Marshians go to the centre of the earth.

Long ago, a lone explorer named Arne Sacknussem made a fantastic descent to the fabled lost kingdom of Atlantis at the Earth’s core. After many centuries, his trail was discovered: first by me, Professor Oliver Lindenbrook, my niece Cindy, student Alec McEwen, our guide Lars and his duck Gertrude. But we were not alone. The evil Count Sacknussem, last descendant of the once noble Sacknussem family, had followed us… to claim the center of the Earth for his power-mad schemes. He ordered his brute-like servant, Torg, to destroy our party. But the plan backfired, sealing the entrance forever. And so, for us, began a desperate race to the Earth’s core… to learn the secret of the way back. This is the story of our new journey to the center of the Earth!

I watched the journey to the centre of the earth cartoons when I was about 10 or 11. I’ve always wanted to be Lars and lead Professor Lindenbrook’s into the depths.

On Saturday a bunch of Marshians gathered on the banks of the Holy Brook to follow that underground instead. We had heard that security somewhere along the way had thrown people out in the past. So we said if anyone asked who we were we’d all say “Arne Saknussemm”

The water in the brook is low at the moment and although I haven’t done this walk for over 30 years I guessed it would be doable.

The first bit was above ground, in a narrow canyon, hidden from the streets by old high walls. The walls are crumbling and neglected and dripping with ferns. Brambles and Ivy reach down from above and we had to push a way through.

There were other obstacles. old tents, bicycles and of course shopping trolleys. It was the low arches that were the most challenging.

There were deep parts too, which we couldn’t all manage Climbing skills came in handy.

At first the low roof was a challenge but it soon became much harder.

There were long sections of low tunnels in shallow water. There were rocks and branches to dodge. It was completely dark too! And had some lovely spiders.

We had to crawl through. It was really hard work but eventually we came to higher sections where we could stand up.

We came across the old vaulting from the ceiling of Reading Abbey. When they started to demolish it they used some of the stone to make a bridge.

It’s still there but imagine the chaos the Abbey’s destruction wrought. In Lincoln the cathedral still has the same sort of stonework but better preserved

Occasionally we’d reach a patch of daylight. Hidden behind the buildings in the centre of town the sun shone.

They were only short though and it wasn’t long before we were back underground.

In 30 years since I last went down there it has changed. Under the Oracle is now just a giant pipe, it used to be a series of old mediaeval culverts. There was a kitchen window beyond that and for many years crockery was thrown into the brook and a reef had formed. It’s gone now, but there are lots of things that have been thrown in the brook in the last few hundred years.

There is of course stuff being thrown in all the time. A lot of it floats and we would disturb footballs and bottles that would float away ahead of us.