The last day and a long day. We were well prepared and we think we are now getting fitter! However, today the weather is going to do its best to sap our strength as according to BBC app, it's beginning to build up for an impending heat-wave but just the upper twenties predicted for today. Its quite early Saturday morning so the car park is empty, with the exception of our Shoreham group, complete with a full quota of dogs today, some having been rested during the week with sore-paws etc. With the organised reception after the walk it will be many hours before we are back here again. 
Nice traffic free coach ride back to the Shoe pub where they have kindly opened for coffee and bacon butties. The staff, In anticipation of our arrival, have made the butties and already put them on the counter. The coffee urn is piping hot to cope with the numbers of us turning up. So its out through the picture postcard village and back on the SDW divided walkers route up a beautiful gentle hill with views back over the Meon Valley below. 
Yet another Beacon Hill awaits us, that's how many so far? The SDW twists through the working Lomers Farm, passing close by the site of the medieval village of the same name before joining a quiet country lane for about a mile. We couldn't possibly walk past the Millburys pub sited on the corner near to the Mill Barrows, which we made a point to visit next time.........next time! Some 50 or so others' also couldn't resist the pub and some were drinking beer, even at this time and early stage of our walk. We, sensibly but boringly, chose to drink our pre-prepared lime juice water mix and take a snack as our elevenses, 
just chilling under the shade of the tree. Some type of event was on today or we had entered a time-warp as everyone with an historic car or open top sports car was passing by. It was Saturday and it was sunny I suppose. The lane continued past the pub, north for a couple of hundred yards before a way mark indicated to go left, down a farm track. Talking to others, as you do, it was I suppose, easy to miss this turning and sure enough......a really nice guy we met several times over the days, had some very sore ankles and was walking for a children's charity, missed it! It appears that he knew he was going to be slow and he arranged for a friend to drive him to the starts, early, so he could arrive at the end, the same time each day as the later walkers. As he was still early in the walk at this stage, no-one else was around and he just drifted on for some way adding to the pain of retracing steps or taking the next bridleway back on track! It was on this farm track that we drifted into conversation with a couple of ladies. 
Somehow it got onto the subject of natural burial grounds, having recently been to my mate Barry's 'conventional' funeral perhaps. It wasn't morbid but quite uplifting. One of the ladies said her departed husband was buried in one of these, actually on the downs. The humorous gist of it is when she said that she had also booked her pitch, but as they weren't getting on very well in the last few years, she had her plot a little way from his, so she wouldn't be near enough to pester him in afterlife! 
Anyway, back to the walk, the farm track turned back to a path as we headed through the rolling landscape of Gander Down along the Allan King Way, which I assumed was named after Allan and 'Googling' later it was indeed named after a founder member of the local Ramblers, naming the path from Dorchester to Winchester. It was a question of searching for shade now and a spinney on the left came up that was a perfect lunch and loo stop. We joined a couple who had already made it their stop and soon about ten others scattered themselves around in this rarely found shade. There were still about six miles to go and the reception was due to start at 4.30pm so needs must and we carried on down to Keepers Cottage, turning left and along Temple valley where a 'bike-point' was installed in the trees. This consisted of fresh water and somewhere to clean, pump up tyres and give the bike a general overhaul, including yourself, I assume. Should put these in for walkers! We peaked at Cheesefoot Head before crossing the main A272 for the second time today. 
The first view of.......Winchester, looking tantalisingly close with just the M3 to cross and we were there.......... It turned out that this was not as easy as it looked and after photos, a little group now had bunched ready to take the final descent. Walkers were now huddled under the shade of a hedge, re-hydrating and gathering strength before the last 4 miles......yes 4 more miles. The heat was definitely draining and after passing through the pretty 'commuter' village of Chilcombe the SDW split for cyclists and walkers. 
The last path crossing open fields before the M3 seemed to take for ever and there was no shade at all. Where all the crowds had gone we don't know as we hardly saw anyone from this stage on, till the end. We did bump into and chat with a young group, just starting on an adventure, walking in the other direction, with full packs, on their way to......... Basingstoke! Why go to Basingstoke I thought, but kept it to myself as the only bit of Basingstoke I know are the roundabouts and bypass! Pausing to view the speeding traffic over the M3 footbridge before we entered the outer Winchester area estates, just ambling and following our noses, noting the occasional acorn when they just seemed to disappear completely at a busy junction. We sort of knew we had to go down to the river but as we didn't fancy going wrong and doing more steps in this heat, I stooped low enough (for a bloke) to ask the way and was guided to a cut through and down to the lovely summer scene besides the River Itchen. 
People were walking, pushing prams, walking dogs and SDW 'Footprints' walkers enjoying or perhaps suffering from the hot sunshine & laying under every tree that had any shade. This obviously meant we weren't first back.........again. We were kindly directed to the few yards walk left that marks the end .......not really, it was the Bishop on the Bridge pub with a welcoming and well deserved pint.
(we never found the actual end plaque but some said it wasn't really much anyway!) With under an hour to wait for our reception in the lovely Guildhall, we had timed it to perfection, a slow pint, a look around the adjacent gardens and meet up yet again for the second time today, with Clive and small dog Lizzie. 
They had finished just behind us, as did the painful feet guy, walking for a children's charity...........Well done to everyone!
The reception was a help yourself finger-buffet and a long queue for a free beer as only 2 bar staff could get into the small bar, so 180 people were........you get the rest! Good fun next with pictures on a screen and the presentation of daily competition winners, (we had one each day to complete during the coach journey). The questions ranged from fairly difficult, to pretty easy and therefore we knew just a few. The fanatical-historian or cheaty Google userswould know all the answers, but that's not the point or the spirit!
We all said our thanks to the brilliant organisers and goodbyes to people we had met on the way or on our coach. Looking round the hall though, there were plenty of people we had never seen during the walk. Keith did say that some would do it to 'beat' their last time or achieve a best time, hopefully most would do it for pleasure. I think we fell easilyinto the latter group as we simply wanted to enjoy the walk, the views, the stops on the way and of course, the pubs and cafes at the beginning and end.
On reflection, Lesley and I managed to do every day and the majority did also. Some rested up, perhaps had other commitments on a particular day or perhaps an injury that needed a little healing time. That's the beauty of this well tried system, so long as you let a Footprints red-shirt know thatyou won't be doing tomorrow or can't make it today, its all fine with them!
Shall we do it all again, perhaps west to east next year? Why not! (footnote: we have booked it again)