Saturday 24th May
20km, 3hrs 35m
I haven't managed to put pen to paper so to speak for quite a while - never thought I'd see the day where I was busier than Wol at work and therefore struggling to keep up this blog lark, so it's about time a Lurch entry was recorded. Super triple header Saturday was an event that Sky surely can't compete with, with Wol 'the snail' catching the early bird up in Norfolk; Horace, Hilda and Ronaldinho starting to worry the barman at the Cabinet that they might have actually moved into the village (he probably thinks they are from Royston actually), and Superlurch playing at home.
I set off at 7.45 am from home, needing to stay local as Jo was on call all day, i was therefore at the mercy of t-mobiles signal if I was to be found at short notice. remembered Wol's walk earlier in the season on the roman road from Hertford Heath so set off with my tea, squash, Haribo, Cheddars and jam sandwiches. I've lost a stone since Christmas and soon realised that my shorts were starting to slip down my legs (later confirmed when I looked in the mirror when I got home - looking ridiculous, like a ghetto version of Lurch - 'official' walking gear doesn't suit me). Walked through Hertford up to Hertford Heath and past the house we nearly bought last year, that has now been knocked down?? Lucky escape I think. Pretty straight path all the way down to Goose Green, past a stud farm and through a lot of woodland; carried on past this and through the next section until I got to open road but no signposts. Wary that Wol managed to get himself lost on this walk too so decided to head back as there were a couple of detours i wanted to try out. Went through Danemead nature reserve (green, no animals, some flowers) and then on through Balls Wood (green, no animals, trees) which took me through (eventually) way down Mangrove Lane. crossed here and went through several fields to get me onto the Brickendon path from the Malaysian rubber factory up to Morgans Walk. toyed with the idea of staying out later but decided against it, bank holiday laziness set in and I set off through town and was home by 11.20 - G.I.T. This was my first longish walk on my own and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, thanks to bombarding teammates with needless texts. It was also first time I took my ipod out, which was good but I also found myself turning around a lot expecting to be jumped by someone; kept me on my toes and was a good way of keeping pace up. I also nearly tripped over a pheasant and seemed to attract a lot of attention from dogs - it was just like the good old days!
Daniel.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Monday, 26 May 2008
Early bird...
Date: Sat 24th May 2008Distance: 32.2km (20m)
Location: Bungay, Earsham, Mettingham
Conditions: Nettles, electric fences, some poor quality footpaths
Weather: Sunny
Participants: Wol
As mentioned on the previous blog entry, because I was not able to join the rest of the team, I had to venture out alone again into the wilds of the English countryside. As I was away camping with the family in Suffolk, 
I decided on an early start strategy in order to minimise the amount of disruption to the camping weekend. This meant starting out at 5am so I could be back by midday - this was not too bad as I'd had an early night and the weather was fine (might have been a different story if it had been chucking it down).
I decided on an early start strategy in order to minimise the amount of disruption to the camping weekend. This meant starting out at 5am so I could be back by midday - this was not too bad as I'd had an early night and the weather was fine (might have been a different story if it had been chucking it down).I'd already done a bit of prep work and partly planned my walk - I was going to walk some of the Angles Way which goes round the town where we were staying and to make sure I didn't over/under-estimate distance, I decided to walk for about 3 hours and then re-trace my steps to satisfying the 6 hour walk requirement.
I headed out the back of Bungay and then picked up the Angles Way, going through Earsham and then up around Outney meadow - a mixture of roads, footpaths and fields. The going was generally OK, but some footpaths were pretty badly maintained and difficult to find and I also had to negotiate my way over three electric fences that had been erected to help herd cattle from the fields to a farm. I know that the wires don't carry enough voltage to be fatal but I didn't fancy using my wedding tackle to test what kind of shock could be received, so it was with some trepidation and concentration that I negotiated the fences.After a couple of hours I'd wound my way back into Bungay, where I saw my first person since starting my walk. 
This happened to be a man in a fluorescent jacket feeding a load of chickens on a roundabout - a little bit strange, so I thought I'd avoid eye-contact and just continue on my way - I then noticed he was calling over to me, so I extracted my ipod earbuds and responded with an "Alright?". Took me a few attempts to understand what he was saying, but eventually got it - "Early Bird". I smiled, stepped up the pace, stepped through the chickens and continued with the walk.
