Three days to go and I'm off on my next adventure, a short haul from Poole in Dorset to Plymouth.
The first day starts with a train from Gunnislake to Plymouth at 7.30am, then a big bus from Plymouth to Wareham at 10.15am, then a little bus from Wareham to Swanage and ends with an overnight at the YHA in Swanage.
Day 2 begins with a short bus journey to the start of the walk at South Haven Point.
Then the fun begins...
211 miles and 12 days between me and my bed.
Sunday 17 April 2011
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Boscastle Stroll
20/03/2011
Nice little drive to Boscastle for a 21 mile stroll in the countryside and along the S.W.Coast path. My companions in the car were... David G the leader of this walk, Marian, Megan who I had not previously met who's car we were in and lastly four lovely Collie dogs, Fly, Willow, Flossie and Missy who were all well behaved.
New people on this expedition to me were, Barry and a chap named John from Camelford who had moved down to Cornwall from Yorkshire.Then there were Geraldine and Noel G who I had met at the Bovey Tracey meeting and Brian and his wife (sorry name has gone) who were also at Wiveliscombe.
That was the ten of us including me once more the novice and once more didn't it just show. I reckon at the start I looked fit and happy, stood there with my pack on and adorned in my new cool walking attire, but by the end looking like the epitomy of knackeredness and close to shouting (if I had had the breath)...
"Why the f*** am I doing this again?"
Anyway, there we were ready and raring to go from the car park in Boscastle on a glorious sunny day and it wasn't long before layers of clothing were being shed. The pace was seriously Olympic and I quickly realised that it was going to be as hard if not harder then the wet walk in Wiveliscombe. In truth it turned out to be the bludgeoning battle of Boscastle, exactly as I had feared. Sergeant Major Jean and her her route march through parts of Somerset and Devon in the first recorded monsoon in Englands history paled into insignificance beside this horrendous pursuit of David G to be Britains most vaunted adventurer since Sir Edmond Hilarys epic climb of Mt Everest.
What made it harder was being trapped at the back on several occaisions, which you might say isn't that bad, and I admit it wouldn't have been had it not been for one member who could talk for England. She would jabber like a jabbering thing (great metaphor), talk like it was going out of fashion, chatter like a pack of chattering Hyenas (any better) and spew forth inane comments of which I understood as much as I would have if I had actually been listening to a jabbering, talking, chattering Hyena. I couldn't get away because it would have been rude to run off or silly to go in the other direction, so when I was able to utter a responce between gasping for oxygen and not falling to my death off of the cliff path (which was an alternative I hadn't thought of at the time I admit) I answered yes, uhuh, hmmm and oh, I'm hoping that if it at all mattered my responces were appropriate.
My only description of this spring saunter through summerlike sunshine and splendid daffodills, will be about what was appropriatly called by someone the STING-IN-THE-TAIL.
Bare with me while I attempt to find words to describe Hill 194 as I have decided to name it. Most of the words I would like to use would be of the gutter variety and I might want my Mummy to read this one day.
Luckily (there's the most innappropriate use of a word I will ever see), Hill 194 was the last ascent before we entered Boscastle and therefore the end of another major marathon march. But what a bloody (sorry Mum) big ascent it was. There were 194 (I counted every last one of them I assure you), steps up a sheer cliff face that would have better been described as a fire escape for Trump Tower. It was mega, monolithic, humungus and many other words that describe something really really big.
My body had already insisted that it had done enough walking for the day and I was having to out think it and fool it into believing that around every corner the end would be in sight, I don't think it has forgiven me yet as it is steadfastly refusing to let me sleep, hence the updating of this blog. I did contemplate turning around and walking back 20.5 miles to the start of the walk which was .5 of a mile away up a hill. Believe me it was serious consideration too. But seeing as there were two ladies in their 60's one man in his 70's and several more older then me all trotting up Hill 194 like it was something they do every week (hang on, they are doing it every week), I went for it and much to my amazement and surprise I made it.
