This is my last day of the Britonfolder challenge. I wake up at 8.30 am, not to early. I dress myself with two T-shirts, among which my CRUK shirt, a sweater and my coat. That must be warm enough. I take the bus and shortly after that the train to arrive at Windsor and Eton Central Station at 11 am. I decipher the route to Windsor Central. I walk in the direction of Eton, where I see the college. I return, crossing the Thames again, to Windsor, where I see the castle. I start my walk here, heading for Dauchet as the first place to arrive. It’s a bit of a other walk than yesterday, because I am restricted to busy B – roads, which generally means there’s more traffic. Fortunately the number of cars declines as I distance myself from Windsor. The weather is almost implausible, so good. The route, though, touches upon the Thames every now and then. After I’ve reached Dauchet, I take a left and right to follow the Horton Road to, inevitably, Horton. On my way to there I walk next to the Queen Mother Reservoir. It’s not a joke, even drowsy things as reservoirs are dedicated to almighty Elisabeth. I can’t see it, however, because it is hidden behind a inclining grassland. Horton, two streets with a shrink, a church and a shop in the middle, is no place to stop. I carry on towards Poyle, the ‘suburb’ of Heathrow. The planes fly lower and lower and I can already discern the letters ‘British airways’ on one of them. They keep coming every single two minutes. It’s not hard too explain why Heathrow is the world’s busiest airport. In Poyle, I go left at the roundabout, right again, take the bridge over a motorway and then suddenly I am at the edge of the runway of Heathrow. I marvel at the myriad of plains who are taking off. I am jammy to be on the western side of Heathrow, where recently the fifth and newest terminal was opened. I walk through an area where I in fact am not allowed to walk. However, no one restrains me and I want to go to the nearest underground station, as I want to go to the headquarters of CRUK before darkness as well. In the arrival hall of terminal 5 I immerse myself into the hustle and bustle. The hall is really the pearl of the airport, with a modern, but cosy atmosphere. I take the tube from terminal 5 to Holborn by Piccadilly Line. After 22 stations I get off and try to find 61 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which is not that easy in the darkness. Yes, alas, it was dark already. I couldn’t prevent it. Nevertheless, I am almost on cloud 9 when I find nr. 63 and although I still don’t understand the British way of marking housenumbers, I know I can’t be far off. And, indeed, I find 61 almost next to it. In contrast to the other gates, this gate is open and I enter. I stick my self-designed leaflet to the small gate next to the main door and take a picture. When I wanted to leave, a woman had just parked her car in front of the gate. She told me I couldn’t pass the gate, although it was open. So I explained to her that I was here for a reason. She understood it and was willing to take a picture of me in front of the building. Although I am lucky that she was there at that very moment, I owe her much for her help. I then crossed the street to also take some pictures of the CRUK laboratorium, which is almost adjacent to the headquarters. I laughed ad lib when it dowed on me that this was the final moment of my challenge. It has taken me almost four months and it was an awesome experience. And although I haven’t reached my set goal, concerning the raised amount of money, it is a good start for initiatives and challenges on a larger scale. I hope I’ve inspired some budding fundraisers. In that case, my mission is accomplished. Adieu!
Sunday the 17th of January
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