This happened to be a man in a fluorescent jacket feeding a load of chickens on a roundabout - a little bit strange, so I thought I'd avoid eye-contact and just continue on my way - I then noticed he was calling over to me, so I extracted my ipod earbuds and responded with an "Alright?". Took me a few attempts to understand what he was saying, but eventually got it - "Early Bird". I smiled, stepped up the pace, stepped through the chickens and continued with the walk.I also had a strange enocunter with the second person I saw on my walk. He was walking in the opposite direction, and as we passed, we exchanged greetings. 15 minutes later, I ended up catching up and overtaking him.... weird.
I thrashed through some weeds and nettles and stumbled out on a road. Only then did I noticed a footpath sign pointing the way I'd just come (now I can safely say that no-one has used that footpath for a very long time...). The road lead to Mettingham, I got my bearings and then I headed back onto the the Angles Way.It was time to turn round and head back, so I followed the map to determine where I'd taken a wrong turn before, and was reasonably satisfied when I realised where I'd gone wrong that there was no way I could have spotted the sign I'd previously missed - it was all but engulfed by vegetation.
Six and half hours later, I arrived back at camp - quite tired and with sore feet, but generally not too bad. Good job really, because after a quick kip we all went off for a bike-ride...
Wol.
Wind in the Willows...
Date: Sat 24th May 2008Distance: 35km (21.9m)
Location: Reed, Nuthampstead, Buckland, Kelshall, Ashwell, Therfield, Royston
Conditions: Too many nettles
Weather: Sunny, with a bit of wind (in more ways than one)
Participants: Pip, Nik, Gee
With Carl away in Suffolk, with Family Wol, and Lurch opting to stay local, Pip, Nik and Gee headed off back up the A10, to the now familiar territory of Reed and the surrounding area. Today was the first official 6 hour-er, raising the bar once more, as the countdown to July d-day continues.
A pre-planned Robbo route involved a double loop, starting off with an 8km return yomp to Nuthampstead. Cunningly, he took us on this first, so that we had then to do the main loop, denying us the opportunity to opt out of this extra shorter bit add on.
Things didn’t start off very well, as after less than 5 minutes, we were confronted by a sea of nettles, enemy of the yomper. This stand off was solved with Mr & Mrs Robbo donning waterproof trousers in order to defeat the evil foliage. Onwards we went. A constant string of texts from Lurch suggested he was somewhat lonely. Partridges, dogs and limited snacks all contrived to distract our boy.
As we headed onwards the conversation got back round to nettles. A pesky irritant to the walker the question of what stops them taking over the world. Is the nettle a greater threat to mankind than global warming?
Phil got particularly excited when we walked along the side of the GNER mainline rail track, with comments of awe about how the rail route had to be dug out by hand. Trains and Stags seem to get the boy excited. On the latter subject his plans for turning the Roberson spare room into a Stag workshop received short shrift from Mrs P. “You can go and do it under the pergola” was the response.
Phil got particularly excited when we walked along the side of the GNER mainline rail track, with comments of awe about how the rail route had to be dug out by hand. Trains and Stags seem to get the boy excited. On the latter subject his plans for turning the Roberson spare room into a Stag workshop received short shrift from Mrs P. “You can go and do it under the pergola” was the response.
The low point of the walk was caused by low energy reserves. The upside of stopping for lunch in Therfield was somewhat dampened by the fact that the bench we sat on was facing directly at the Fox & Duck pub...the temptation of a mid walk pint was hard to resist....
Onwards we headed, up into Royston, then back towards Reed. One last challenge stood between us and the Cabinet...the ‘mountain’ as Pip described it. A short but tasty incline back into Reed. The gauntlet was picked up by Gee and Mrs P, as Stag boy was left in their wake.
A well earned couple of cheeky pints at the cabinet to reflect on a job well done, with agreement that a future walk from Royston back to Hertford is on the cards.
Just in case you were wondering about the relevance of the blog title, well a certain person had ‘issues’ throughout the 6 hours walking...no names, no prizes for guessing.....
