What's this all about?

Many people say that communities are not what they were, and that society is falling apart. However, I believe if we can give communities and groups the chance to work together, great things can be accomplished.

We are all used to challenging outdoor events, like marathon runs, that focus on the individual. The Winchester Five Peaks Community Challenge focuses on the community.

The challenge is that we get all participants from the start of the challenge route to the end, a distance of a fraction more than a half marathon, but taking in five “peaks” around Winchester, giving a total ascent for the whole journey of around 1500ft.

Who

It’s the brainchild of James Hardiman and Susan Courtney, who had the idea after completing a vaguely similar challenge in the Malaysian jungle on the shores of the South China Sea.

We hope that other people will join us in the organisation as soon as possible, so that the organisation of the challenge is a community challenge, as well as the “execution”.

We hope that as many different people, from as many different communities in and around Winchester, as possible will take part, always remembering that the challenge is to get every participant, however young, old, fit, unfit, experienced and inexperienced from the start to the finish.

What

This is a 13.5-mile walk, undertaken by a large number of people organised into community teams. The walk crosses five Winchester “peaks”. The objective is to work together as a total community to ensure that the greatest number of people can experience, and complete, the challenge.

Why

• To generate and experience amazing community spirit in Winchester.

• To encourage fitness

• To experience Winchester’s diverse countryside

• To raise money to support Winchester community causes

• To allow as many people as possible to experience the “Together We Can” moment.

Where

The five peaks are:

1. Cheesefoot Head

2. Twyford Down

3. St Catherines Hill

4. Oliver's Battery

5. Farley Mount

The Route

• Start at Temple Valley, Keeper's Cottage (NNE from Cheesefoot Head)

• South Downs Way to Cheesefoot Head

• Cheesefoot Head

• SD Way to Chilcomb Village

• Past Chilcomb Church and up Deacon Hill

• Twyford Down (Above Chilcomb)

• St Catherines Hill

• Down to Five Bridges Road, across the Water Meadows to pick up the Clarendon Way by St Cross Hospital.

• Oliver's Battery (Whiteshute Ridge)

• Farley Mount (The Monument)

You can see the route on Google Earth by clicking this llink. That will download a KML file ... then just double click the KML file, and you'll see the route on Google Earth. If GPX files are more your thing, you can download one of those, for your GPSr device, here.

There's a Google Map of the Whole Five Peaks here.

When

There's a try-out walk on the winter solstice, Sunday 19th December. Please book your ticket on Eventbrite, to let us know that you are coming.

Sunday, 19^th June 2011 (the nearest Sunday to the summer solstice, to give us the greatest amount of daylight in which to complete the challenge.