meeting the Air ambulance rep!

Lovely to meet up with Karen today! Achieved one good photo out of a comedy of errors with technology!

All ready for the off tomorrow now! 

I've never looked so yellow in my life!! 😁

first wild camp!

Another training walk this weekend preceded by this cracking wild camp spot in woodland! 

We have a crescent moon over us through the trees with Orion standing watch over us! 

And it's pretty warm tonight! Bonus

Physical progress!

Posting a bit late, another training walk on Saturday took me to 208 miles walked in training, that's equivalent of reaching Bath on my trail!
(Between the green flags)
I've walked every last ounce of fat off of my legs now and muscle definition is pretty good! They will bulk up more as I progress north, full pack training has certainly been the right approach and no issues with the hip now! 😃
Spring is springing and we'll soon be following it north! Watching the same flowers blooming as we keep pace with the seasons change!
Beautiful!

change of accommodation!

Having tried out the alpkit tent for a night I found it rather lacking in space with the central pole!

I didn't imagine something with that floor space not being hugely functional!

But sadly it is!

So going back to tried and tested I've replaced it with the new version of my old Vango helium 100 the Vango helium UL1.... 

Put it up for the first time tonight and it's so much more comfortable! A new version of old slippers if you like! 

Much happier with this tent 🙂

Smaller ground coverage will enable it to fit in those tight wild camp spots and knowing it's predecessor survived hurricane Bertha instills me with confidence! 

Less than a month before we head off to lands end ..... Exciting times 😁

The perfect poem before a trek

Going all the way by Charles Bukowski:-

If you’re going to try, go all the way.

Otherwise, don’t even start.

If you're going to try, go all the way.

This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs and maybe even your mind.

It could mean not eating for three or four days.

It could mean freezing on a park bench.

It could mean jail.

It could mean derision, mockery, isolation.

Isolation is the gift.

All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it.

And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds.

And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.

If you’re going to try, go all the way.

There is no other feeling like that.

You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.

DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. All the way

You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.

This poem shall accompany me like a good friend with a precious advice.