Day 13

"It's a bit hilly round here isn’t?” was the cry from Sam as he walked up hill and down dale through Oxfordshire on Day 13 of his long yet very successful trudge from Newcastle to London.

With a great deal of luck the weather held again and Sam walked all day in the dry (which was quite a novelty for the burly front row). After finding the canal side Sam walked along the tow path which proved to be a much less hilly route than following the road side, and he made great time to arrive in the beautiful city of Oxford mid-afternoon.

Once in Oxford, famed for its outstanding architecture and university rugby and boat race teams, Sam meandered on through the city streets steeped in history and soaked up the atmos of one of England’s greatest seats of learning, that and dodging more American tourists than he had ever seen. As Sam’s day drew to an end he was keen to rest his aching feet and to take a moment to sit and watch the world go by. However, he soon discovered that finding an empty seat in Oxford was about as difficult as finding a dry day in North Yorkshire. Every bench seemed to come complete with a full compliment of tourists all tucking into their ice-creams. As Sam staggered by with his pack on his back, the tourists (sitting there, all comfortable like, on their fancy seats, resting and relaxing) all gave him very funny looks, but no one gave the poor fellow a seat! Undeterred, our gallant Sam made haste to the nearest confectionary store, and purchased another Kit Kat Chunky, all was again well.

Tim Miall (Southgate RFC First XV 2nd row and press officer) had ventured up to Oxford to meet Sam and secure him accommodation in the university halls for the night. With Sam’s Middlesex University shirt on, the pair ventured into Oxford to partake in that other great British Tradition, The Pub Quiz, taking on some of the brightest sparks the country has to offer, Sam and Tim competed hard, and after a stunning sports round (naming all the tennis players), they came in a very respectable 3rd overall.

Day 14 will take Sam from Oxford to Henley on his route back to London from the west, and ever nearer to home.