Greensand Way - 28th January 2007

With one member of BlogWalkers feeling under the weather there was a decision made to do a slightly shorter walk this weekend. We were joined by a veteran BlogWalker, who is also mum to Mr BlogWalker; the reason for the visit was because it was Mr BlogWalker's birthday weekend - 29 on the 29th!

The day was lovely and sunny with just a bit of a chilly breeze in the air. We parked near Thursley (a beautiful village) and followed the Greensand Way all the way down to Brook. We then headed north and stopped in a lovely pub just north of Witley where we filled up on tasty sandwiches, well-deserved Spitfire and a St. Clements for the older element of the group.

We then headed back along a made-up route along tracks and fields until we reached the car.

We walked approximately 7-8 miles but unfortunately we have no idea how long it took us as, once again, nobody thought to take a watch!

The Monarch's Way - 21st January 2007

Concerned about their speed, the BlogWalkers drafted in some support for this one: a fell-runner who completed all 214 Wainwrights in 11 months and is currently training for the Bob Graham round:

Another homemade route, we started at Duncton Hill near the South Downs Way and walked in an exaggerated figure-of-eight, encompassing Bignor Hill, Houghton Forest, the entertainingly-named Gumber Farm and Bishop's Ring Chalk Pit.

We spent much of our time on the Monarch's Way - a 614 mile route tracing the flight of Charles II and encompassing some beautiful scenery:

The day was splendid - bright and sunny, but crisp and cold. We covered fifteen miles in about five hours (the BlogWalkers began well, but ended up slowing down their support), and were tired but pleased with themselves on the journey home.

The Cotswold Way - 13th January 2007

We went to the Cotswolds for our second anniversary and had a fantastic time in Plough Cottage just outside of Painswick (courtesy of Rural Retreats www.ruralretreats.co.uk/).

Having settled in on the Friday night we woke up bright and early on the Saturday eager to explore some of the countryside which was on our doorstep.

We devised our own route of approximately 12 miles which allowed us to walk right from our door step, through Painswick and onto the Cotswold Way. We left the Cotswold way and went past Saltridge Hill, got a bit confused in Lord's Wood and then followed the river by Damsell's Mill home.



Although the weather looked threatening, we were incredibly lucky to stay dry. Our navigational skills were put to the test and we had to use the map, a compass and the GPS in order to find our way. In all, with all the difficulties, the walk took us about 5 hours although we unfortunately didn't pay much attention to the time.

We celebrated by going to the Falcon Inn in Painswick and having a cracking meal.

The following day we decided to have an easier day and walked approximately five miles in all. Oh, and we accidentally ended up at The Woolpack in Slad and ate an enormous roast dinner, washed down with a pint of Uley Bitter.

Windsor Great Park - 7th January 2007

Whether we forgot to take the camera, or forgot to take any pictures no-one can now remember, so we've got a library picture of the Long Walk through Windsor Great Park:

(courtesy of http://www.royal-windsor.com).

Although we're keen walkers, this was the first walk of the year where we were actively thinking about preparations for Hadrian's Wall - namely, distance and speed.

The route was one of the Down Your Way walks from Country Walking magazine ("Royal Ramble", September 2003). A distance of 9.5 miles, we did it in cold, overcast but dry weather, and clocked in at 3 hours.

A very pleasant circular stroll starting at Datchet, encompassing part of the Thames Path and Windsor Great Park (as mentioned by the marvellous Bill Bryson - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-Small-Island-Bill-Bryson/dp/0552996009), finishing with views of Eton and Victoria Bridge.

Coped remarkably well without tired limbs; a promising start to the preparations.

How it all began - 31st December 2006

Sitting around a dinner table, full and not entirely unaffected by alcohol, we began to discuss our plans for the future. Being New Year's Eve we quickly got on to the topic of New Year Resolutions.

From The Three Peaks Challenge (to be the topic of another blog) to cutting down on chocolate we discussed all sorts. However, the one that we were most likely to succeed in was to complete the Hadrian's Wall Path.

Being more stubborn than two-dozen mules we have put into practice all the resolutions and we are now preparing to walk the Hadrian's Wall Path over Easter.

Mental note to self: Next year the resolutions should be to get more sleep and eat more chocolate.

Introduction

Hello, we're the BlogWalkers:



After a few weeks fiddling with timetables, we've booked our accommodation and started our preparatory walks for Hadrian's Wall Path (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall).

The National Trail is 84 miles long, starting at Wallsend near Newcastle and finishing at Bowness-on-Solway. We've decided to tackle it in four days over Easter, and our finalised timetable looks like this:

Day 0 - head up North from Surrey, staying in our favourite bed and breakfast in the Lake District, Glenfield Guest House in Whitehaven (http://www.glenfield-whitehaven.co.uk).

Day 1 - get on the train from Whitehaven to Newcastle, the tram from Newcastle to Wallsend and then walk to a hotel just West of Heddon-on-the-Wall (http://www.ironsign.co.uk). Distance: 17 miles.

Day 2 - walk and keep walking to Housesteads and collapse at Beggar Bog B&B (http://www.beggarbog.com). Distance: 22 miles.

Day 3 - more of the same, Westwards to to Walton and a stay at The Centurion Inn (http://www.centurion-hadrianswall.com). Distance: 19 miles.

Day 4 - last day. From Walton to Bowness, and a well-earned return to Glenfield's hospitality. Distance: 26 miles.

We've just realised, typing this up, that we got our distances confused and day 3 should have been the mammoth 26-miler, with a more relaxing 19 on the final day. Still, we're all booked up now and we'll just have to lace up and live with it.