Gee
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Wormholes...
Date: Sunday 18th May Distance: 29.8 kms / 18.5 miles
Location: Reed, Chiswells, Barley, Reed
Weather: Dry, bit chilly, warm when he sun was out
Participants: Lurch, Wol (and later, family Wol)
Target – 5 hours. An hour into this walk and me and Lurch thought we were going to “smash it to pieces” (to coin a phrase of a Matt Lucas look-a-like ex-contestant on The Apprentice). 
So much so, we revised our estimate to possibly finishing just over 4 and half hours. This was great news as we’d arranged to meet the rest of family Wol for the last 45 minutes of the walk, so we were safe as regards potentially jeopardising that rendez-vous.
However, and I’m not sure if the fact that this coincided with our first and second snack-stops, the second and third hours were so unproductive as regards distance covered, it felt like we were going backwards.
Now we had to contend with a few slower sections (such as the boggy, nettle-laced tracks through some of the groves), getting lost where Pip had kindly advised us not to, and dealing with the several kilos of mud that attached themselves to our boots (Lurch likened this to walking in high-heels - I couldn’t possibly comment), but I have no idea where the time went. We weren’t exactly breaking any records as regards pace and we were having a bit of a laugh, but by the time we were due to meet the others, we were about an hour and a half behind time!
As a way of explaining this, I’m going to suggest the concept of worm-holes in time. On the map that Pip gave us, there were a couple of small sections where the 2 pages were sellotaped together and I believe this is where me and Lurch slipped in time, had a few cups of tea and put our feet up for half hour before re-joining real-time and the walk. A bit like alien abductions, I’m very hazy about details, but I can’t think of any other explanation.
On realisation that we were way behind, we did step-up the pace and thankfully, due to the natural inquisitiveness of children, the other party had also been delayed as they stopped numerous times to investigate skeletal remains of animals, rustlings in haystacks and not surprisingly, have a few snack-stops.
It was good to finally meet up with them, and it proved we were actually making some progress.
Took us over 6 hours to cover nearly 30kms, and as Lurch said, good from a stamina perspective (even if the pace was somewhat snail-like). The Cabinet was too tempting a prospect to resist so we popped in for a quick drink before heading off home.
I believe Lurch is also starting to settle on his walking dietary requirements – flask of tea, flap-jack, Walkers crisps (no other brand would be appropriate), jam sandwiches and a family size bag of Haribo…. However, I think he is still contemplating the merits of incorporating swiss-rolls, teacakes and Vienetta….
Wol.
So much so, we revised our estimate to possibly finishing just over 4 and half hours. This was great news as we’d arranged to meet the rest of family Wol for the last 45 minutes of the walk, so we were safe as regards potentially jeopardising that rendez-vous.
However, and I’m not sure if the fact that this coincided with our first and second snack-stops, the second and third hours were so unproductive as regards distance covered, it felt like we were going backwards.Now we had to contend with a few slower sections (such as the boggy, nettle-laced tracks through some of the groves), getting lost where Pip had kindly advised us not to, and dealing with the several kilos of mud that attached themselves to our boots (Lurch likened this to walking in high-heels - I couldn’t possibly comment), but I have no idea where the time went. We weren’t exactly breaking any records as regards pace and we were having a bit of a laugh, but by the time we were due to meet the others, we were about an hour and a half behind time!
As a way of explaining this, I’m going to suggest the concept of worm-holes in time. On the map that Pip gave us, there were a couple of small sections where the 2 pages were sellotaped together and I believe this is where me and Lurch slipped in time, had a few cups of tea and put our feet up for half hour before re-joining real-time and the walk. A bit like alien abductions, I’m very hazy about details, but I can’t think of any other explanation.On realisation that we were way behind, we did step-up the pace and thankfully, due to the natural inquisitiveness of children, the other party had also been delayed as they stopped numerous times to investigate skeletal remains of animals, rustlings in haystacks and not surprisingly, have a few snack-stops.
It was good to finally meet up with them, and it proved we were actually making some progress.
