Thursday, 30 March 2017

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!

Sunday, 26 March 2017

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.

Saturday, 25 March 2017

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.