National Walking Month: Monarch’s Way
May 3, 2019
If you’re a regular walker across the South Downs you might occasionally pick-up signage for the Monarch’s Way.
The Monarch’s Way is a 625 mile long-distance footpath that follows the escape route of King Charles II after the defeat in the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
It’s far from being a straight forward path and, as you might imagine, being an escape route where the King had to avoid Parliamentarian forces, it snakes and meanders around the country.
Starting in Worcester, the Monarch’s Way then goes north towards the Shropshire/Staffordshire border before snaking back south, following a path towards Bristol before hitting the south coast at Charmouth.
It then tracks eastwards, going around Salisbury and intersects with the South Downs Way. The path finally finishes in Shoreham-by-Sea, the jumping off point for Charles II on his way to exile in France.
The trail is definitely one for history lovers who might want to experience what it was like for Charles II and his allies to make a desperate dash towards safety.
To find out more about the Monarch’s Way, including information on trail sections, visit www.monarchsway.50megs.com