Terry Cudbird didn’t want to put his feet up after retiring, so he walked 4,000 miles around the perimeter of France.

He transformed the diary of his mammoth walk into a book called Walking the Hexagon, a reference to the shape of France.

Now he has published his second book. Walking the Retreat (Signal, £12.99) tells the story of his walk from Charleroi in Belgium to the Marne, following the route taken by millions of Allied soldiers retreating from the invading Germans at the start of the First World War.

He interweaves his experiences with an account of the events of the summer of 1914, using diaries of French and English soldiers, and their letters home.

Mr Cudbird, who lives in Marston, will be giving an illustrated lecture about his journey at Elsfield church at 7pm on Wednesday, June 18, in aid of homeless charity Emmaus Oxford. The £5 fee includes refreshements, and the chance to see the recently restored Venetian glass mosaic by Salviati.