising the event.
Secondly I really don’t enjoy being critical when something is run by volunteers.
However you might consider:-
-Reviewing the instructions which seemed in parts to be quite dated. Eg stiles had been replaced by kissing gates etc.. Most times we guessed right , it just made things trickier.
-Some signing was excellent, but in other instances , particularly at forks , we had an educated guess, got it right most times , but a couple of times got lost.
-Thirdly , some ( or rather more) approx distances in the route would be useful as we’d then realise sooner rather than later that we had gone adrift.

Hope that helps for another year

Richard

 

Dad and me had a fantastic day. It was dad's first official event in over 20 years and he loved it. Everything from the organisation, route marking, pre event info and checkpoints were absolutely spot on and your volunteers were just lovely. We'll be back next year and hopefully upping the distance for my 70 year old dad. Thanks again.

Emma

 

 Many thanks for organizing what was a good event which I enjoyed. Efficient organization, a warm welcome (especially as I changed distances on arrival) and good food.

Just two comments:

1 there were a lot of stiles which is fine but several of them were either shaky or broken. You probably can’t do much about it, but reporting some of the worst to the County Council or alerting owners or local Ramblers might do some good.

2 the orange signs were great to help direct on what is in places a tricky route to navigate, so thanks, but I think that without these I would probably have got lost trying to follow directions on paras 3.4 and 3.5 (before Cockshoot on the 18 mile route). It may just have been my not concentrating but I ended up relying on the signs.

 I hope these help.

 Many thanks once again,

 best wishes

 Tony

 

 

Many thanks Neil to you and the team for putting on this very enjoyable event again. It is clearly well organised with excellent check point stops which are much appreciated. We also appreciated the markers so we didn’t go wrong.
My only slight adjustment would be to check the mileage between 1st 2nd & 3rd check points on the 40 mile route. Although our Garmins were in agreement that at the Abberley Village Hall stop we had done 26 miles, at Wichenford we made it 17 miles rather than 15. 
However, it is a minor criticism on what was a good event and I would like to thank you for all your hard work in organising it.
Kind Regards
Caroline

 

It was a fantastic event , very well signposted . Checkpoints very well stocked with food . Excellent choice with the salty nuts and snacks and a great course . Very friendly atmosphere and very helpful at the checkpoints . Will definitely be returning
Few things maybe worth considering
At the later checkpoints as like other events .having full sugar Coke Cola would be great as being a runner this is really a must
Also might be worth moving the cockshoot farm checkpoint a few miles down the road as being on the 27 mile route is was very close to the last checkpoint
Ideally a checkpoint with 3miles to go on a long distance event is very helpful .
Also not being a runner the sandwiches and cakes at the end were excellent . Not sure the chilli is the right choice and would prefer maybe quiche and salads .
Maybe be worth having a badge on sale of the event like the LDWAs events as these are great momentoe

Thanks again for a great event

Thanks
Mark

 

Firstly, thank you and the team for organising this event. Even though it was the longest and hilliest Marathon I have done, I still enjoyed it a lot, and found everyone stationed at each of the checkpoints to be very supportive and friendly, and the choice of food and drink available at each checkpoint was very good too. I really liked the variety of the course, with plenty of different challenges along the way, meaning that I never felt bored. Though a few of the overgrown sections were not exactly ideal, as this was another challenge to be overcome, even that added to the overall experience. I also liked the fact that without a mass start, the event never felt like a race, which delivered a more relaxed attitude amongst the runners and walkers than is sometimes the case.

The only real area I thought could have been improved was the race briefing. Without a mass start, I would have expected more information via email prior to the event. For example, I couldn't find a postcode for the event car park which made it slightly more difficult to find than it could have been, and other information such as how many route markers were out on the course I only found by reading a blog post by a previous entrant. However, my overall experience at the event was very positive, and I would be happy to return in the future.

Best Regards,

Colin

 

Thank you Neil, it was a great event and all 3 of us enjoyed it. 

The team of volunteers were fab, so helpful and cheery, nothing was too much trouble. 

Kind regards

Helen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loved it! The terrain made it quite challenging for us runners and the rutted crop fields were difficult to pick up any speed along. The nettles were strong, brambles prickly and fairly thick in places but all in all, the tough bits made it a very exciting and memorable event.

Many thanks for the written instructions available on the day and for marking the entire 40 mile route...invaluable as my Fenix failed to load up the gpx of the route! (I checked it afterwards and it WAS there, so a massive tech fail!!!) I'd probably still be out in a field somewhere now if those instructions weren't available to me on the morning.

Finally, a massive thank you to all your volunteers/marshalls/generally amazing folk and of course, you...it was a great event and I can't wait to do it all again.

Sara

 I was very happy with the organisation, checkpoint food & facilities & all the volunteers hard work. The signage around the route was also better this year than previous. There was just one or two places where the route description did not seem to match the actual route but I guess that’s partly down to personal interpretation. Many Thanks to all involved!

Helen

A big thank you Neil and to everyone involved. It’s a fabulous way for discovering wonderful Worcestershire countryside and meeting your army of enthusiastic helpers who never tire through out the day.
See you guys next year.
Graham

 

Yes we thoroughly enjoyed the walk, it’s a tough challenge but the check points and facilities provided were fantastic  on the day

That’s great if results are on system today , as I was going to ask as I can’t see mine or Sally Martyn Smith walking time

Cheers

 

 

 

Just wanted to say it was a fab event with great food all the way around!
Don’t worry too much about the footpaths, it’s just how it is this time of year.
I do a 10mile event myself and the local council gave me details of all the landowners on the route, so I contact them all directly and that seems to work well.
I’ll be coming back again next year, I hope you’ll send us all an email reminder

Many thanks
Julie

 

I would just like to thank you for all your hard work.  We completed the 40 mile walk which was tough but the route took us through some very beautiful countryside.  It was well marked, the instructions clear and we were very well looked after at all the check points.

