Please check the:

Temporary Amendments to The Monarch's Way Page

and

Also the Route Changes pages for Books 1,2 & 3

To ensure that you have the most up to date route information when you set out on your Monarch's Way adventure.

The Story

The escape of King Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

With a £1000 bounty on his head the King spent 42 perilous Days being hotly pursued by the Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell. He travelled first north towards Wales, then south through the Cotswolds and the Mendips to the South Coast, and finally along the South Downs to Shoreham where he made his escape to France

Loyally supported by his followers, many at great risk to their own lives, he was given shelter in places both great and humble, many of which still exist today.

 

The Monarch's Way logo below represents the Royal Oak tree at Boscobel (in which the King famously hid with Colonel Carless); the Prince of Wales crown; and the ship 'The Surprise' on which Charles eventually escaped to France.

The logo also forms the basis of the waymarks which sign the Way throughout its historic over 615 mile length.

The Walk

This long distance walk around 625 miles (wiKipedia has it 631 miles in length, longer than the South West Coast Path) using footpaths and bridleways closely follows the route taken by Charles and enables you to visit many historic sites and buildings, maybe only previously known to you through the history books. It also takes you through two World Heritage Sites, one National Park and six Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty plus some of the finest scenery in western and southern England.

The walk is waymarked and is shown on the latest editions of the Ordnance Survey's Landranger and Explorer maps. The route is described in detail in three books by Trevor Antill / The Monarch's Way Association, and New Copies are only available from The Monarch's Way Association. Each book is divided into sections so enabling you to pick out suitable day walks if you are not intending to follow the complete route. - More information is available on other pages. We now have for sale a revised version of Book2. (This is only available from the Monarch's Way Association)

'Walk a day, live a week' (Old French proverb) Good Walking !