It was typical Fenland. The day was grey and cold. There was a mist hanging in the air, the damp was penetrating. The black soil stretched to the flat horizon and we were off on our first reconnoitre. Jeremy Summerell and I walked from Ely to find our way along our first stretch of the Hereward Way in preparation for the real thing on 1st March. With a good map in hand and plenty of warm clothes we walked to the Ely Marina and discovered the track along the river in the direction of Queen Adelaide. The pathway was wet and muddy making the going sticky. Once we reached the old Sugar Beet factory we crossed a rather flimsy looking bridge and onto another section of the Way. This leg brought home the fenness of where we were. There was a hint of madness about tramping along a deserted black field. The sight of llamas running in the distance seemed to confirm it,an apparition or what?

Later in this black wilderness the heaviness of the soil on our boots made progress slow as we searched for another bridge across a drain. Well hidden and even more flimsy than the last bridge, some strange little red structure led us across and onto the other side. After a short while we arrived in Prickwillow where we had parked the second car. Why does a cheese sandwich and a hot cup of coffee taste so wonderful after a trek in the cold and damp? The packet of salt and vinegar crisps might have been off a platter from the Savoy.

Much of the rest of the trip was completed in the car as we traced the route for our first day's walk. Shippea Hill and Sedge Fen, only 30 miles from home, were as strange as if we had been in the American Mid-West. We arrived in Lakenheath, a strangely small town for a home for the military might of the USA. It was hard to realise that the strike on Libya in the 80s was launched from here, and the security of the western world is tied up with this little place.