We had a splendid day out and it was a great challenge

Mary

 

 Thank you for organising this event. Had a lovely day, beautiful route, friendly and accommodating marshall's good food at checkpoints  (salty snacks and fruit always welcome) and amazing markers along the route pointing so I didn't get lost.

Julia

 

Brilliant event as usual at less than extortionate prices.

Excellent grub, especially the fruit cake, and fabulous marshals.

Thank you for a very enjoyable day.

Gary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to all the staff, organisers and helpers who put on another great event to showcase the best of the Worcestershire countryside. This is now my third year in a row and Im so pleased to make the time to support the scouts and Hallow. The village is where my grandfather and grandmother lived around WWII and again in the 1990s. 

These would be my key feedback points:

Keep- the orange waymarkers. 

Keep- giving out route maps and written instructions at the registration point on the day. 

Keep- an excellent choice of food and drink available at each checkpoint. 

 

Change- the entry fee to £19.50 (not only is it for charity, it would still represent good value)

Change- increase the size and colour of the CHECKPOINT signs. 

Change- where else this event is advertised to increase the visitors to the area and to the event. A national magazine or another outdoor forum could help the event grow by 50%. 

Im very positive about the event and would be happy to encourage others to come and join in. 

All the best.

Hazel

 

Very enjoyable well organised and well signed event (although I still managed to go wrong once!!)
Best Wishes & see you next year

Kev

 

Many thanks to all who took part and helped make our day out special.

Some of the undergrowth did test us, especially those who still decided to wear shorts ( me included).

The 40 mile route was a first for some of our group, but they can all be proud of themselves for finishing.

The route description was pretty much spot on and the signage was better , I thought, than last year.

Hope you all managed to have some rest after the event, well deserved.

 

Kind Regards

Andrew

 

Thank you for a really well organised event.  The (26 mile) route is good and varied - the middle section along the Worcestershire Way is definitely a highlight.   The welcome and selection of food at the checkpoints was outstanding.  I was spoilt for choice!  The only thing that could be improved is the route description - there are a number of minor inaccuracies and ambiguities which made following it a little trickier than normal.  The waymarking was a huge help but I can't help but think it shouldn't be necessary.  All in all, an excellent event which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Many thanks to everyone involved - it is greatly appreciated.

 

Best regards,

Guy

 

 

Feedback from the 2018 event (10, 14, 18, 26 and 40 miles routes) 

 

It was the first time we had attempted this event (26ish miles)  and we were a little worried as we didn’t know the area and it was so warm. 

 

However, we really enjoyed the event and the hospitality of everyone involved.  We managed to find our way back with just a couple of hic ups but then we expect this...it is a challenge after all.

 

There was plenty of lovely food at the checkpoints and fluids which kept us going and motivated to get to the next check point and everyone was very friendly.   We loved that you had printed out maps for everyone.  We’ve not seen this done before and even though we had an OS map with us it was easier to use the single sheet you had provided.

 

We did spend some time reading your reviews beforehand and it was great to see how you had taken on board the comments made by entrants and to see how you had implemented changes to make such an enjoyable day.

 

Our sticky points were 5.3 where we were a little confused about which hedge we were heading to but we worked it out and 6.4, we may have been mistaken or slightly rusty as we don’t tend to use the compass as much but we got the bearing as 133 rather than 113.

 

Unfortunately we can’t provide you with photos...we were too busy trying not to get lost and to get back before cut off.

 

Thanks again and we hope you were able to raise plenty of funds from the event.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mandy and Craig

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My daughter & I did the 10 mile route and in general found the instructions very helpful & easy to follow!

My only feedback would be that as a scout fundraiser, I found it very strange that my 8 year old was the only cub that took part! I would love to see more taking part next year, is it possible to link the walk to a badge to encourage more to take part?

Helen

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The event was amazing, thank you so much for a stunning route. I never knew how beautiful the area was. It was incredible how you managed to keep to footpaths and trails. The best thing for me though was all the amazing, cheerful checkpoints. They so kept me going. Special thanks to the lovely lady at the end who offered me a shower and the lovely cooks. I so appreciated it. Brill event. Kathy.

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First of all can I say how much I enjoyed the event – it was my first time and, having done lots of events elsewhere, I can safely say it was well organised throughout; thanks for all who organised it and for the checkpoints staff.  I particularly enjoyed the varied start times.  As a slower runner, it is often difficult to find events with a start time to suit and the generous start time window was very useful.

 

Cheers, Dave

 

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Sorry for the late feedback reply, we had a big family BBQ on Sunday to prepare. We were so glad we managed to make it to Hallow, as we nearly had to cancel because our car engine was overheating on the way. Thankfully it settled down and we only arrived a few minutes late.

We thought it was a great route, especially the WW, a lot of which was in the woods which made it a bit cooler. The views were absolutely gorgeous! The instructions were clear, and the little orange way markers were a godsend! Occasionally there was one on a gate, and it was a bit confusing whether we should go over the gate or straight ahead. We were really impressed with the registration process, and the system of keeping tabs on the walkers' progress at the checkpoints, and all the lovely food! So thank you very much!

Kind regards,

Manisha and Guido 

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It was a wonderful day, thank you to everyone for helping, organising, manning checkpoints and cutting up tally cards! The food was excellent and well-spaced checkpoints. The route description has been tweaked and is fantastic, liked having the map and GPs track.

Thank you very much
Linda

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It was a really well organised event. People at all check points were so friendly. Good selection of snacks to keep us going. I would have liked to have known how far it was to the next check point from each of the check points we were on. We knew distance to the first but it was clear on a few after that. When I do longer events (often 100ks) I work from check point to check point, so I like to know where I am in relation. 

