College students join university Rector in 700th anniversary walk

Today a handful of students kindly gave up a day of their summer holidays by taking part in the 700th anniversary walk, which covers routes once walked by original Exeter College Students.

Students from the college’s Reach Academy for gifted and talented students join the University of Oxford’s Exeter College Rector, Frances Cairncross on the celebratory walk.

Exeter College, Oxford, was founded in 1314 by Walter de Stapeldon, Bishop of Exeter, and its early students came mainly from Devon and Cornwall. As Bishop of Exeter, Walter de Stapeldon contributed liberally to rebuilding the Cathedral, and his tomb is on the north side of the high altar.

Today, The Rector will walk 160 miles to broadly follow the track of the very first Exeter College Oxford students of the 14th century - many of whom would have made the journey on foot.

As well as the local college students, the Rector will be accompanied, on the first stage of her journey, by the Dean of Exeter Cathedral, the Very Rev'd Dr Jonathan Draper.

Encouraging the students to take part in the historic event, Reach Academy Coordinator Martin Gilbert said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Exeter College students to celebrate our close links with University of Oxford’s own Exeter College. We are delighted to work with them on projects throughout the year and a number of our students have progressed to Oxford, so it seems fitting that they should celebrate the long history the city has shared with the university.”

The Rector’s route will continue through Honiton, Axminster, Beaminster, Sherbourne, Wincanton, Rode, Devizes, Avebury and Abingdon, taking in Roman roads, the Jubilee Trail, Monarch’s Way, Wessex Ridgeway, MacMillan Way, the Kennett and Avon Canal, the Ridgeway, and the Thames Path.

The Rector plans to arrive in Oxford by 11 August and is hoping to raise money for an internship bursary at the university. Anyone wishing to sponsor the Rector on her walk can do so here. She can also be followed on Twitter @Rector2014