I had never before realised just how heavy the average leg could be, but at that exact minute it felt like they were the legs of a lady I once new called big bouncing Betty from Birmingham and you can tell from the name she was a scouser of immence proportions.
I have now forgiven David G for his Saddistic stroll and am now looking forward to my lonesome amble from Poole in Dorset to Seaton in Cornwall in just four weeks time, am I truly mad, yes I really think I am.
Goodnight.
Nice little drive to Boscastle for a 21 mile stroll in the countryside and along the S.W.Coast path. My companions in the car were... David G the leader of this walk, Marian, Megan who I had not previously met who's car we were in and lastly four lovely Collie dogs, Fly, Willow, Flossie and Missy who were all well behaved.
New people on this expedition to me were, Barry and a chap named John from Camelford who had moved down to Cornwall from Yorkshire.Then there were Geraldine and Noel G who I had met at the Bovey Tracey meeting and Brian and his wife (sorry name has gone) who were also at Wiveliscombe.
That was the ten of us including me once more the novice and once more didn't it just show. I reckon at the start I looked fit and happy, stood there with my pack on and adorned in my new cool walking attire, but by the end looking like the epitomy of knackeredness and close to shouting (if I had had the breath)...
"Why the f*** am I doing this again?"
Anyway, there we were ready and raring to go from the car park in Boscastle on a glorious sunny day and it wasn't long before layers of clothing were being shed. The pace was seriously Olympic and I quickly realised that it was going to be as hard if not harder then the wet walk in Wiveliscombe. In truth it turned out to be the bludgeoning battle of Boscastle, exactly as I had feared. Sergeant Major Jean and her her route march through parts of Somerset and Devon in the first recorded monsoon in Englands history paled into insignificance beside this horrendous pursuit of David G to be Britains most vaunted adventurer since Sir Edmond Hilarys epic climb of Mt Everest.
What made it harder was being trapped at the back on several occaisions, which you might say isn't that bad, and I admit it wouldn't have been had it not been for one member who could talk for England. She would jabber like a jabbering thing (great metaphor), talk like it was going out of fashion, chatter like a pack of chattering Hyenas (any better) and spew forth inane comments of which I understood as much as I would have if I had actually been listening to a jabbering, talking, chattering Hyena. I couldn't get away because it would have been rude to run off or silly to go in the other direction, so when I was able to utter a responce between gasping for oxygen and not falling to my death off of the cliff path (which was an alternative I hadn't thought of at the time I admit) I answered yes, uhuh, hmmm and oh, I'm hoping that if it at all mattered my responces were appropriate.
My only description of this spring saunter through summerlike sunshine and splendid daffodills, will be about what was appropriatly called by someone the STING-IN-THE-TAIL.
Bare with me while I attempt to find words to describe Hill 194 as I have decided to name it. Most of the words I would like to use would be of the gutter variety and I might want my Mummy to read this one day.
Luckily (there's the most innappropriate use of a word I will ever see), Hill 194 was the last ascent before we entered Boscastle and therefore the end of another major marathon march. But what a bloody (sorry Mum) big ascent it was. There were 194 (I counted every last one of them I assure you), steps up a sheer cliff face that would have better been described as a fire escape for Trump Tower. It was mega, monolithic, humungus and many other words that describe something really really big.
My body had already insisted that it had done enough walking for the day and I was having to out think it and fool it into believing that around every corner the end would be in sight, I don't think it has forgiven me yet as it is steadfastly refusing to let me sleep, hence the updating of this blog. I did contemplate turning around and walking back 20.5 miles to the start of the walk which was .5 of a mile away up a hill. Believe me it was serious consideration too. But seeing as there were two ladies in their 60's one man in his 70's and several more older then me all trotting up Hill 194 like it was something they do every week (hang on, they are doing it every week), I went for it and much to my amazement and surprise I made it.
I had never before realised just how heavy the average leg could be, but at that exact minute it felt like they were the legs of a lady I once new called big bouncing Betty from Birmingham and you can tell from the name she was a scouser of immence proportions.