I thought on the whole the route was really well marked with the orange signs. And route instructions were really detailed. One or two points nearer the end where it was a bit unclear and instructions were misleading. (E.g field with pylons, not the left hand one - it looked as if this comment was referring to pylons but it was referring to gates) 

That was the first time I've been walking in Worcestershire and it was really lovely. 

Thank you for organising a great event.

Susan  

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Many thanks to everyone involved in making this such a successful event ; I thoroughly enjoyed the 18 miles walk and will be adding it to my annual calendar of events ! The snacks and drinks provided at the checkpoints were most welcome and the vegetarian spaghetti bolognese was one of the tastiest I have ever eaten !

Both my friend and I thought that occasionally there was a lack of waymarkers which may have been a problem for those just using the written directions ; for me, personally, it was not a problem as I use a GPS and map rather than written directions but I did help one or two people who seemed to be in some doubt as to the route. At grid reference 745629 (just above Rodge Hill Farm on the Worcestershire Way), the waymarker pointed left, following the Worcestershire Way, but the map showed the route as going right and then left towards the quarry - only a minor detail as both routes led to the second checkpoint by the quarry.

In any event, please don't take the above as negative criticism - I have only mentioned it because you have asked for feedback.....I fully appreciate that a lot of unrewarded effort goes into organising these events and it is only thanks to the volunteers that give up their time that people like myself can have such an enjoyable day out.

Kind regards
Stephen

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I really enjoyed yesterday. The route is fantastic (40mile) and had some nice challenging terrain in the middle section (a positive thing)
Very friendly checkpoints. Thank you to all of the Marshall's at them.
I will definitely return to it again, and will not hesitate to recommend it to friends too

Pete

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Thank you to all involved in this event. I enjoyed the route and It was well organised with excellent CP’s. I had not expected the route to be marked but the orange markers were helpful and well placed. 

Best regards,

Steve

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Thank you to you and all the organisers for putting on such an excellent event yesterday.

I enjoyed the new route (I last did the event in 2016) and the views especially on the WW sections were magnificent.

Thank you too for the clear route description and markers on the way.

Well done on a excellent and friendly event

Susannah

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Thank you for a fantastic walk yesterday.  The organisation, signage and provision of directions and a marked map made the walk so much more enjoyable yet still challenging.

My sister have taken part in a number of similar events and yours was by far the best organised.  Everyone was also so friendly and welcoming too.

Look forward to returning again next year

Thank you
Denise

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A great day ended in disappointment for me, losing my way and having to retire after 13miles. I realise that I should have changed to the 14 mile challenge. God willing I will return for the 14 mile challenge when I will be 87 Years of age.
Stan

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Fantastic event Neil ! No negatives at all, food was lovely, people were lovely, scenery was lovely, and as for the early start thanks a million ! Will be recommending you to my fellow walkers, Thankyou Ian

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First, thank you very much for organising such a lovely walk yesterday, not to mention all the cakes and refreshments.

 I walked the 26 miles route and found the description mostly very good – and I especially appreciated the printed OS map with the (presumably) GPX plot, which was very helpful on those occasions when I managed to wander from the route or needed confirmation.  Of course, the fluorescent waymarks were very helpful too!  All very well organised, thank you.

 One possible minor discrepancy that you might want to check before next year: step 2.9 and the map route seem not quite to correspond with the WW waymarks or the WW route shown on the map, although I think the route description and the GPX plot do agree with each other.  I couldn’t find the track cross roads or the field referred to, and I came out on the road at about SO742635, not SO744636 as shown – and a few others were also on that track at the same time. 

 Anyway, thanks again to everyone concerned for a very enjoyable day.

 Kind regards,

Simon

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Yesterday was the first time I had done the Hallow. (I've done about 15 ultramarathons and LDWA Challenge-type events.) A few comments:   

* The Hallow was superbly organised, one of the best-organised events I've ever done. Simple, thorough, careful.

* The organisers and support staff were very pleasant and helpful.

* The route was pleasant -- but could have been a bit tougher. More hills, please.  

* The route was well marked, with screamy orange markers at slightly tricky points. Good idea. The maps and route descriptions were very good -- almost perfect, in fact, we were only confused once.

* The food was excellent, a good mix of sweet and savoury (though a bit more savoury would have been welcome on such a hot day!).

* You charge too little! For such a comprehensive well-catered event, £15 is too low. I suggest you raise the fee to £18 or £20. 

Thanks to you and all your colleagues! 

Best wishes, Terence

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Just wanted to say that I put myself and my husband down as runners. No we are certainly not the quickest and our time was quite slow, however, you have changed us to walkers on the results table, we certainly didn't walk all of it. I would appreciate it if you could change it back to runners please as this is public information.  

Also, I think your timing is slightly out as I left my husband behind at the end down the road and ran off to try for a sprint finish and on your results it says he only finished one minute behind me. Nevermind, I'm sure it's quite difficult to get accurate timings.  

I would also like to point out that the instructions were hard to follow at the end on the last page. We ended up getting lost and ended up running 29 miles in the end. 

Thanks for a great experience, I'm glad I covered the distance, even if a little long, and I hope you can change us back to runners. 

Many thanks, Charlotte

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Great event - thanks. Beautiful route, well organised. Really good food at the checkpoints- fresh fruit and salty snacks. 

Thanks to all of the marshalls- they make a good walk into a great event. 

Julia

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Fabulous walk! (18 miles)
•Very well organised walk.
•Brilliant written directions & signage.
•Super support at the start, check points and    finish.
•A walk where people cared and supported each other.
•Excellent catering at the start, checkpoints and finish.
See you next year

Caroline

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We did the 18 mile. It was great to see that the route had changed slightly from the previous years. 