Took us over 6 hours to cover nearly 30kms, and as Lurch said, good from a stamina perspective (even if the pace was somewhat snail-like). The Cabinet was too tempting a prospect to resist so we popped in for a quick drink before heading off home.
I believe Lurch is also starting to settle on his walking dietary requirements – flask of tea, flap-jack, Walkers crisps (no other brand would be appropriate), jam sandwiches and a family size bag of Haribo…. However, I think he is still contemplating the merits of incorporating swiss-rolls, teacakes and Vienetta….Wol.
Random thoughts of the lone walker...
Date: Sunday 18th MayDistance: 18.2kms / 11miles
Location: Hertford, Ware, Waterford, Stapleford
Weather: Dry, sunny spells
Participants: Nik
I completed my first walk on my own today. Half the team were at the cricket and the other half were getting up at some ungodly hour to do 28km's around Reed. After a few sleepless nights recently I needed a lie in so declined the offer to join them.
Walking on my own took some getting used to but once I got into the swing of things I really enjoyed it. The fresh air helped clear my head and instead of worrying about work I took in the delights of a walk in late spring. These delights included several families of ducks and swans on Beane River, some pretty wildflowers (which I don't know the name of) and some undelightful stinging nettles on the rougher paths.
It was a bit of Zen navigation today as I didn't have a map and put my memory to the test as I usually just follow Phil and don't really take in the route I'm going. Didn't get too lost though, just one tricky detour outside of Stapleford which took in a nice hill to stretch the legs. Luckily spotted the spire on top of Stapleford church so headed for that and back on the river path to Hertford. 
Not a testing walk but at least I managed to do something this weekend which taking into consideration how I felt yesterday morning was an achievement in itself.
It was a fairly uneventful walk without too much to blog about but an enjoyable one with plenty of thinking time. Various thoughts included: Why do farmer's feel the need to disguise footpaths and then moan at you if you take a wrong turn? Does Lurchio use walking just as an excuse to eat more snack food? Should I paint the lounge mocha or mink? Fairly profound stuff...
When I got home I measured the walk at just over 18kms. Not very long but what I didn't achieve in distance I made up for in speed as I was only gone for 3hrs and 10 mins which included a detour to Focus for some colour charts (hence the thoughts about mocha or mink!). Now to relax for the rest of the afternoon and look forward to the next stage in our training schedule; 6 hours next Saturday.
Walking on my own took some getting used to but once I got into the swing of things I really enjoyed it. The fresh air helped clear my head and instead of worrying about work I took in the delights of a walk in late spring. These delights included several families of ducks and swans on Beane River, some pretty wildflowers (which I don't know the name of) and some undelightful stinging nettles on the rougher paths.
It was a bit of Zen navigation today as I didn't have a map and put my memory to the test as I usually just follow Phil and don't really take in the route I'm going. Didn't get too lost though, just one tricky detour outside of Stapleford which took in a nice hill to stretch the legs. Luckily spotted the spire on top of Stapleford church so headed for that and back on the river path to Hertford. 
Not a testing walk but at least I managed to do something this weekend which taking into consideration how I felt yesterday morning was an achievement in itself.It was a fairly uneventful walk without too much to blog about but an enjoyable one with plenty of thinking time. Various thoughts included: Why do farmer's feel the need to disguise footpaths and then moan at you if you take a wrong turn? Does Lurchio use walking just as an excuse to eat more snack food? Should I paint the lounge mocha or mink? Fairly profound stuff...
When I got home I measured the walk at just over 18kms. Not very long but what I didn't achieve in distance I made up for in speed as I was only gone for 3hrs and 10 mins which included a detour to Focus for some colour charts (hence the thoughts about mocha or mink!). Now to relax for the rest of the afternoon and look forward to the next stage in our training schedule; 6 hours next Saturday.
Nik
Children of the Oil Seed Rape...
Saturday 17th May
A small contingent of Gee & Pip headed off into the wilds of North Herts starting with the intention of putting in 5 hours walking time.
Armed with plenty of fluid, lunch and waterproofs things started very well with the decent into Royston from Reed before heading back up to Therfield. A brief stop for a cup of tea and some flask envy by Robbo saw us head of in the direction of Buckland where the first church of the day was captured.
It was at this point things started to get interesting.