I have now forgiven David G for his Saddistic stroll and am now looking forward to my lonesome amble from Poole in Dorset to Seaton in Cornwall in just four weeks time, am I truly mad, yes I really think I am.
Goodnight.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Training Session 2
After recovering from the tortuous events of Wiveliscombe my sights are now set on a little jaunt around Boscastle on March 20th. I believe a mere 20 miles is planned, probably up and down the nice, easy and level South West Coast Path. Let's hope for a little sunshine or at least dry conditions.
I need to make contact with my travelling buddies of old as I believe one of them is leading this stroll. They will probably be surprised that I am back after my first outing and the condition I appeared to be in (which wasn't as bad as the actual condition I was in).
Still, looking forward to another walk and another step on the path to the big one.
I will report in after the event so keep reading this enthralling epitaph.
I need to make contact with my travelling buddies of old as I believe one of them is leading this stroll. They will probably be surprised that I am back after my first outing and the condition I appeared to be in (which wasn't as bad as the actual condition I was in).
Still, looking forward to another walk and another step on the path to the big one.
I will report in after the event so keep reading this enthralling epitaph.
Monday 14 February 2011
O.M.G
Don't really have to write anymore then the title to sum up my first experience walking with the Cornwall & Devon LDWA group yesterday.
Firstly lets set the scene...
Having been woken up at 01.00am Sunday morning by my lovely daughter (who shall remain nameless, it wasn't Kate), she needed rescuing, locked out of her own house. Not too bad your thinking, it's Sunday so there is probably a lie in coming, not so. The alarm was on for 05.45 so I could get to Callington to be picked up for my inaugural hike with the above mentioned group.
OK, now I'm up having slept another 15 seconds or so after the rescue. Everything is just about ready, I just need a bit of breakfast and make up my large flask (which I realised was way over the top for a days walk but hey ho, I'm quite used to looking like an idiot so I wasn't to bothered).
Made my way to Callington, all the while thinking I'm sure I've forgotten something. Within a few minutes of arriving David and Marian pulled in and off we went, into the wild blue yonder or Wiveliscombe in Somerset as it is better known. Which was a pleasant enough journey, although, mostly in the dark, which just happened to mask the overwhelming theme of the day, RAIN.
We arrived in plenty of time without much fuss and prepared ourselves for a wet foray into the countryside of Somerset (20, that's twenty miles of it, (19.1 really) but I slipped about .9 of a mile so I'm calling it 20).
Now before I go on, you will need to know a little about our leader for the walk. I've never met her before but was assured that she was a lovely lady called (let's leave real names out for now shall we) Joan. She must have been around the mid sixties at least, was around five foot nothing and probably weighed a couple of bags of sugar. In fact she made Gordy (he of Kawasaki fame) seem of average height. I had been informed, or as I now know warned that she could and probably would set a good pace.
Now, was I wrong to have imagined that any pace this little, fragile old lady could muster I would have no trouble in keeping up with, in fact she would more then likely hold up this fit and healthy outdoors man.
Good grief was I wrong, YES, in the most monolithic, cataclysmic and nuclear explosive way. She never even made an impression in the mud while everyone else was slip sliding around, some of them on their posteriors. (One thing I didn't do was fall over, which is lucky cause I don't think I would have been able to get back up). As the miles ticked away my stride length became smaller and smaller until I was walking like a Japanese Geisha Girl. At first I was managing to keep up with the leaders of the group and then gradually I went backwards until I was keeping company with Norm (another thoroughly nice chap) who I suspect was at the back to take care of stragglers of which, I appeared to be the only one out of around twenty people (or freakishly fit athletes). The group was made up of around 50% men and 50% women of which most of them appeared older and as I know now much fitter then myself.
At this point I feel I should point out my lack of sleep from the night before, the man flu I was recovering from, the fact that it was my first long distance walk, it was raining constantly and that Dame Kelly Holmes was leading the forced March.