As usual, it was very well organised, delicious cakes and the fruit was a lovely touch too. 

The volunteers could not have been more helpful

Thank you for an excellent event and we will be booking again next year. 

Kind regards

Helen

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“Another super event thank you. Will be back next year.”

Patrick

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What a day!

Many thanks to you and everyone involved in staging the Hallow 40.

The event was a trial of endurance for our threesome in the hot weather but completed it in 14hrs 35mins!

The food and drink stops were such a blessing. All the volunteers were truly supportive of us, and we were able to experience your lovely countryside.

The only point I could make is that on the instruction sheets, there was too little mileage information. I would have liked mileage at each check point and after every mile, so that little goals could be achieved and timings worked out. The only criticism!!!!

Waiter service at the end too!

All be proud of your time and efforts.

 

Regards, Andrew, Diane & Mary

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Me and my friends had a great day out.

 

keep up the good work.

 

ever thought about doing a winter version (same route)at distances up to 26m?

 

kind regards, Imtiaz

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Many thanks to everyone for all your hard work both before and on the event. It was quite a bit hillier than I had expected, but the fantastic views were worth it. The checkpoints were great and the marshals were friendly and helpful. A lovely route (thankfully in the shade for part of the time!). The orange stickers were reassuring, although there were a few places - such as forks in the path - where an extra one would have been helpful. I think the route description needs tightening up a bit. Although we didn't get lost, there were some places where we could have easily taken a wrong path and some where we just had to guess the way. Overall a great day out and I shall be recommending it to fellow walkers and runners.

Thanks again. Rita

 

PS. The melon at the checkpoints was a life-saver!!

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First of all, please pass on our heartfelt thanks to all your fantastic team of helpers on the event. It was extremely well-organised and we had a grand day out!!

Navigation was no problem – the route description seemed to have been improved upon from last year’s, the gpx trace on the map was very helpful and the orange waymarkers were a massive bonus and reassurance. We were not expecting the 26-mile route to be waymarked at all! We like the variety in the route (some fields, woods, hills, flatter bits etc). There were 2 places where the route description did not match the gpx trace: the first was on the approach to the checkpoint at Camp Lane – the gpx trace leaves the Worcestershire Way and goes over Cockshot Hill, whereas the route description stays on the WW all the way and the orange waymarkers indicated this way as well; the second was between New Bridge and Nutnell Pool – the gpx trace indicates a left turn after the bridge and then a right turn up to the bridleway junction, whereas the route description continues straight on from the bridge and up the bridleway to Glasshampton Monastery, then turns left to the bridleway junction. Again the orange waymarkers were consistent with the route description.

The checkpoints were all amazing with extremely friendly, encouraging and helpful staff. We appreciated the variety of food on offer (savoury and sweet) – the favourites being pizza, quiche, chocolate brownies and jelly babies. Thank you for covering the food too (this was something I commented on last year). My only negative comment is that the food at Little Witley was uncovered and out in the full sun; and the water was not ready in a jug, we had to operate a large container ourselves. Food at the end was also excellent – perhaps some grated cheese to add on top of the Bolognese would have been the icing on the cake!

We’re already looking forward to next year.

Thanks again

Anne and Vaughan

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Feedback from the 2017 event (10, 18, 26 and 40 miles routes) 

An excellent day, many thanks to everyone who organised and helped on the day, it was much appreciated.

The food was very good, thank you for the more vege friendly items this year. The people helping were all delightful, it makes such a difference to have a friendly face when hot and tired!

Route finding for the most part was easy and excellent, the maps were essential and the GPS route accurate.

Thank you, see you next year.
Linda

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Many thanks to all the kind volunteers who made this event not only possible but enjoyable too. Refreshment stops just hit the spot! My only comment is that it seemed further than 26 miles, but it wasn't a problem as it just meant we could spend more time walking in the lovely countryside!

Kind Regards

Caroline Godber

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A well organised and thoroughly enjoyable day in lovely countryside.

Managed to only stray off the path once but soon (after half an hour) managed to find our bearings and get back on track.I thought the checkpoints were spaced out perfectly and attended by helpful,friendly people and the food was lovely once we returned to the start/finish point.

All in all it was a great day out and I look forward to doing it all again next year. 

Best Regards

Robin Silvester

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This is an excellent event.

I have attended some 20 varying events over the last 4 years and this one stands out as follows:

1. Exceptional value – I would be more than happy to pay ++double what you ask for

2. Great support – the people involved in helping were incredibly friendly and supportive.  This is unlike most events that I have attended

3. Great course (18 miler) – it was superb and the directions and markings just right.

4. Flexibility – turn up and run! 

I would have no reservations in recommending this event. It was a real pleasure and I would like to thank everyone who made it such a good day out. Thank you. 

With kind regards 

Patrick Hunter

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4 friends and I recently signed up to do the Macmillan Cotswold Mighty Hike.  Therefore we need to put in some practise.  We've done the Worcester way from Bewdley to Martley and the 12 parish challenge was out next practise route.   Whilst we did the Worcester way we came to realise that we'd not packed enough water and some of us didn't bring enough food.  So it was a more realistic practise to do the 12 parish challenge as we had snack/drink stops, we were also very grateful for the jacket potato at the end.  Also I liked the bright orange signage used, this really helped.  We managed to complete the 18 miles in under 7 1/2 hours which we were pleased with.  So many thanks for allowing us to take part and hopefully we will see you next year. 

Many thanks 

Liz

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What an overall great event! Thank you. 

The checkpoint at Wichenford was almost too good due to the enjoyable snacks and drinks, I probably hung around too long. 

Course was well marked although did have several 'wasted' minutes searching for correct path, more due to my own ineptitude than anything else. 

Not sure how practically it would work but maybe starting runners together would add some excitement. 

