WakeHereward Project
Forgotten hero..
Freedom fighter..
Legend..
Hiker & Fundraiser
Ste Lingard is Hiking the Pubs!
along the Hereward Way
commemorating the Hereward Rising!
2nd June 1070 - 2nd June 2024
​
The focal point for the Hiking event on Sunday 2nd June will be the well-known charity fundraising hiker Ste Lingard who has kindly agreed to lend his services to the Hereward cause and boost the popularity of the Hereward Way as a long distance hiking route. Ste has raised thousands of pounds for the national mental health charity Mind through a number of different hikes over the years.
Ste is a Heritage Consultant in his native Lancashire and he founded and hikes the annual ‘Beating the Bounds’ charity hike around his hometown of St. Helens, where he is also Chairman of St. Helen’s Town Football Club. ‘Beating the Bounds’ is an ancient custom still observed in many parts of England where locals walk the geographic boundaries of their locality for the purpose of maintaining the memory of the precise location of these boundaries. The practice remains an important local civic ceremony and is a custom that was kept before the Norman Conquest.
Ste’s charity hiking brought him to national prominence in 2016 when he emulated the journey King Harold made from Stamford Bridge to Battle in October 1066. Walking the 300+ miles in 10 days while raising a considerable amount for Mind Charity.
Ste’s purpose will be to cover the whole distance of the 41.75 miles in one day and establish a hiking record which each year on June 2nd other hikers will be able to come along and try to beat.
Ste will be setting off from Peterborough Cathedral at 5am and will be aiming to be in Ely, arriving at the Cathedral sometime around 7:15pm later on that day. The hospitality establishments that subscribe to the event and the ongoing project will be the check-in points for Ste and those undertaking the challenge in the future years.
​
Location/Estimated Time of Arrival/ Address & Post Code/Reservations
​
PETERBOROUGH Cathedral 5 am (START)
Minster Precinct, Peterborough pe1 1xs
(6 miles to)
​
WHITTLESEY Black Bull 7 am
18-20 Market St, Whittlesey pe7 1bd 01733 203314
(5.4 miles to)
​
TURVES Three Horseshoes 8:50 am
344 March Rd, Turves pe7 2dn 01733 840414
(6.6 miles to)
​
MARCH The Ship 11:10 am
1 Nene Parade, March pe15 8td 01354 607878
(7 miles to)
​
CHRISTCHURCH Dun Cow 13:40 pm
Green Ln, Christchurch pe14 9pg 01354 638323
(4 miles to)
​
WELNEY Lamb and Flag 15:15 pm
Main Street, Welney pe14 9rb 01354 610242
(7.4 miles to)
​
LITTLE DOWNHAM Anchor 18:00 pm
25 Main St, Little Downham cb6 2st 01353 699333
(3 miles to)
​
ELY Cathedral 19:15 pm (FINISH)
Minster PLace, Ely cb7 4dl
(1 mile to)
​
ELY The Hereward 19:30 pm (Presentation)
45 Market St, Ely cb7 4lz 01353 772050
Joining Ste on the day will be Hereward re-enactor Rory G, who will be regaling tales of Hereward's exploits at each of the Pubs along the
Hereward Way at the times stated.
The Hereward Way
The Hereward Way was created by members of Peterborough Ramblers Association in 1985/6 and is a recognised national long distance walking path that stretches 110 miles from Oakham in the county of Rutland, passing through the flat farmland of the Fens on to the Brecklands and Thetford Forest to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk, linking the Viking Way with Peddars Way.
​
Since 2016 the WakeHereward Project has sought to utilise the Hereward Way as a source to raise the profile of Hereward the Wake as it is the only national monument to Hereward, while in the process promoting the Hereward Way as a hiking trail. The project has arranged two fundraising events that took place on the 2nd June, commemorating the anniversary of Hereward's sacking of Peterborough Monastery and his subsequent retreat to Ely Monastery in 1070. The first in 2016 was a hike along the Hereward Way by David Maile which raised £400 towards Hereward memorials and the second in 2021 was when Lewis Kirkbride raised £2500+ for ManHealthy Charity. Each hiking fundraiser event covered the 40+ miles from Peterborough Cathedral to Ely Cathedral, representing Hereward's journey some 950 years earlier at the time of the Norman Conquest. Events that the WakeHereward Project arrange on 2nd June are named 'Hereward Rising!' - aptly describing his despoiling of Peterborough with his rebel army and Danish cohorts, before making his stand against the might of William the Conqueror.
​
Last November the WakeHereward Project was involved in the promotion of the Hereward Relay & Ultra organised by March Athletic Club by providing Hereward re-enactor Rory G who gave a speech at the start of the race and presented medals at the finish, as well as appearing at different locations along the route, encouraging the runners as they passed through the change-over points at Whittlesey, March and Welney. All these events have garnered media attention through Tv radio and the local newspapers, bringing focus on to the Hereward Way as a hiking trail and enriching the route and the relay, as well as the fundraising events, with the deep charm of the Hereward legend.
​
This year on June 2nd 2024 the WakeHereward Project are arranging another 'Hereward Rising!' event to mark the 954th Anniversary of Hereward's raid on Peterborough and especially to bring a greater focus on the Hereward Way, while implementing a plan to help with the ongoing upkeep and sustainable development of the Hereward Way as a memorial to Hereward and an important national walking pathway.
The WakeHereward Project is currently in consultaion with other relevant organisations and bodies to bring these plans to fruition and more will be posted here in the coming weeks as the project develops.
​
​
'Take the Hereward Trail across Hereward Country in Search of Hereward....'
Some images from WakeHereward Project's fundraising events along the Hereward Way and also an image of Rory G as Hereward at the start of the March Athletic Club Hereward Relay & Ultra which sets off from the Embankment Athletic track in Peterborough and not Peterborough Cathedral and then along the Hereward Way.