Red Bull gives you wings (and a sticky backpack)...

Date: Sun 1st June 2008
Distance: 30km (18.6 miles)
Location: Dunstable, Whipsnade, Dagnall, Ivinghoe Beacon, Edlesborough, Eaton Bray, Totternhoe
Conditions: Mixed terrain and some some decent ups and downs.
Weather: Cloudy but dry
Participants: Pip, Nik, Gee, Lurch, Wol

For the first time in a little while, five of us managed to walk at the same time and in the same place. We set out from Hertford just gone 8am and headed off to Dunstable where we started our walk near the Priory at 8:45. Some early chat revealed that there were some new accessories and foodstuffs on trial today, the most pertinent being Lurch's choice of drink - 1 litre of RedBull - we all wondered how appropriate the hydration properties of this caffeine-laden liquid would be, and probably more worrying, how he'd cope with the caffeine buzz and subsequent come-down on a 6 hour walk...

Anyway, it didn't take long for the Red Bull to make its mark, as it had leaked out of Lurch's drinks bottle and seeped into half the team's kit on the way over - made for a very sweet-smelling start to the walk. On top of that, we'd only got as far as the golf course that proceeeded heading out on the Dunstable Downs, when someone noticed that Lurch's ruck sack pocket was carrying about 1/4 litre of the sweet sticky stuff. After he'd emptied it all out and we'd all concluded it was time to invest in a new drinks bottle, we carried on.

Over the Dunstable Downs we went, passing the Visitor Centre at the highest point in Bedfordshire and headed off towards Whipsnade. On the way we passed through the Tree Cathedral - although Gee and Lurch tried to sound positive about this afterwards, the look of disppointment on their face was obvious - I think they were expecting a vast wooden construction full of pews and altars...

The walk took us alongside the boundary fence of Whipsnade zoo, which gave us sight of a few animals - there's not many walks in the UK that give you the opportunity to spot wallabies, elephants and camels...

Arriving at another golf-course, we had our first snack-stop and enjoyed some lovely cake, courtesy of Nikki. At this point, some new walking accessories were revealed. The first being Gee's fushia flask (that'll go nicely with his new hairdresser's car), and Lurch produced what he described as a "banana holder". Nik couldn't wait to get her hands on it (apparently, a bruised banana is a common walker's affliction)...

Onwards, through the golf course and heading down to Dagnall, we then spotted where we would be heading off to have our lunch - Ivinghoe Beacon. As the crow flies, this wouldn't have taken too long, but our walk would get us there in about an hour. At this point we also spotted the Whipsnade White Lion on a distance hillside (carved into the chalk). Before getting confirmation of this from the map, most in our party were convinced it was a monkey (but then we were looking at it from a strange angle).

We passed some deer and a few sheep, and as is now customary on these walks, Gee took the lead on the hills and powered ahead (Red Bull would give him a run for his money later though...). After a few ups and down that got the heart pumping and the lungs blowing, we arrived on the top of Ivinghoe Beacon and stopped for a bite to eat - taking in the great views from our vantage point.

After Lurch had bolted down his 6 jam sandwiches, we were soon on our way again, slipping and sliding down the footpath and then alongside some fields up to the impressive Edlesborough church, continuing on our way to Eaton Bray past the not-so-impressive baptist chapel and futher onto Totternhoe. Here we attacked the steep incline to get to the remains of Totternhoe motte and bailey castle, and another snack-stop. This gave us the final boost of energy we needed to head-off back towards Dunstable.

One final long hill on the approach to Dunstable gave the caffeine-fueled Lurch the desire to take Gee on, and whilst others looked on in wonder, Lurch powered onwards and upwards (no doubt, his ticker fluttering away trying to cope with the heavy doses of stimulant and an unusual period of extreme exertion).

Discussions in the last few kms concluded that we all felt pretty good about this walk - no major aches, pains, blisters etc. and Lurch was still eulogizing the use of Red Bull as a important element of his good performance. Pip had done a great job navigating (only later letting his guard down and missing some turnings on the car journey home).

Well done team.

Wol.