Thanks

Mark
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I absolutely loved taking part in the walk – thank you! 

I did the 40 mile walk and there were a few occasions where the directions said ‘right’ and it was ‘left’, but the orange markers were always showing the right way. I loved the orange markers – there were a few occasions where I did wonder if I was still on route – then I would see a marker and feel ok again! 

Everybody at the checkpoints were really nice and friendly. Particularly so at Martley Hillside and when I finished – offering to bring food to me at the table etc. 

I will definitely be entering again next year if I can. A fabulous day, with perfect weather for a long walk! 

Thank you. 

Liz Edwards

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Just to say many thanks for yesterday's 26-mile event. It was a great route and the check points were well-stocked with savoury food (not just sweet stuff as on many other events!). The views were perfect, particularly on the Worcestershire Way section.
The route description was well written with only one mistake - the footpath from Abberley was only 50m, not 500m.

One highlight was seeing a Lancaster bomber flying above us - probably getting prepared for Fairford next weekend.

Next year I might have a go at the 40 mile route.
Thanks again for a great event.

John Walker
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Thank you for an amazing walk! It was so well organised. Please pass on our sincere thanks to everyone who gave their time manning the checkpoints and to whomever made the wonderful food. We had an incredible walk (but today is proving a little tricky )! 

Regards

Jo and Nadine Wild, Donna and Jo Parker 

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Another great day, well done to all the organisers.
The 10 mile was clearly marked with good written instructions.
The snacks and meal/drinks were great. Probably the only walk I've done where I could put weight on!
Thank you to all the providers.
Sylvie Amos
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I think that you and your team did a great job.  I suggested last year about having food (of any basic sort) at all of the checkpoints, and also about maybe having more hills.  Both these points seem to have been taken on board, which – together with ideal weather & pleasant countryside – made it a most enjoyable day.  The hilly bits are kinda all clumped together in the middle of the 40 route, but you can only play the geographical cards that you’re dealt!   The directions were clear, the pre-printed A3 colour maps were above & beyond, and everyone was very friendly & welcoming.  

 

Many thanks to all of you, and I look forward to hopefully doing it again next year! 

 

Cheers, 

Andy

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Great route great day some have said route not to be marked I thought it worked well maybe a compass bearing at the point where it said "direction of one o'clock " towards end of route,as a little confusing if you had orientated yourself north and took that as twelve o'clock understand not everybody can read compass but hey ho a minor possible improvement only other thing may be a few more orange signs through the boggy area near monk wood nature reserve but all in all great as Arne said I'll be back !!

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I would like to thank all the volunteers and organisers for a fantastic event!!!  I thoroughly enjoyed the day and hope to see you next year. 

Kind regards,

Rose 

Entrant No 2626

 

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Feedback from the 2016 event (10, 18, 26 and 40 miles routes) 

Thanks for Saturday, I am new to Worcester but I have done many of these events. I will be honest & say that the overall the experience was excellent. Particularly, the course was just lovely (a good mix), the written instructions ... word for word almost perfect, the markings on the course were about the best I have come across & certainly from my perspective a great thing. I would say the checkpoints were about the correct distance apart & the food at the end was excellent. 

All in all, brilliant ... so a big thanks to you & everyone who gave their time. 

See you next year.

Regards. 

Justin
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Many thanks for a great event today. I did the 10 mile run ( well more like a stagger). The people who helped us and who marked the route did a great job. And - please pass on my huge thanks for the food and drink helpers at Wichenford and Hallow. The food was so good that I'm sure it put back more calories than I burnt off ( not their fault; mine for being so greedy).

I hope that the Scouts' funds were well topped-up too.

I am looking forward to next year already. I think that the word will get around that it's a great event.

Gerry 

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Congrats on a great event - a nice route, friendly organisers, & Lots of support!  A route-description (and sometimes a GPX file) would be the usual minimum. But to add pre-printed A3 colour maps into the mix is above and beyond. And to then mark up all 4 route-options on the ground is the icing on the cake! You spoil us!  :-)

The only two suggestions I'd perhaps make are:

Maybe a few more hills. (I stress that this is a purely personal preference only - I fully appreciate that this will not be to everyone's taste, & it's entirely up to each event to decide what level of difficulty it wishes to pitch it at. So this is NOT a complaint, as the route profile was abundantly clear beforehand, therefore people can enter or not enter depending on whether they fancy it.)

Having food at all the checkpoints. (It's probably not practical or even desirable to fully cater every CP, which is fine. People can always carry extra if they know that they'll need to. But I'd suggest just having Something at each one, not merely at 2 or 3 of them, even if it's only something easy like a couple of packets of ginger snaps! It's a good morale boost, especially on a long event.  Plus if people are a little unprepared it can be a handy extra bit of energy of them.)

Both are minor things though. Overall, most enjoyable, & would be happy to do it again next year!

Many thanks to you and your team.

Cheers,
Andy

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Thank you to everyone for the Walk. It is a really good walk and a nice one with plenty of variety.

You did ask for some feedback so I will provide some. To put it in context, for a 40 mile walk of this nature you could realistically expect to attract probably in the region of 200 people. However:

1) you need a realistic start time. 8:00 at the earliest.

2) you need to set the runners off one hour later, at the earliest, than the walkers. And you need to have some way of distinguishing between runners and walkers for the results.

3) You need to provide more support for the 40 mile walkers. Long distance walkers need good drink AND food support BEFORE AND AFTER 20 miles. So, for example, at the Little Whitley Village Hall checkpoint there was not even water available. At the cockshoot farm checkpoint I had to get my own water and there was no food. While I don't mind this - to some extent I prefer to rely on my own supplies - for most of the serious walkers they will expect you to provide drink and food at these checkpoints (as well as at the earlier ones - from about 8-10 miles) and they will be highly critical if you don't. It doesn't need to be much, but there needs to be something. Sandwhiches, tomatoes, salty food (such as crisps), fig rolls (excellent for energy), and so on. This is a bit of an investment but it will pay off.