Anyway lets not linger on the hardest thing I have attempted in a long time and the fact that my ego and my belief in my own physical well being are way out of line with reality. lets wonder why twelve or so people along with Marian opted to walk a leisurely more sedate twelve miles. I think that I will be listening to Marian a little bit more in the future. A future that at this moment in time is all about aching limbs.
Now the big questions...
Did I enjoy my debut walk with the LDWA and Joan of Arc?
NO.
Will I be joining the group again to attempt another challenge?
YES.
but not with the lovely Joan, at least until I'm a lot fitter.
Have I bitten off more then I can chew in believing I can walk from Lands End to John O Groats and back?
YES.
Is the short answer at the moment.
To wrap this up, I will write in conclusion that it was a real eye opener for me and hopefully the beginning of the proper fitness I will need for my future hikes.
I've now just remembered what it was I'd forgotten on my drive to Callington, it was of course my brain.
Firstly lets set the scene...
Having been woken up at 01.00am Sunday morning by my lovely daughter (who shall remain nameless, it wasn't Kate), she needed rescuing, locked out of her own house. Not too bad your thinking, it's Sunday so there is probably a lie in coming, not so. The alarm was on for 05.45 so I could get to Callington to be picked up for my inaugural hike with the above mentioned group.
OK, now I'm up having slept another 15 seconds or so after the rescue. Everything is just about ready, I just need a bit of breakfast and make up my large flask (which I realised was way over the top for a days walk but hey ho, I'm quite used to looking like an idiot so I wasn't to bothered).
Made my way to Callington, all the while thinking I'm sure I've forgotten something. Within a few minutes of arriving David and Marian pulled in and off we went, into the wild blue yonder or Wiveliscombe in Somerset as it is better known. Which was a pleasant enough journey, although, mostly in the dark, which just happened to mask the overwhelming theme of the day, RAIN.
We arrived in plenty of time without much fuss and prepared ourselves for a wet foray into the countryside of Somerset (20, that's twenty miles of it, (19.1 really) but I slipped about .9 of a mile so I'm calling it 20).
Now before I go on, you will need to know a little about our leader for the walk. I've never met her before but was assured that she was a lovely lady called (let's leave real names out for now shall we) Joan. She must have been around the mid sixties at least, was around five foot nothing and probably weighed a couple of bags of sugar. In fact she made Gordy (he of Kawasaki fame) seem of average height. I had been informed, or as I now know warned that she could and probably would set a good pace.
Now, was I wrong to have imagined that any pace this little, fragile old lady could muster I would have no trouble in keeping up with, in fact she would more then likely hold up this fit and healthy outdoors man.
Good grief was I wrong, YES, in the most monolithic, cataclysmic and nuclear explosive way. She never even made an impression in the mud while everyone else was slip sliding around, some of them on their posteriors. (One thing I didn't do was fall over, which is lucky cause I don't think I would have been able to get back up). As the miles ticked away my stride length became smaller and smaller until I was walking like a Japanese Geisha Girl. At first I was managing to keep up with the leaders of the group and then gradually I went backwards until I was keeping company with Norm (another thoroughly nice chap) who I suspect was at the back to take care of stragglers of which, I appeared to be the only one out of around twenty people (or freakishly fit athletes). The group was made up of around 50% men and 50% women of which most of them appeared older and as I know now much fitter then myself.
At this point I feel I should point out my lack of sleep from the night before, the man flu I was recovering from, the fact that it was my first long distance walk, it was raining constantly and that Dame Kelly Holmes was leading the forced March.
Anyway lets not linger on the hardest thing I have attempted in a long time and the fact that my ego and my belief in my own physical well being are way out of line with reality. lets wonder why twelve or so people along with Marian opted to walk a leisurely more sedate twelve miles. I think that I will be listening to Marian a little bit more in the future. A future that at this moment in time is all about aching limbs.
Now the big questions...
Did I enjoy my debut walk with the LDWA and Joan of Arc?
NO.
Will I be joining the group again to attempt another challenge?
