Tom Sawford at journey’s end, Magdeburg

I returned from my river Elbe charity walk three weeks ago since when I have been recovering and catching up with some work, the ever present “To-Do” list. Thank you to all those donated. I beat my fundraising target for Combat Stress, but it’s not too late to contribute!

In the end I walked 310 km in about ten days. It was an interesting journey, quite tough on the feet but I came out of it well enough to run a 10km race fpur days after returning!

Quick observations:

• Dresden in beautiful, but Meissen may be better (and untouched from the bombing); definitely visit both places if you are in the area. Actually following the Elbe from its source in Czech Republic to Dresden is more varied and interesting – see my 2022 walk
• Many of the towns I stayed in were clearly poorer than most west German counterparts
  The influence of Communism remains – Karl Marx Allee, Potemkin Platz etc – and blocks of drab uniform apartments in some former industrial places
• The accent in Saxony, but in Saxony-Anhalt in particular, is very difficult to follow; I often just could not understand what people were saying
• If you attempt something similar in Germany, remember that a lot of shops and eateries close in the evening and weekends in the rural areas; plan ahead! Sometimes places to stay can be far apart so one or two long days of walking and carry a little food
• The beer, as ever in Germany, is good! The area between Dresden and Meissen has some particularly good white wines; a total surprise
• German railways have long since failed to live up to their reputation for being on time; my experience over recent years is to allow an extra hour or two on your longer train journey plans as about 50% of trains appear to be late.
• There is no great reason to visit Magdeburg; apologies if you live there!

As we all love to share our holiday snaps, here are a few photos that might give you an impression of my journey. If you enjoy this please consider a donation to the excellent charity Combat Stress which serves serving and retired military who are experiencing service related mental health issues.