Final preparations

Tomorrow is the big day; train tickets are booked; bag is almost packed. (Apart from the socks!) And my first big mistake corrected... phew!

When I booked my accommodation; I was mostly trying to find hostels  in order to keep costs down. I knew that Ennerdale Bridge was where most people stopped for the first night; so booked Ennerdale Youth Hostel without first checking the map. I probably should have started getting worried when I was booking my baggage transport. As I booked each place; the website helpfully gave me an estimate of the number of miles I would have walked that day; it popped up with 17 for the Ennerdale day. I had a brief moment of panic and then decided it must be a mistake on the website.

A couple of days later Ennerdale YH started emailing about meals and to let me know there was no vehicular access to the Youth Hostel; that was when I looked at the Map and realised the the Hostel was 5 miles from Ennerdale Bridge - so potentially 19 miles walking on my very first day... inadvisable I decided.

Luckily some hasty changes of plan have been possible and I have now found a lovely looking pub in Ennerdale Bridge; a good place to finish the first day!

I have had lots of messages of encouragement; hope for good weather; good shoes and no blisters; it has made me feel very supported. The lovely admin team at work were really kind and concerned that I would be on my own in the evenings in hostels and hotels; but amazingly there will be people with me at every place I am staying.

People have been incredibly generous with their donations; it is a cause close to so many people's hearts; many of the team at work have family members affected by Alzheimer's.

I am trying to reduce my anxiety about the adventure by thinking of it as 14 days of long walks with lovely friends; some of whom I haven't had a proper chance to chat with for years. A great opportunity for catching up. I am hoping there will be some great stories to tell; streams to fall in and probably some pools to swim in.

Hoping to have a chance to write more as I go!

 

Flapjack at the ready!

Final Preparations

After much deliberation; I decided that my 18 year old walking boots; might not be up to the 190 miles that the Coast to Coast entails. I spent some time in Cotswold this week taking advice from very knowledgeable and seasoned walkers. Boot technology has moved on a lot in the last couple of decades; it is now possible to buy a pair of boots and walk without needing to walk them in; they don't need any treatment to ensure they are waterproof. I have also booked my baggage transfer for the trip; so I should only need to carry my waterproofs and food in a day pack. As I was sorting my final bits of accommodation; I was slightly alarmed to realise that google maps knows where I am staying and when! Frightening how all the google apps can communicate with each other. I haven't had much chance to do any big walks over the last couple of weekends; I have fitted in my usual runs and have also tried to walk as much as I can; I have been doing an average of 10,000 steps at least 5 days a week. The steps counter on my phone suggests that 14 miles is about 40,000 steps - so I have been walking in 5 days what I will be walking in one day; this time next week! Hoping I will have a chance to update the blog as I go; but a lot depends on wifi etc.

Training Weekend

My lovely friend from work is a day older than me; and since our 40th Birthdays she has organised the most fantastic Women's Walking Weekends in the Lakes (and sometimes North Wales) This year we were staying in Patterdale in a lovely pub near Brotherswater. The weather had been looking dicey the whole week; although it had been very changeable; heavy rain to fog. In the end it was very foggy; which meant that any high level walks were out of the question. We managed a 7 mile walk along the valley to Ullswater; and got back for tea in the Pub at about 6. Good to sample the local beers  - one of the things I am looking forward to about my walk is a chance to sample the local beers in the Lakes and the Dales. On Sunday we did a short stroll up Aira Force; the weather was splendid; and that meant there were lots more people about. Our weekend ended as usual with sampling the tea and cake at the National Trust Tearooms.

Training Day 3

Training Day 3 was a fantastic walk up Mam Tor and along the ridge to Lose Hill. Gorgeous weather and spectacular views. One of the things I love the best about the Peaks; is that on a walk like that you can always see the route of your walk laid out before you. (On a clear day) It was 14 miles in total - good to have done those distances to know what that feels like. It was also good to work our when the "dips" are - I had a dip at about 12 miles; it was getting dark and the final part of the walk was up a hill and very muddy. Tea and flapjack were good revivers. My friend gave me my birthday present - gaiters  - so useful for keeping the mud off. The mud was deep and slippy at times; the High Peak Marathon was the day before and the ground had become very churned up because of the runners! Glorious views; and a few fallen trees because of the recent storms.

