Today the Olympic torch arrived in Plymouth and I left town. Not that I am trying to avoid it, but I do have a long distance path to walk... Day 1: Saturday 19 May - Plymouth to Crafthole Poppy's Guest House turned out to be ok - at least at a price of ÂŁ50 for … Continue reading SWCP 2012 – Escaping the Torch
Category: Long Distance Walks
SWCP 2012 – All wound up
Day 0 It's all been a bit weird. I finished most of the planning for this trip way back in early March, making all the accommodation bookings and sorting the train tickets. And then stuck it all in a drawer for 2 months... Planning the annual SWCP segment keeps me busy during the cold and … Continue reading SWCP 2012 – All wound up
Coast to Coast Planning
The second iteration Back in September, I tentatively started thinking about this walk. Â After abandoning my intention to walk the "official" C2C last year, I still had a lingering desire to do a coast to coast walk. Â With my walking calendar for 2012 starting to take shape, I picked up the plan again for a … Continue reading Coast to Coast Planning
North Downs Way 9: Dunn Street to Chilham
I learned something overnight. Â Something which was actually pretty obvious and staring me in the face the whole time. Â And it's this....you really don't need that much stuff to have an ok time. Â Let me elaborate.... I've always taken far too much stuff on walks, mainly because of the "this might be useful" trap. Â But … Continue reading North Downs Way 9: Dunn Street to Chilham
North Downs Way 8: Detling to Dunn Street
Last week I was all packed and ready to go on this walk, but for one thing - my fitness. Â On the morning of the walk I realised my ribs were still not healed enough for it to be a sensible thing to do. Â So reluctantly, but in hindsight pleased with myself for making the … Continue reading North Downs Way 8: Detling to Dunn Street
North Downs Way 7: Blue Bell Hill to Detling
Dropped off at the picnic site, I started by walking back up the road to the exact spot where I'd stopped the day before and walked along again to the picnic site off-road. It was still a bit hazy over the Medway valley, but it was already warming up nicely. With legs still smarting from … Continue reading North Downs Way 7: Blue Bell Hill to Detling
North Downs Way 6: Wrotham to Blue Bell Hill
I thought I wouldn't get much more walking in this year, but with a delay in starting work (due to not having any yet!) and a spell of fine weather, the opportunity was too good to miss. I decided last week that after several weeks of holding off due to uncertainty around my work situation, … Continue reading North Downs Way 6: Wrotham to Blue Bell Hill
North Downs Way 5: Knockholt to Wrotham
5 years after I started the North Downs Way, I walked down the lane from the centre of Knockholt Pound, retracing my steps on my last day. We skirted around the edge of the Chevening estate and followed waymarkers through the woods. Emerging at a stile liberally festooned with NDW arrows on every side we … Continue reading North Downs Way 5: Knockholt to Wrotham
South West Coast Path 2011 – Debrief
Planning Although we've done a chunk of the pub for the last 3 years, this year's ultimately turned out to be the hardest to arrange and felt really expensive too. And there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly as we get further west, travel time to the south west gets longer and also … Continue reading South West Coast Path 2011 – Debrief
SWCP 2011 – Meals
During the trip we ate in the following places... Day 1 - the Start Bay Inn, Torcross A seafood place (not surprisngly), we had a large cod and chips, a medium haddock and chips and a steak. As our table was right next to the dessert display, I topped off with lemon cream cake. Food … Continue reading SWCP 2011 – Meals
SWCP 2011 – Accommodation
We stayed in the following places this year. This was probably the hardest year's planning due the need to find accommodation in places that fitted with the distances we wanted to do, how we wanted to cross the rivers (especially the Erme) etc. We found ourselves going over our budget per night cost on a … Continue reading SWCP 2011 – Accommodation
South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 6
River Yealm to Plymouth After some hopeless navigation on the part of the taxi driver, we were eventually dropped in the lane to New Barton farm, then we walked down the track to Warren Point, where the SWCP resumes on the west side of the river Yealm. Given the weather forecast for a breezy day … Continue reading South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 6
South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 5
Little Orcheton to River Yealm After an early breakfast we had our earliest start yet - 8:35 - and with a hint from the landlady took a shortcut across one of the farm fields to the woods on the bank of the Erme. We followed a woodland track before descending to the river and crossing … Continue reading South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 5
South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 4
Waking as early as the preceding days wasn't a surprise but was annoying due to breakfast not being until 9. I couldn't even update my blog as I'd done this the previous afternoon due to arriving so early. By the time 9am came we were all packed and ready to leave. We took breakfast and … Continue reading South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 4
South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 3
I yelped and recoiled in pain as the warm shower water struck my sunburnt legs. I turned around and then got the full force of the water on my burnt forearms. Yelp! I made the shower a quick one. Now, a cup of tea and all the biscuits supplied in the room later, I'm lying … Continue reading South West Coast Path 2011 – Day 3