YES.
but not with the lovely Joan, at least until I'm a lot fitter.
Have I bitten off more then I can chew in believing I can walk from Lands End to John O Groats and back?
YES.
Is the short answer at the moment.
To wrap this up, I will write in conclusion that it was a real eye opener for me and hopefully the beginning of the proper fitness I will need for my future hikes.
I've now just remembered what it was I'd forgotten on my drive to Callington, it was of course my brain.
Friday 11 February 2011
Man Poorly (and that's proper poorly).
Hi to every man that's had the dreaded and debilitating Man Flu. Probably the nearest thing to total wipe out you can get without popping off of this mortal coil we call Earth.
Okay, I hear you Ladies... Blah, blah, blah, childbirth, husbands etc, etc.
Well let me tell you...
Okay then, maybe I was exaggerating a tiny bit. Alright, for goodness sake, I admit to being a bit of a wuss (is that how you spell wuss).
Anyway, I'm knackered at the moment and laid up in bed, trying to recover sufficiently for my first walk with my local LDWA. This is happening on Sunday at Wivelscombe and I do not want to bale/bail on my opening outing, that will not look good at all.
Although saying that, my lift has not yet been in touch, so maybe it will not happen anyway. That will be annoying though as I have been looking forward to a gentle 20 mile stroll for a while now and seeing as this was supposed to be the start of my Ten Year plan, it will not be an auspicious start I was envisaging.
"Chin up Mr C, I'm sure Marian or the chappie from Liskeard will be in touch shortly".
Is that third party writing, or second party?
Anyway let's hope my slow recovery from this Monolithic Elephant stopping illness will allow me to participate in Sundays hike.
I will report in after the event, so please stay tuned in to be the first to hear what happens next...
Okay, I hear you Ladies... Blah, blah, blah, childbirth, husbands etc, etc.
Well let me tell you...
Okay then, maybe I was exaggerating a tiny bit. Alright, for goodness sake, I admit to being a bit of a wuss (is that how you spell wuss).
Anyway, I'm knackered at the moment and laid up in bed, trying to recover sufficiently for my first walk with my local LDWA. This is happening on Sunday at Wivelscombe and I do not want to bale/bail on my opening outing, that will not look good at all.
Although saying that, my lift has not yet been in touch, so maybe it will not happen anyway. That will be annoying though as I have been looking forward to a gentle 20 mile stroll for a while now and seeing as this was supposed to be the start of my Ten Year plan, it will not be an auspicious start I was envisaging.
"Chin up Mr C, I'm sure Marian or the chappie from Liskeard will be in touch shortly".
Is that third party writing, or second party?
Anyway let's hope my slow recovery from this Monolithic Elephant stopping illness will allow me to participate in Sundays hike.
I will report in after the event, so please stay tuned in to be the first to hear what happens next...
Thursday 3 February 2011
LDWA Debut
Attended my eagerly awaited debut meeting of the Cornwall & Devon Group LDWA at Bovey Tracey (after getting lost driving over Dartmoor, great start). Met Hazel who introduced me to a whole host of people who's names I duly forgot immediatly.
There was a great deal of discussion about the forthcoming Camel-Teign 100, forthcoming in 2013 that is. This is a challenge which I think happens once a year and is hosted by a different group every time. I believe that to participate (and it is well subscribed), you have to have qualified by walking a recognised walk of 50 miles. I should have plenty of time to do that before the 2013 date.
This assocciation sounds like just the right group to help me in my quest to walk L.E.J.O.G.L.E.
I've made a date to join the group at a walk in East Devon/West Somerset on the 13th February of about 22 miles, sounds like a long way, hope I'm up to it. Could be a little embarrassing if I cannot finish it for some reason. Hopefully I will be travelling up with a couple of people from Liskeard, if they get in touch that is.
I definitely need to pick the brains of an experienced long distance walker on the merits or not of a GPS system. They are very expensive and the cost escalates when you need to buy SD map cards. I'm sure that there will be people amongst the group who would be willing to pass on the knowledge they have acquired over the years.