Training day 2

Wednesday is often my day that I fit in a mid week run; but today I was busy first thing. (My god daughter had an interview at Manchester University; so I met her for a coffee and then was interviewed by a student for her dissertation.) My friend (who is seasoned long distance walker) advised me to walk sometimes instead of running; so with a bit of time to spare; I decided to walk home from the University. A very different walk from the walk on Sunday; it was all on roads and surprisingly cold.  The trip from Manchester University back to the south of the city; feels like a trip through my past life as a student. Much of the campus has changed; but the stretch past the medical school and the hospitals is largely the same it as it was 30 years ago. The Oxfam and flower shop opposite the medical school were there in 1987. I was tempted to stop at the Whitworth Art Gallery but continued on my journey into Rusholme. Most of the curry houses have changed hands in the last three decades; the Kwik Save has been replaced by a World Foods store; piles of beautiful fruit and vegetables outside it.  The next stretch of my odyssey took me past Platt Park; lots of memories here; the boating lake; hen nights (years later) and most recently a couple of park runs. Then on to Fallowfield; some old memories; singing beautiful Palistrina Masses at Holy Innocents; meals at friends' student houses; and more recent memories; nights out at the Greek restaurant with my lovely friends that I met when I was pregnant. The stretch from Fallowfield to Withington includes the first drive in MacDonalds in the country; and lots of hotels; which have faded over the years. We had a work do at one of them a decade ago; it looks as if it has suffered a bit from the down turn in the economy. Withington brought back old memories again; my student house on Yew Tree Road; and a Polka up Davenport Road late one night after a few beers in the pub. A pizza place that had seemed very sophisticated in 1991; but less so in 1999. The final stretch from Withington to Didsbury has more recent memories; the wonderful Syrian restaurant Aladdin; the venue for many celebrations; leaving does; maternity leaves; nights out with friends. An hour and half later I was back home; toast pittas for lunch; and 18,000 steps done! Probably 4-5 miles in distance.  - Added a few more steps with a trip into town later in the evening!

Training - walk 1

The family thought I had taken leave of my senses as I crept out of the house at 830 on Sunday morning. A few lone strangers were on the platform at the local train station. The Sheffield train from Piccadilly was a different experience; young students kitted up in walking gear; older walkers with gear that looked like it had seen many walks. It was overcast in Manchester but as soon as we got to the outskirts of Stockport the sun came out. Edale station arrived sooner than expected; the countryside looked familar; but it had been  26 years since I had last got the train to Edale and I felt I needed some reassurance that it was the right stop! It was cold but bright in Edale; the National Trust tea rooms were open and the coffee was a welcome boost after the early start. My friends arrived from Sheffield and we set off at quite a pace through the village. By chance We met a couple and their baby who were friends of my Sheffield friends and they joined us as we set off up the path to the top of the Ridge. The ascent was steep and muddy in places: but we seemed to arrive at the first summit pretty quickly. Views were spectacular over Edale and Castleton. We had another steady climb to the top of the ridge and found a sheltered place for lunch! Food featured highly in the plans for the walk; a flask of beetroot soup was filling and warming. Cheese and potato pasties were the carb boost I needed. I slipped into a bog; but managed to wash my peaty hands in a stream. There was a sprinkle of snow on the top of the ridge; enough to turn into an icy snow ball. The descent to Edale was steep and the rocks slippy and uneven. I was glad I wasn't carrying a wee baby in a sling. She slept for most of the walk; and I am sure the movement up and down the hills was comforting and reminiscent of being back in the womb. We were back in Edale just after 230 and decided to walk up Mam Tor before we met other halves and family in the pub. The path to Mam Tor was initially hard going; thick mud and no easy way to avoid it. Flapjacks kept us going and some left over Christmas chocolate!  I've climbed Mam Tor a number of times in the last few years; usually in pretty bleak weather. The view from the top was the best I have ever seen. We were back in Edale at 5pm. 10 miles walked with a 650 m climb. The Old Nag's Head has fantastic beer and a great menu for hungry walkers. As we drove home again; we had an incredible view of a badger crossing the road in front of the car. My 18 year old walking boots had kept my feet warm and dry; my 48 year old bones were a bit achy and tired. We had shared stories and reminisced about old times - a perfect day!

Planning and training

So 2017 is the year I have set myself the challenge of walking Wainwright's Coast to Coast Path.
The family bought me all the OS Maps for the challenge for Xmas  - so it is starting to feel a bit more of a reality now.

 

In November I started to increase the distances I was running from a comfortable 5K to 8K - then I didn't run at all for the whole of December.

This week I have started to run again; 5K on Weds and 7K today -through the deep mud and puddles. My plan is to try and get my general level of CV fitness as good as I can in preparation for the walk.

Last night we started to mark Wainwright's routes onto the OS Maps; exciting but also quite daunting at the same time; especially when you realise that you have got to the edge of the first OS map; but only will have walked about 30 of the 190 miles by then.

I read the first chapter of Julie Bradbury's Coast to Coast Walk last night; and I am planing to watch her BBC series on YouTube - I figure that the more familiar I am with the route the better!

I'm going to try and post on this blog each week for the next three months. My start date will be April 1st; if all goes to plan!