4) Don't mark out the route. This is contentious and debateable but in most cases the experienced long distance walkers will probably be put off by this. It is a bit strange given a lot of them have GPS...but there is a limit and marking the route is probably one step too far. In principle I didnt' mind, this time, as I was testing myself on pace so this really helped and probably took 20-30 minutes off my time. So it was really useful. But I probably wouldn't walk a marked route again. It takes something away from the experience.

5) double check your route description (see below).

6) Ignore any negative feedback you get. This is a great walk and you did a good job. I think you could build it into a popular event on the walking calendar as you have a strong catchment area (ie. within 2 hours drive; easy to get too off motorway).

7) Double check the distance. You need to be spot on. As I was staring out I heard people saying it was 36miles and 38 miles according to thier GPS. What is the distance?

8) see below re checkpoint just past Green Street Cottage.

9) I'd like to see this walk on the calendar next year.

10) I may be wrong but I think when you say 'filed' in the directions you actually mean 'field'?

ROUTE DESCRIPTION (Suggested improvements noted thanks Bill)


BUT, in my limited experience your directions are at least as good as anybody elses.

WR

Bill

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I would like to thank you and all your marshals and helpers for a superb event on Saturday.

In these days of escalating entry fees and limited places, it is nice to know that such a brilliant run/walk can still be achieved probably on a very tight budget.

Running it is the easy option; it’s the army of volunteers that often have the difficult and thankless task.

The route marking was excellent and what a relief it was to find most of the unpleasant stuff cut back, especially if you’re wearing just shorts and a vest.

The CP’s were amazing, I even had to refuse the offer of a cup of tea at Abberley, which is a first and I’m sorry I couldn’t have the chilli at the finish though it smelt and looked delicious.

Many thanks again to everyone involved, it was much appreciated.

I’ll be back next year for sure.

Gary.

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I really enjoyed the route on Saturday, it was varied and a good mixture of terrain coupled with lovely views. Appreciated the route markers as well at timely places. I would definitely do the 40 mile event again.  

Suggestions for future - the checkpoints were well spaced out but only 2 had food (very nice food I may add) although I appreciate it was £10 and you did say to carry water etc.  Perhaps some biscuits or crisps in one or two of the car CP's. Apart from that could not fault it. Well organised, lovely food at the end, easy to park 

and smashing people as usual. Thanks to the organisers and the marshals who were all fab. Also thanks for getting results out so quick.  

Tracy

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Just to say "thank you" for all the hard work that went into the event. It was very handy being able to start when ready; a 9 a.m. start for me would have meant getting home at 10.30 p.m. instead of 8.30, and would have ruled me out. 

As a farmer's daughter I'm always interested in the agriculture of an area - totally different from Devon; no dairy, some sheep, and clearly a big fruit and veg. area, thus an absence of farm dogs of uncertain temperament! 

I was so grateful for the escort through Worcester - I didn't catch whether the lady's name was Jean or Joan, but please convey my huge thanks. 

I hope you all felt the day was a success, 

Many thanks, 

Jenny (Mills).

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Thanks for a good event it was nice to start at 6am it meant I was able to finish and get home at reasonable time. The food was grate we could have done with some at the first check point on the 40ml with starting so early. The route description could have done with having the millage on so people can pace them selves. Their wasn't any indication of distances between the check points. It was nice to see you introduced different distances, this should attract more people to have a go.
Many thanks Jacky

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First of all, thanks so much to you and your supporters  for putting on the event. It’s really noticeable that you have managed to attract many more participants - so, I hope, raised more funds! Having done the first run last year, I thought there were many improvements, especially the meal at the end and your strimming efforts. I wore shorts throughout and was not stung once - remarkable! 

A couple of observations, which you may have picked up from comments in the hall 

1. Food at water stops. A few biscuits/sweets/jelly babies  at every stop make a huge difference to morale. Can’t imagine what it felt like to be a 40 mile walker taking 15 hours and only having two food stops! 

2. Some comments heard about confusing route descriptions. Didn’t bother me, but I’m a local and know the area. Some fellow LDWA members travelled from the South East or Cornwall so they might need more help. I’d be very happy to have a go at re-drafting the instructions from the point of view of someone who does about 30-40 challenge walks a year if that helps. And I wouldn’t be offended if you ignored my suggestions! 

3. More explicit instructions for late arrivals/ runners needing overflow parking - the fact that you need this is a sign of your success! 

Once again, none of this is intended as a criticism; more in the spirit of British Cycling’d “marginal gains”, if you follow that sort of thing 

Neil

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Fab day! Got lost once or twice so 18 miles turned into 22!! Not used to off road walking...power walking is my preference but even though challenging,loved it well done on catering and Thankyou,will be there next year X

Kim

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Three of us did the 40 mile route and had an absolutely super day. Thank you to all of the wonderful helpers who were cheery and great fun, it was nice to see the scouts as well. Long distance walking is a bit niche and tends to be dominated by older people so it was great to see younger faces, although I do think they thought we were a bit mad.  

Route description was excellent, the arrows were a nice addition. My only observation was that (being a vegetarian) something savoury is always appreciated and the ham pizza and pork pie were the only things available. Chunks of cheese and some savoury biscuits always go down well. However, I did much appreciate the spare magnum at the last checkpoint, thanks to the lovely helpers who let me have it, no jealously from my two male companions of course!  

Sorry no sign of anything suspicious, a horrid thing to happen and it was daylight.  

Linda Gould

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Great event, made even better this year by the way marking on the route. This really helped and made it much easier than last year.  Will be back again next year!