Obviously not much yomping is done out of Buckland as we had to fight the stingers to get over a style into a field with no path. No problems we thought until we hit the Rape field where the path still didn't continue.
What the hell, there looked to be a thin bit so we headed for that which was fine until it became a thick bit. Not one to struggle with a small bit of plant matter, Gee forged ahead in true jungle style and we emerged victorious on the other side covered in water and yellow flowers. Then it started to rain.
About half a mile further on we started to see a pattern emerging of the friendly local farmer ploughing up footpaths and failing to re-state them. We headed off through an 18 inch high wheat field which had so much moisture by the time we got through I could have wrung water out of my boots.
We met one of these local farmers and friendly they aren't. We were grateful he didn't have his gun because a backside full of buckshot would have been our punishment for being "miles off the path". As it happens we were 20 yards off it in open pasture - hardly something for Nick Ross to get on Crimewatch!
On we trundled into Sandon for church number 2 before heading to Kelshall & Therfield again to bag churches 3 and 4. Final stretch into Reed for a well earned pint in The Cabinet to dry off. 
Over 30kms done and in just over 5 hours.
A small contingent of Gee & Pip headed off into the wilds of North Herts starting with the intention of putting in 5 hours walking time.Armed with plenty of fluid, lunch and waterproofs things started very well with the decent into Royston from Reed before heading back up to Therfield. A brief stop for a cup of tea and some flask envy by Robbo saw us head of in the direction of Buckland where the first church of the day was captured.
It was at this point things started to get interesting.Obviously not much yomping is done out of Buckland as we had to fight the stingers to get over a style into a field with no path. No problems we thought until we hit the Rape field where the path still didn't continue.
What the hell, there looked to be a thin bit so we headed for that which was fine until it became a thick bit. Not one to struggle with a small bit of plant matter, Gee forged ahead in true jungle style and we emerged victorious on the other side covered in water and yellow flowers. Then it started to rain.About half a mile further on we started to see a pattern emerging of the friendly local farmer ploughing up footpaths and failing to re-state them. We headed off through an 18 inch high wheat field which had so much moisture by the time we got through I could have wrung water out of my boots.
We met one of these local farmers and friendly they aren't. We were grateful he didn't have his gun because a backside full of buckshot would have been our punishment for being "miles off the path". As it happens we were 20 yards off it in open pasture - hardly something for Nick Ross to get on Crimewatch!
On we trundled into Sandon for church number 2 before heading to Kelshall & Therfield again to bag churches 3 and 4. Final stretch into Reed for a well earned pint in The Cabinet to dry off. 
Over 30kms done and in just over 5 hours. Pip
Monday, 12 May 2008
Hari Bo Selecta goes to Sussex...
Date: Sun 11th May 2008Distance: 25km (15.6m)
Location: South Downs Way
Conditions: Tournament standard
Weather: Scorchio
Participants: Wol, Burns, Pip, Nik, Gee
After several months of local & Herts based walks, it was time for Team Midnight Ramblers to start rambling further afield. So where better than the actual route to be tackled come July...South Down Way, here we come....
An early 7am departure saw us head off in Skoda cabs, with food and liquid supplies aplenty. As we were the only people stupid enough to get up at that time on a Sunday morning, we flew round the M25, then down the A23, arriving in Pyecombe, for an 8.40 kick off. The route covered the part we would be doing at night, so gave us the chance to familiarise ourselves with the route. Next time it will be with headlamps.
I
t took just over 2 hours to yomp our way through to the checkpoint, just outside of Lewes, interjected with a flapjack stop at Ditchling Beacon. After a rhubarb crumble refuel, plus a sock change (& talcing up), we turned round and headed back to complete the return back to Pyecombe. 
Temperatures now were in the high 20s, giving an idea of conditions to expect in July. A worrying trend seems to appear with hills. Nik & Gee seem to get the need to up the pace & walk up as quickly as possible...the quicker you get up the better I say....
Further negotiation of lots of bikes, before arriving back in Pyecombe round about 2.30, with a bottle of auntie stella & a bit of stretching. White powder, drinking in the street & a man taking his shorts off - I sense a strongly worded letter to the Pyecombe Chronicle from Mrs Pilkington Smythe, on the breakdown of society in the backwaters of East Sussex.