Lets hope so for my sake.
There was a great deal of discussion about the forthcoming Camel-Teign 100, forthcoming in 2013 that is. This is a challenge which I think happens once a year and is hosted by a different group every time. I believe that to participate (and it is well subscribed), you have to have qualified by walking a recognised walk of 50 miles. I should have plenty of time to do that before the 2013 date.
This assocciation sounds like just the right group to help me in my quest to walk L.E.J.O.G.L.E.
I've made a date to join the group at a walk in East Devon/West Somerset on the 13th February of about 22 miles, sounds like a long way, hope I'm up to it. Could be a little embarrassing if I cannot finish it for some reason. Hopefully I will be travelling up with a couple of people from Liskeard, if they get in touch that is.
I definitely need to pick the brains of an experienced long distance walker on the merits or not of a GPS system. They are very expensive and the cost escalates when you need to buy SD map cards. I'm sure that there will be people amongst the group who would be willing to pass on the knowledge they have acquired over the years.
Lets hope so for my sake.
Sunday 30 January 2011
Sleep or not
Not quite sure whether the years of night shift have confused my mind and brain, but I'm finding myself awake at strange times of the night. That is pretty much normal during the week when I'm working from 22.00hrs to 06.00hrs. But now it seems to be pushing in to the weekend also. It's 06.30 on a Monday and I have been conscious since 03.30, not good when I have to be up all night grafting like the loyal, committed hard worker I truly am. (?)
Still only another 10 years of this madness before normality in retirement takes over,( hopefully).
Then at last my big adventure begins, as long as I'm fit and healthy I will walk the length and breadth of this Nation.
Only a couple of days to go now until I meet other members of the LDWA, I'm quite looking forward to it really, as I'm hoping that it might be the start of something good and positive, leading to a good level of fitness, making new friends and selfishly helping me to fulfill my future ambitions.
Still only another 10 years of this madness before normality in retirement takes over,( hopefully).
Then at last my big adventure begins, as long as I'm fit and healthy I will walk the length and breadth of this Nation.
Only a couple of days to go now until I meet other members of the LDWA, I'm quite looking forward to it really, as I'm hoping that it might be the start of something good and positive, leading to a good level of fitness, making new friends and selfishly helping me to fulfill my future ambitions.
Thursday 27 January 2011
Training
As I have to wait a number of years to begin my adventure I have decided to make the best of the time by training to get myself fit and healthy and to learn from people with much more knowledge and experience on walking long distances and navigating around the country.
To that end I have become a member of the LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association), and will be attending a meeting at Bovey Tracey, Devon on Wednesday 2nd February. Where I will hopefully meet a few of my unknowing tutors.
Thereafter walking with the group on a regular basis and picking their brains whenever possible. I hope to advance my map reading skills, learn how to use a compass correctly and accumalate the proper equipment.
To that end I have become a member of the LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association), and will be attending a meeting at Bovey Tracey, Devon on Wednesday 2nd February. Where I will hopefully meet a few of my unknowing tutors.
Thereafter walking with the group on a regular basis and picking their brains whenever possible. I hope to advance my map reading skills, learn how to use a compass correctly and accumalate the proper equipment.
Ten year plan
Hi,
This will be the first entry onto this blog of hopefully many over the next ten years and beyond.
Creating a blog that is about a walk or walks which are indeed way in the future may seem odd or premature to say the least. But in my defence it has given me a focus which I was missing and will also benefit me health wise.
After suffering an unexpected Heart attack in 2006 I suddenly realised that I was not invincible and that tragedies do not just happen to other people.
This will be the first entry onto this blog of hopefully many over the next ten years and beyond.
Creating a blog that is about a walk or walks which are indeed way in the future may seem odd or premature to say the least. But in my defence it has given me a focus which I was missing and will also benefit me health wise.
After suffering an unexpected Heart attack in 2006 I suddenly realised that I was not invincible and that tragedies do not just happen to other people.
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