Briony

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Thanks very much to yourself and everyone who helped for the event, we thoroughly enjoyed it, and think we 'got away' with the weather a bit - we expected at least some rain ! 

We thought of the following feedback :- 

Things we thought were really good.....

Markings  and Signs excellent - unusual on a challenge walk where self navigation is the norm. 

Maps excellent, which together with route description were easily enough on their own to navigate by – (but the markings on route were useful too !)

Route very good but bit overgrown in places - Worcestershire needs more walkers - we hardly saw a soul ! 

Good to have various distance options, and 'staggered start' - increases the opportunity for more folk to take part, families etc. 

Really good to have 40 ml which is about as far as a daytime walk can be. 

Lovely cake en route, and good meal at the finish ! 

 

Some Possibilities for improvement

Perhaps some food in 1st 20 miles - even just a few biscuits from a car, as this section could easily take the slower walkers 6/7 hours

 Some savory vegetarian food would be good 

Add some distances on route description (eg continue 500 yd to stile) 

Add some compass bearings ('cross field on 120 degrees') on route description 

Add the distance covered at each checkpoint 

If appropriate add checkpoint opening and closing times, to allow 'start when you like' for the 40 ml route

Perhaps make clear on the route which checkpoints have food / hot  and/or cold drinks / neither. 

 

Many thanks once again, and hopefully the word will spread and numbers will go up for next year !

 

Cheers Jo and Julian

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Thanks for posting results so promptly and to all involved on the day.

This was the first time I have done 40 miles in one day.

Positives from event was the way marking which was excellent and generally removed any doubts on interpretation of the written instructions.  Also impressed that checkpoints became more frequent near end when walking was getting harder.

Main negative was the gpx file which I had problems loading into my old Memory Map software on my laptop.  Eventually solved by loading into Garmin BaseCamp and then exporting as a new gpx.  Next problem was not all route showed up on my etrex 20.  Solved by editing route in MemoryMap to reduce number of waypoints at which point problem solved!  Also checkpoint card fell off neck lanyard but was picked up by a following walker who handed it back to me at first checkpoint when he caught me up.

Finally would have been nice to have had a certificate to say I had completed the challenge.  Would personally have been happy to pay extra to receive one.

Sorry to bang on about negatives but thought you would want to know.  They did not spoil the enjoyment on the day and I will hopefully enter again next year.

Hope you raised some money for your scouts.

Regards

Pete Lightfoot

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Feedback 2015

2015 (Only the 10 mile and 26 mile routes were available in 2015)

 

Thank you to you and the team for such a splendid challenge - everybody was fantastically friendly and encouraging.  

Well done with the planning and getting it all organised - we can't imagine how you could improve it and we'll definitely be back next year! 

I know we mentioned a couple of suggestions for the detailed instructions and we've thought of another:  it might be useful to mention on the website that there is some fantastic flapjack, cake, etc, at Wichenford & Abberley. We brought sandwiches and snacks with us but didn't eat them because the food provided was so much better!

Well done and thank you for making such a enjoyable day. 

Julie Bott

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Thanks for a great walk, well organised, great 'pit' stops. And instructions near perfect, so easy to follow (apart from the return at the orchard but I think you know that) thanks again, hope to be back next year.

Briony 
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Sorry, meant to also say I would be interested in a 40 mile one

Briony 

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Thanks for organising the challenge. It was really good, even when we took a wrong turn and did about a mile further! Still never mind! 

Best wishes, 

Jan.

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Excellent

Well put together

Well marshalled

Plenty of food/drinks

Will definitely do it again next year.

Thanks

John

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Thanks again, good turnaround on getting the results out.

Overall - I think you have an absolute classic of a route, I really enjoyed it. It's my first big run since finishing the "Dragon's Back Race" 2 weeks ago and I couldn't have asked for better.  

The directions were spot-on and I didn't need to use the map at all. The only sketchy bit was coming back after Cockshoot with the "Don't turn left on concrete path." 

The marshals were good humoured and while the food wasn't as ample as other LDWA events it was enough for me and appreciated. Pork pies rule. 

It was worth getting up at 04:00, and driving 100 miles for - and I guess you're not going to get a better recommendation than that from me. 

See you next year :-)

Guy

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A fantastic walk yesterday – thank you. Very well done for organising such great weather too! 

I would definitely be interested in a 40 mile option next year! 

Best wishes, 

Liz Edwards

 

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Thank you for sending the results out so promptly. I thought I would reply straight away as if I leave it I may forget. We all really enjoyed the walk today and the route was great with excellent views.
Thinking of next year I would probably try the 40miles. Dave and Sarah would be really happy to do a 18 mile as they thought 26 a little far but 10 miles was too short.
Thank you again and we look forward to next year
Many thanks
Kim

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Thank you very much for organising such an interesting run/walk. I found it great fun and enjoyable, albeit making a silly map reading mistake at Kedges wood and going westwards. If only I had read your instructions!.  Judging from the time that Jon Stevens took, I wasted some 30 minutes at Kedges Wood. However lesson learnt and I will get it right next year.

 

Congratulations also to your team of friendly helpers, we were made to feel quite welcome.

 

As to options, I am happy with the 10 mile route but I am sure walkers may well choose to go different and possibly longer lenghts.

 

You may wish to advise participants in the 2016 event that at a couple of stiles, there are brambles and stinging nettles and, if they are worried, they may wish to have full or lower leg covering

 

As to advertising the 2016 event, may I suggest that when you produce your advertising card, you go to the Visitor Centre at Nunnery Wood in Worcester (next to Worcestershire County Council Headquarters) on a Saturday morning at 9am and put a card on each of the 200 plus cars of attendees at the weekly 5km Park Run. I am sure some of the 500+ runners might be interested. You will need to do this by 9.30am as early finishers start going home after this time!

