MORE than 90 people including the Bishop of Ramsbury, the Rt Rev Peter Hullah, took part in the ceremony of walking around the 26-mile parish boundary of Ramsbury on Sunday.

About 60 walkers including Bishop Peter completed the strenuous walk around the boundary of Ramsbury and Axford, with a few taking a ceremonial dip in the River Kennet where the parish boundary crosses it at Axford.

The boundary walk, known in some other towns and parishes as beating the bounds, is an ancient custom in many places but it is not known if it was traditionally carried out in Ramsbury, said Ronnie Price, the town crier who helped organise the first walk in 1969.

Mr Price has since completed the walk on 26 occasions but was unable to complete the distance on Sunday. He said: "I have done it 26 times but I have had a sore knee and I only did half of it this year."

In previous years as many as 150 villagers together with relatives and friends have supported the walk.

Geoffrey Treherne from Axford who helped plan Sunday's event and kept a record of the starters and finishers, said the fact the walk had to be cancelled last year because of the foot and mouth epidemic could have resulted in the drop in the number of walkers this year.

He said that next year it was hoped the number of walkers would be restored to somewhere around the 150 mark and that the walk would again be sponsored to boost several village charities.