COACH horns and the jingle of harness signalled the start of a fundraiser trotting out of Stratford.
Two 19th century-style horse-drawn stage coaches set off from outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Henley Street on Tuesday October 8 to drive through the town before heading off to Blenheim Palace.
Both coaches are privately owned. The “Nimrod” is drawn by four, powerful, bay Gelderlander horses and the “Monarch” by a team of home-bred British Hackneys from a stud in Staffordshire.
The 60-mile journey winding through Hampton Lucy, Honington, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham and Fulwell was set to take four days, scheduled to arrive at Woodstock and Blenheim Palace today (Friday) October 11.
As the coaches passed through towns and villages, bucket collections were made for cancer charities.
In previous years the two coaches have travelled from Windsor Castle to Warwick Castle, London to Portsmouth , and through the Snowdonia National Park on similar fund-raising ventures.
The coaching tour was undertaken by a group of friends who are all four-in-hand coaching enthusiasts.
It was entirely self-funded with 100 per cent of donations going to charities including Prostate Cancer UK and Breast Cancer UK.
