You know how it is. A friend has a stupid idea, and you get dragged along with it. Well, maybe you don't know how it is, because you are a sensible and intelligent person (I can see that from here). I, however, can be somewhat easily led by my friends' hair-brained schemes.

So, when my mate Andrew told me he wanted to walk to Lille to get there in time for the Lille - Marseilles game in April, the words "that's sounds amazing, can I come?" had escaped my mouth before my brain could stop them. So, fewer than three short weeks later, and I've now told the entire online community about our plans, and my place in them. No backing out now...

I'd already signed up to the Great Yorkshire Run in September, and had planned to run that for charity. But hey, anyone can run 10,000 metres, how about walking over 200,000?

So, as we're travelling for a football game, we've decide to go via football grounds. ten, in fact - six here in Yorkshire (OK, and Lincolnshire), three in Belgium, and then the Grand Stade Lille Métropole in Lille itself (France, in case you were wondering). We're walking for Andrew's Father-in-Law, who has Multiple Sclerosis, with all proceeds going to the MS Society. Please, please, dig deep, and give generously.

Thanks, and I'll see you in France in April!