Well played to Wol for walking through his jet lag, even if certain household chores were temporarily put on hold. Also, to Lurchio for driving the team bus, as well as producing high quality flapjack. A nice rhubarb crumble also from Mrs P.
Lessons learned – Talc & a fresh pair of socks are essential for warm weather walking. Bike riders should be forced to use their bells, or possibly just outlawed. If you put too many peanut butter sangers in your rucksack then this will cause you back problems.
10 weeks to go to the main event...bring it on.
Gee
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Go like the Clappers…
Date: Sunday 4th May/ Monday 5th May
Distance: 26km and 25km, respectively
Location: Reed, Sharpenhoe Clappers, Barton Le Clay
Conditions: Rolling hills
Weather: Dry and hot
Participants: Nik, Phil
The bank holiday weekend was the first of our double walking training days. I was still feeling a bit groggy after picking up a virus and Phil has a head cold so we decided to have Saturday off to collect Phil’s new toy and relax on the beach for a few hours. It was a perfect day until his new toy decided to break down on the way home. A not so perfect ending spent waiting for the tow truck. We finally got home just after midnight. Not before waking up Lurchio and probably his very unhappy neighbours!
We were planning on an early start on Sunday morning but due to the late night this didn’t happen. After prizing ourselves off the sofa we donned our boots and made our way to the up’s and down’s of Reed, completing the reverse loop we did with Gee last week. Not too much to report about the walk as Gee did a good job in the previous blog entry, apart from seeing a few dead rats, which is always a bit unnerving. I think we will definitely be back to this area again for some longer walks. On a sunny day the views are great and there’s an excellent pub at the end of the walk! What more could you ask for?
Up and at ‘em again on Monday. Lurchio was meant to be joining us but he cried off due to a dodgy tum. Maybe it was all that lager at the quiz night? And on that note I think I need to blow the trumpet on behalf of the depleted shame academy team, coming 5th in the quiz on Sunday night was a great effort seeing as there was only 3 of us. Some inspired guesses by all and a great new team name which shall remain unblogged!
Anyway, after brushing off the cobwebs of the quiz night, Phil and I made our way round a 25km loop of the Sharpenhoe Clappers (chalk escarpment with iron-age Hillfort), Streatley and Barton Le Clay. The first section of the walk on National Trust land was very pretty and a couple of steep slippery hill sections took some effort. The second half of the walk was not great due to road noise and my body starting to show signs of old age. My left ankle decided to play up so I spent the last 2 hours in pain but with the help of a support bandage I made it to the end. 4 and ½ hours later we were back to the car park. It was unseasonably hot which made walking tougher than normal; I’m not great in the heat. Let’s hope July isn’t scorchio! But then again, I’m no good in the cold and rain…no pleasing some people!
Next time some spare clean dry socks will help as we both picked up a couple of blisters. A busy but enjoyable weekend spent outdoors and looking forward to the trip to the South Downs next weekend to finally see what we’ve let ourselves in for.
Nik
Distance: 26km and 25km, respectively
Location: Reed, Sharpenhoe Clappers, Barton Le Clay
Conditions: Rolling hills
Weather: Dry and hot
Participants: Nik, Phil
The bank holiday weekend was the first of our double walking training days. I was still feeling a bit groggy after picking up a virus and Phil has a head cold so we decided to have Saturday off to collect Phil’s new toy and relax on the beach for a few hours. It was a perfect day until his new toy decided to break down on the way home. A not so perfect ending spent waiting for the tow truck. We finally got home just after midnight. Not before waking up Lurchio and probably his very unhappy neighbours!
We were planning on an early start on Sunday morning but due to the late night this didn’t happen. After prizing ourselves off the sofa we donned our boots and made our way to the up’s and down’s of Reed, completing the reverse loop we did with Gee last week. Not too much to report about the walk as Gee did a good job in the previous blog entry, apart from seeing a few dead rats, which is always a bit unnerving. I think we will definitely be back to this area again for some longer walks. On a sunny day the views are great and there’s an excellent pub at the end of the walk! What more could you ask for?
