Back in London now, and - a few days on from a jumbled journey from Lancaster on the West Coast main line – time to consider.
This year’s walk was doubly unusual, in that it did not start or end anywhere near home, and it did not follow any defined trail or prescribed route. It was almost exactly the same length as last year’s jaunt from Winchester to Canterbury, but through very different and varied landscapes, and with more ups and downs.
From the daily entries it is no secret that the weather played a big part this time, causing some significant changes of plan, and keeping me quite often on low roads rather than high paths, both for navigation and for safety.
Of the nine actual trekking days, the total mileage was a fraction short of 161, an average of just under 18 miles per day, with 17,000 feet of ascent and descent. That was only about three miles less than the original plan, but with significantly less – about 4,000 feet – ups and downs.
In retrospect it was a good walk with huge variety in landscape and environment, with some superb days, and some not so good.
On the equipment front there was little change from previous journeys – my trusty Osprey Aether 65 backpack paired with Merrell Moab 3 walking shoes – this year in a fetching grey with blue trim – Smartwool socks and Berghaus Paclite very lightweight jacket and overtrousers, which this time worked really hard. There was one addition – a pair of Kahtoola ankle gaiters. They are designed to keep small stones and muck out of walking shoes, but I found they also prevented rainwater leeching from overtrousers to socks, and thus kept my feet dry in the wettest conditions. Not cheap, but well worth it!
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