After 636 miles and 50 days of walking

Part One of the walk is now over and we are spending time in Edinburgh relaxing, reading, shopping and yes, walking around a bit. In 50 days, we walked from one end of England to the other and experienced the country’s changing landscapes from rocky coast to boggy moorland. But we had some surprises; despite Tim’s right foot and Jeri’s left shin, our bodies didn’t completely fail us. Beyond a few blisters early on, our feet survived the pounding although Jeri is going to throw her boots away any day now. Evidently, the human body can take a lot of wear and tear. We both lost some weight but we didn’t quite achieve the godlike statuesque form we desired.

Apart from a very indifferent pizza in Tetbury, the food was good and sometimes great. In fact food, the acquisition and consumption of it, became a big part of every day. And boy can we eat… We remember the lamb sagwalla in the Sultan restaurant in Cirencester, the bream and mussels at the Turks Head in Penzance, the lamb rump at the Fox and Hounds in Starbotton, the sea bass at the Emmott Arms in Lanshawbridge and many more. Life was reduced to the simple; food, walking, shelter.

The people we met on the trail and in the places where we ate or slept were universally interested and supportive. Meeting Megan and Anthony on the first day near Sennen Cove and then having dinner with them by chance in Keld almost two months later was amazing. Having drinks with Richard and Andrea in Newquay and talking about long distance walking reminded us we weren’t doing this alone. We’ve had encouraging comments on this blog from people we have never met and plenty from family and friends.

Some thoughts about gear. Shoes/boots need more attention. We should have bought new boots around the 350 mile mark but we weren’t really paying attention. Jeri didn’t get any blisters after the first week so she didn’t think about them. But wear and tear adds up fast and we were closing in on 600 miles when she realized how compressed her insoles were and how worn the Vibram soles had become. Those lugs seem to have melted away. By then we were closing in on the end of the Pennine Way and there were no shops in sight. False economy, we could feel every pebble stepped on. Even the uppers lost stability and we started to worry about a twisted ankle in the last 50 miles!! So, next time new boots often. And the last boot comment; waterproof boots are required. Tim had wet feet, Jeri did not.

Rain gear. Our new rain gear worked well for most of the trip but that stuff needs laundering to keep the waterproofing optimal and that’s hard to do without the right soap. Also, we worried about melting it in the dryer at the laundromat so we never washed it. By the end water definitely leaked in at the pressure points but it all blended in with the self generated moisture and the windbreaker effect made up for being soggy. On days we planned for rain (at least 20% of the walk) we wore tights (Jeri) or long johns (Tim) under our rain pants (don’t laugh if you are British-trousers to you). That was an excellent strategy as we kept warm and fairly dry (see above) without layers binding or staying soggy after the rain stopped, which it usually does. That wicking thing works.

As for poles- these are a must. It took a week or so to work out the best height, shorter than you think is generally better. We watched a couple of YouTube videos last year and used the straps to good effect. The poles are great for balance on extraordinarily rough and uneven surfaces as well as for getting a good push off on steep uphills. They take a bit of impact off the knees on the downhill too. Jeri noticed a great side effect – holding on to the poles keeps your hand elevated and prevents the sausage effect in your fingers.

Mental fortitude was as important as physical fitness. We found it best to concentrate on immediate goals such as getting to the lunch spot, getting to our accommodation or getting to our rest day rather than thinking about walking across a whole country. However, thinking before we started that walking so far would induce wise introspection and culminate in plans as to how to live our lives going forward just didn’t happen. Mostly our brains turned to mush as we strode across tracks, roads and moor. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing; with so little to think about other than the daily walk itself it was actually quite cleansing.

Over the next few months, we will plan next year’s walk. But we can’t quite bring ourselves to think about it quite yet…