The Walk
From Hampton Court to Glasgow – A Journey of Love and Light
Distance
~800KM
Starting
May 2025
Duration
5 Weeks
Stages of the journey & historic sights:
1. Hampton Court to Oxford
From a royal palace to a city of spires
- Hampton Court Palace – Former home of King Henry VIII
- Runnymede – Site of the Magna Carta (near the route)
- Windsor Castle – One of the official residences of the monarch (visible from nearby paths)
- The Chiltern Hills – An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with ancient trails
- Oxford – Home to the University of Oxford, the Bodleian Library, and centuries-old colleges
2. Oxford to Stratford-upon-Avon
Walking through the English heartland
- Rollright Stones – Mysterious Neolithic stone circle
- Chipping Norton & Cotswold villages – Historic market towns with honey-coloured stone cottages
- Stratford-upon-Avon – Birthplace of William Shakespeare, with Tudor-era streets and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
3. Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham
Industrial roots and canal paths
- Henley-in-Arden – Historic town with 12th-century church and timber-framed buildings
- Birmingham Canal Navigations – Once central to the Industrial Revolution
- Victoria Square & Birmingham Cathedral – Heart of modern and historic Birmingham
4. Birmingham to Manchester
Legacy of revolution and reform
- Lichfield Cathedral – Stunning medieval triple-spired cathedral
- Trent & Mersey Canal – Vital 18th-century waterway
- The Potteries (Stoke-on-Trent) – Home of England’s ceramics industry
- Manchester – Birthplace of the modern computer, the suffragette movement, and a hub of 19th-century industry
5. Manchester to Carlisle
Through ancient roads and northern hills
- Peak District paths – England’s first national park, steeped in prehistoric history
- Lancaster Castle – Former prison and site of the Pendle witch trials
- Hadrian’s Wall (near Carlisle) – Roman frontier that marked the edge of an empire
- Carlisle Cathedral & Castle – Symbols of border warfare and resilience
6. Carlisle to Glasgow
Crossing into Scotland’s story
- Gretna Green – Famed village where runaway lovers wed
- Lochmaben Castle – Ruins linked to Robert the Bruce
- Glasgow Cathedral & Necropolis – Medieval cathedral and Victorian cemetery overlooking the city
- University of Glasgow – Where Suleman was meant to begin a new chapter