Double-header Down South...

Date: Sat 28th June
Distance: 35 kms
Location: South Downs Way, Hilltop Farm to Washington
Conditions: Generally decent under-foot...
Weather: Sunny and warm
Participants: Nik, Pip, Wol & Gee

And so we set off in convoy early on Saturday morning to make our way down to the South Downs Way to start our weekend of walking. The plan was to complete about 35km on both Saturday and Sunday and cover 6 stages of the course we'd be walking on the big day.

We made good time on the car journey, arrived at our camp-site (which seemed rather pricey, as they charged for tents, cars and people) and quickly pitched our tents (quickly in relative terms, given we had to erect the Enormo-dome that is the Wol tent).

Whilst Mrs W and the kids finished the final touches to the tent, the walkers set off by car to Checkpoint 2 (Hilltop farm). The 35 minutes it took us to get there gave us a pretty good idea of how far we'd have to walk to get back to the campsite, but undeterred by this we set off up the hill. This seemed the most difficult part of this stage as the rest was reasonably flat. so it seemed to be no time at all before we were meeting up with family Wol and the support vehicle beyond Checkpoint 3 and 2 hours into the walk. After a quick stop we headed off, negotiating a few more ups and downs to give the legs a bit of a workout before meeting the support crew again for a hot meal (well done Paula for another great meals-on-wheels offering).

Couldn't help thinking that with only a few weeks to go, we'd have to walk 3 times what we were doing today, and although the novelty of the whole event will help us, we decided we needed to make sure we were prepared for the mental challenge of plodding away for 24 hours (so a few quiz books will be carried for when conversation dries up and the grey matter needs stimulating). Having said that, the thought of Lurch greeting us at every checkpoint in his Pink Panther outfit should give us a welcome boost of morale....

We finished the day with a walk through and a loop around the village of Washington. This allowed us to locate the pub that we'd later visit for a few pints and something to eat, and also witness the unusual plethora of scarecrow celebrities that adorned the churchyard, pub and many gardens in the village. All a bit spooky as dusk descended - felt a bit "Children of the Corn"...

So feeling a bit jaded, but otherwise OK, we arrived back at the campsite. After retrieving the car from the start point, and having a shower, we headed off to the pub for some grub, blissfully unware we going to have a rubbish night's sleep and a rather challenging second day.

Ho hum.

Wol.