Up and at ‘em again on Monday. Lurchio was meant to be joining us but he cried off due to a dodgy tum. Maybe it was all that lager at the quiz night? And on that note I think I need to blow the trumpet on behalf of the depleted shame academy team, coming 5th in the quiz on Sunday night was a great effort seeing as there was only 3 of us. Some inspired guesses by all and a great new team name which shall remain unblogged!
Anyway, after brushing off the cobwebs of the quiz night, Phil and I made our way round a 25km loop of the Sharpenhoe Clappers (chalk escarpment with iron-age Hillfort), Streatley and Barton Le Clay. The first section of the walk on National Trust land was very pretty and a couple of steep slippery hill sections took some effort. The second half of the walk was not great due to road noise and my body starting to show signs of old age. My left ankle decided to play up so I spent the last 2 hours in pain but with the help of a support bandage I made it to the end. 4 and ½ hours later we were back to the car park. It was unseasonably hot which made walking tougher than normal; I’m not great in the heat. Let’s hope July isn’t scorchio! But then again, I’m no good in the cold and rain…no pleasing some people!
Next time some spare clean dry socks will help as we both picked up a couple of blisters. A busy but enjoyable weekend spent outdoors and looking forward to the trip to the South Downs next weekend to finally see what we’ve let ourselves in for.
Nik
Monday, 5 May 2008
Fancy a ride in my Stag...
Date: Sat 26th April 2008Distance: 26.6km (16.7m)
Location: Reed, Chiswell, Barley
Conditions: Quite a few cheeky ups & downs
Weather: Cracking
Participants: Gee, Pip, Nik
A new weekend & a new route location. Before I start, congratulations to Phil & Nik on the new addition to the Robbo household. Finally, after four years of procrastinating, Phil bit the bullet, put his hand in his wallet, and bought a Triumph Stag. Unfortunately, in his excitement he inadvertently pocketed the keys to his new baby. An apologetic phone call to the seller back in Norfolk followed. Stupid boy.
Starting off in Reed, a couple of miles south of Royston, the three of us headed off towards Little Chiswell. Continuing on to Barkway, Little Chiswell then to Great Chiswell, we passed several more churches, as well as the windmill at Great Chiswell. Churches seem to form a common link between all walks we are doing. Little Chiswell’s was a particularly good example of Norman architecture,
appreciated by all. We then headed towards Barley finally ending up back in Reed.
A last minute hastily constructed route, expertly constructed by Robbo, proved to be a most enjoyable trek, lot of undulations, testing the legs of one and all. The 50m climb right at the end into Reed, had us all blowing. Today brought it home the challenge ahead of us. 4x today’s route, on terrain similar to the South Downs, confirms that the walk in July won’t be a walk in the park.
Lessons learned – Always slip, slap, slop, not just on your hooter, eh Phil? Also, if you buy a 31 year old motor expect comments about its reliability.
Finally, on a warm day, after a strenuous 4 & ¼ hour yomp, never did a pint of fizzy lager tasted so good.
Two 4 hour treks next weekend.....bring ‘em on.
Starting off in Reed, a couple of miles south of Royston, the three of us headed off towards Little Chiswell. Continuing on to Barkway, Little Chiswell then to Great Chiswell, we passed several more churches, as well as the windmill at Great Chiswell. Churches seem to form a common link between all walks we are doing. Little Chiswell’s was a particularly good example of Norman architecture,
appreciated by all. We then headed towards Barley finally ending up back in Reed.
A last minute hastily constructed route, expertly constructed by Robbo, proved to be a most enjoyable trek, lot of undulations, testing the legs of one and all. The 50m climb right at the end into Reed, had us all blowing. Today brought it home the challenge ahead of us. 4x today’s route, on terrain similar to the South Downs, confirms that the walk in July won’t be a walk in the park.Lessons learned – Always slip, slap, slop, not just on your hooter, eh Phil? Also, if you buy a 31 year old motor expect comments about its reliability.
Finally, on a warm day, after a strenuous 4 & ¼ hour yomp, never did a pint of fizzy lager tasted so good.Two 4 hour treks next weekend.....bring ‘em on.
Gee
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