Despite now accepting that I ought to be getting some long walks in, at the time of writing, with 10 weeks to go, I simply haven’t managed any. This is still mostly related to my running – part of me is still loathe to risk interrupting the good progress I’m continuing to make there – although family birthdays have also been a factor. This situation has played on my conscience for quite some while now, and in the end has prompted me to take some rather drastic action. So, over the penultimate weekend in March – extended with a bit of flexi-time to 3 days – I intend to walk the Herriot Way. As per the CtoC, I’ll be walking solo, and will also carry my full CtoC pack. I’ve decided to avoid calling it a training or test event though, because it’s very obviously also a walk that deserves to be enjoyed for its own sake.
The plan involves parking up early on the Saturday morning in Hawes, then having two hopefully (!) easy walking days, of roughly 12.5 miles each, to Keld and Grinton respectively. I’ve already booked some accommodation in these two places. On the third day I intend to push myself a bit harder, and, if all goes well, walk the full 25 miles back to the car. And if all doesn’t go well, then at least I’ve picked a leg which, from Aysgarth onwards, runs reasonably close to the route of the Number 156 Bus!
One thing I will be trialling is using my smartphone as an evening blogging device. So watch this space from 23rd March onwards, and we’ll find out together whether I can make it all work. I may also pluck up some courage and send out my very first tweet! (from @Neil_WR).
Finally, and not least because of where this blog is hosted, I’m pleased to confirm that it’s LoneWalker’s Herriot Way guidebook that I’ll be using. I’ll tell you after the event if it’s any good, but it scores full points so far! Thanks are also due once again to his site for providing the waypoints download service. (And yes I did make a small donation!).