Cabin fever has been tested to the limit.
The knee has improved recently. It may be too early to attempt backpacking again, but I have decided to have a go and see what happens. I bought a senior railcard, and I have booked a train ticket departing Arnside at 7:01 am Monday 3rd June, arriving Lowestoft at 2:50pm.
The route, starting at Lowestoft and finishing at Poole, which is the start of the South West Coast Path, was plotted before my knee replacement. At that time I planned to return in a circle to Lowestoft via The New Forest, Salisbury Plain and The Ridgeway etc., but for the moment I would be more than pleased if I could get as far as Poole. If the walking is not viable I could be back home in three days. it would be interesting to see if I could return in stages using my bus pass.
My son has voiced concern about me walking through the eastern suburbs of London which was something I had not considered, but there will be no wild camping there.
The route should be relatively flat, and I will only need to carry food for one meal giving me a pack weight of around 21 lbs or 9.5kg .
Unfinished business could be nailed. Regular readers will remember that I thought I had done all the Marilyns in England south of Cleeve Hill and Bredon Hill near Cheltenham except for Haddington Hill in Buckinghamshire; that was until I discovered an appendix in the book adding nineteen newly discovered tops, four of which were in that southern area. One of those is near Folkestone, and the others are within easy reach of Poole so we will have to see.
That looks to be a good plan - I look forward to reading of your adventures!
ReplyDeleteJJ
Perhaps you might consider the TGO Challenge for next year....?
ReplyDeleteJJ
That's quite a trek, Conrad! I wish you good travelling and pleasant encounters along the way. Look forward to reading about it.
ReplyDeleteBon voyage Conrad. As with your previous trip, it's all unknown country to me so I'm looking forward to following your progress.
ReplyDeleteDon't think you need worry about London's suburbs or even outer suburbs. Your route appears to take you outside the M25. The problems there, in what you might call London's eastern quadrant, are predominantly aesthetic. I'm more interested in how you'll cross the Thames since you appear to be well east of the Dartford bridge/tunnel. I assume there's a ferry in the Tilbury - Gravesend area. I know the rules are more relaxed for these later projects but I would strongly caution against swimming. You could find yourself in Vlissingen, which has a somewhat different name for Brits, and was the ultimate destination in We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea.
ReplyDeleteJohn - I'm not sure about the TGO, but it is at the back of my mind. Let's see how this coming venture goes first.
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The Crow - Hi Martha. Thanks for your good wishes.
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Afoot - I don't think it is a route you are ever likely to follow, so I hope I can oblige.
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RR - When Nick Crane walked the 2 degree meridian south to north he had to cross Derwent Reservoir, and enlisted help from the sailing club. The finish was on Green Island off the coast near Poole. He was able to co-opt the Royal Marines to take him there. Arriving a few minutes before the appointed time there was nobody visible, but then he saw a RIB in the distance, and with legendary British military precision the guys arrived at high speed precisely on time. I don’t think I’ve got that pulling power.
There is a passenger ferry running from Tilbury to Gravesend six days a week. I have no idea which day of the week I will arrive there - would you like to have a guess?
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ALL - I have paper maps printed out on sheets of A4 (OS 1:50000), and also the same mapping on my iPad and iPhone with GPS, and I have transferred the computer generated route onto those units. I can blog from either using Blogpress.
The biggest bugbear is posting photos on the blog. For my own purposes I want a full set of proper photos taken with my camera, but I can only post photos taken on the iPad/iPhone, so it means often taking the same photo twice, and remembering to do so. Often "i" photos are unacceptably dark but I do have a Photoshop app that can sort them, but this all takes time.
Poole huh - from Poole or Weymouth you can get a ferry to Brittany and then a train to one of the starts of Le Pelerinage de St Jacques because it seems to me that a few prayers have been or are being answered - or you could go to Bilbao or Santander for a shortened trek, of course.
ReplyDeleteMeet you there anon. Good therapy.
I had to read your plan twice! It puts my proposed cycle mini tour of two days in perspective!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the blog.
I had to read your plan twice! It puts my proposed cycle mini tour of two days in perspective!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the blog.
Gimmer - Ome step at a time, but I don't mind a bit of dreaming as well.
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Welshpaddler - Hi bob. You seem to be boosting my ego with your comment as well achieving the same thing again by increasing my comments rating with your double post - thanks.
You said, in your most recent Tone Deaf comment, an idea for a post had just burst in on you. Yet here I am and nothing new's afoot. I can't keep on dropping in on spec. I get weighed down by all this OS-oriented stuff. It leads me to make some ill-judged remark whereupon all your boot-footed supporters rise up and, in effect, call me a townie. Or worse.
ReplyDeleteRR- Today I look after granddaughter Katie (baby minder is indisposed). Tomorrow I make applicators. More ruminating this morning in bed before arising has lead to further development of the idea. you will have to wait - Katie has arrived.
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