The FRENCH have La Route Napoleon, the Americans have Paul Revere’s Ride, and now the UK has The Trafalgar Way!

This is the historic route between Cornwall and London taken by the messenger who passed through Hartley Wintney, Camberley and Bagshot on what is now the A30, when delivering news of The Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson in 1805.

This autumn, a short story competition is being launched to help put the Trafalgar Way on the map and into the national consciousness. Entrants aged from seven to 21 are invited to write their own original story on the theme of ‘An Urgent Message’.

Kathy Brown, The Trafalgar Way’s director, said: “We are launching a story competition because we too have such a great story to tell. It is the tale of the messenger who sailed directly from Cape Trafalgar off the south west coast of Spain to Falmouth.

“He then made the dash to London by post-chaise (coach and horses) to deliver this urgent dispatch. This journey usually took three weeks, but he did it in 38 hours. And it was a thrilling race – he beat a second messenger by a whisker!” 

BBC historian and TV presenter Dan Snow is one of the competition judges, and cash prizes will be presented aboard HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship, in Portsmouth.

For more details, visit thetrafalgarway.org/

storycompetition2018.