 

Once again, thanks very much. I shall look forward to the 2106 event.

 

Best wishes

 

Rollo

 

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It was a fabulous walk and the catering at the checkpoints puts some other events to shame. (I was pleased to see that me and Paul took up our usual positions in LDWA events..just before the DNS lol). We definitely intend to do the event again next year but if you put in lots more hills the 40 mile may be beyond our old bones and saggy Cambridgeshire muscles! But would definitely contemplate it.

 

Thank you again for a fantastic day. I had no idea how beautiful Worcestershire was. You sold it well. Thank you to all your helpers on the day and the people at the checkpoints who made us so welcome.

 

Best wishes

 

Gaynor

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Big thank you to you and the team of helpers who organised such a fantastic event. 

We couldn't have hoped for better weather or for a more stimulating route (especially with a liberal application of nettles) to show off the very best of this part of Worcestershire.   Despite living locally there were plenty of tracks and paths I hadn't been down before and some exceptional hidden styles and footbridges to find, so this wasn't ever just a run but an exercise in not getting too lost.   The instructions were, however, very good and an essential aid. 

It was also a very friendly event with lots of food on offer as well as words of encouragement and support at each checkpoint as well as the start and finish. 

I do hope this becomes a regular event.  I will certainly want to put my name down for next year.   Upping the distances sounds like a good idea (10 miles isn't really enough and 26 miles isn't quite an 'ultra' distance).   My preference would be for 40 miles, but whatever the distance or configuration I would definitely want to have another go. 

It was a little disappointing that more people didn't take part.   I know it wasn't officially a run, but I surprised not to see any Malvern Joggers or Black Pear runners getting in on the action.  Hopefully after such a great first year many more will want to take part next year. 

I also felt that the entry fee was very reasonable and if this is going to be a fundraiser then a higher fee could perhaps be charged? 

Thanks again for organising this. 

Bruce

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Both myself and my dad enjoyed this event, good to meet some local people and see the area. We found the walk easier than expected considering we don't walk regularly and next year would more than likely do the same walk but try to better our time...

Thanks for organising this

Phil

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Many thanks to all the organisers for Saturday’s event, it was very well organised with superb copious notes.

I would suggest, however that the 26 mile event needs to have more time allowed for completion, say 11 hours, although there may be a reason for keeping it at 9 hours??

I think the idea of a 15 and 18 mile course is a good one.

I’m not sure about 40 miles as this is something I wouldn’t be able to do, but obviously there are people that could do this distance at a canter!!

Anyway, really enjoyed it and will look to enter next year.

Paul

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I enjoyed the challenge and would like to offer one comment.  Having completed the Trefonen Hill Walk on several occasions, we found it very useful to have markers at certain points on the course.  They used red and white plastic tape tied to tree branches or something similar and this saved alot of time looking down at instructions - this I found tedious!  Hope you find this useful. 

Regards

Gillian

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Thanks for organising this event - it was really well organised and very friendly.  It was the first time I’ve done an event like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I’ll hopefully be doing it again next year. I’ve seen some asking for a 40-mile event – this will be too far for me so could we keep the 26 mile as well?

The instructions were very good but there were a couple of places where I wasn’t 100% sure I was on the right track for a while. Maybe a few more of the Blue Arrows might be good? Actually I thought while I was walking it might be an interesting idea to create a ‘Hallow 12-parish Challenge’ logo similar to the ones used for the Worcestershire Way etc. this could then be used on temporary markers where things were less than obvious.

The only other improvement I can think of would have been to have another water stop somewhere between Abberley & Cockshoot Farm – it did seem a long way, but maybe I was getting tired by then. Was there a CP3 with a water stop? If there was, I can’t quite see how I missed it!

Thanks again and see you next year!

Best Regards

Jon

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Thanks for your e-mail with everyones time form yesterday.  It as an enjoyable day and the first time I've taken part in anything quite like that.  Things began to hurt around the 16 mile mark!

I thought the organisation was spot on and the directions very good.  There was only one spot where directions were a little hazy (between Little Witley and Cockshot Farm) when going across the pea field).  Perhaps a couple more markers here and there as it is always very encouraging to know you are on the right route (the last thing one wants to do is to turn back and search for another path).   You might even consider another season ( ? autumn or spring) when the growth is not so high although yesterday we were lucky with the weather  -  not too hot or too wet.

My only other suggestion would be some form of mileage chart, either on the written directions or on the roadside, as again it is psychologically reassuring to see the miles pass by!!

Many thanks for a good day

Kind regards

Chris

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On behalf of myself and Ian (and, I'm sure, the rest of the participants) can I please extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped stage the event. It made for a super day out and we will definitely stick it on the calendar for next year. 

On the basis that it was your first running of the event, I am amazed at how smoothly and professionally everything was handled. I hope you have all given yourselves a big slap on the back! 

By way of feedback, I have attached the course directions with my comments. These are only the bits I can remember, and are being a little over-picky, but when you are out there in the hot, jogging along wondering whether you are still on course, or way off-course, a little detail, or the odd re-assurance, goes a long way! 

I'm a big fan of the marathon distance for these events, so will probably stick to that for next year. That said, as an ultra-runner, I would also consider the 40 miler (although Ian has more sense!!!). My only concern would be that the course is very over-grown in many places and the directions are quite intricate to follow, both of which factors make for quite slow times - which would make the 40 miler a very long day for both participants and marshals alike. I am sure the field for the shorter distances will increase next year as everyone we spoke to out on the course seemed to be enjoying themselves, and I would suggest that there is probably more to be gained by building on that foundation, and maybe adding in a middle distance as you have suggested, before stretching it out to the bigger ones in future years. Just my two-penneth... 

Once again, well done, and good luck for a bigger, stronger field for next year, at whatever distances you choose to set.

Luan Wall