Frome author and historian Adam Stout is today one week into his fundraising walk from Yorkshire to Somerset, retracing the steps of an eccentric 18th-century philan- thropist who wanted to see if the Glastonbury Thorn still bloomed at Christmas.

Adam is following John Jackson's 220-mile route of 1755.

It took the lame Jackson two months at the age of 71, but Adam plans to complete the trek in 19 days, arriving in Glastonbury on Christmas Eve, and I'm following his hike on this page and on my podcasts.

Adam set off from Woodkirk, near Dewsbury, last Friday, and then walked through Barnsley, Sheffield and Chesterfield.

Today, he'll be passing Burton-on-Trent and heading for Birmingham – it will take him three days to cross the city, from Sutton Coldfield to Bromsgrove.

Adam is raising money for the Pilgrim Reception Centre in Glastonbury, and yesterday he was given a boost when he heard that Cosyfeet, the footwear firm of Street, had donated £100.

At the time, Adam was walking near the A38 in Derbyshire, following Rykneld Street, the old Roman road, about 80 miles from his starting point.

"John Jackson walked down the side of that, but I'm walking two or three fields in, following a footpath," he said.

"I'm not in any kind of racing mode here.

"I'm sure some of your readers could have done this in half the time, but I'm doing it comfortably and stopping for a look at things here and there and trying not to walk too much in the dark. Away from the built-up areas things have changed much less since Jackson's time, and I'm encountering the same kinds of problems as he did, such as mud and frost. But the weather was worse in his December than mine.

"It took him 12 days to cover a journey that I did in one, because he was stopping off with people en route and he stayed in one particular house for four days.

" I think he was in no great hurry to rush off, really."

Adam is covering 10-12 miles each day. "It's a challenge, not an ordeal," he quipped. "It's very difficult to estimate these things up front.

"I did my best and spent time trying to work out where I needed to be each night, but I actually over-estimated the first portion of the journey, which was quite pleasant really. I'm pleased it was that way round."

Adam's first week of walking had seen "glorious weather" with clear and crisp mornings.

"It's been absolutely perfect for walking," he said. "But I don't think I'm going to get 19 days of it – snow is forecast for the weekend."

Adam has arranged nightly accommodation with friends, friends of friends, the website couchsurfing.com and B&Bs. Wherever possible, he is avoiding main roads and following byways and footpaths.

So far, Adam's walk has been incident-free, and few people have been curious about him en route. "I'm not wearing a sandwich board or anything – I'm just a man with a rucksack," he added.

■ If you would like to make a donation, contact the Pilgrim Reception Centre on 01458 835572, or email prcadmin@glastonbury-pilgrim.co.uk