Peter the Politician

He is the group's debater and storyteller, fond of long speeches and local legend, as when he recounts how great Fuller defied Westminster to eulogize Sussex and walked out snapping his fingers at the lot of them. His appetite for argument and anecdote keeps the walk lively, though his companions tease him for talking so much he barely eats. He matters because his pride in the county—and his contempt for the politicians who fill their pockets—gives the pilgrimage its political edge and its sense of place.