The latest Covid restrictions have meant that the planned weekend walk with Lisa, my wife, was cut short. However, it remained a happy one.
The weekend, whilst lovely, was certainly a challenge what with the weather, the amount of daylight and the new covid restrictions.
To respect the latest Covid restrictions we decided to just walk on Saturday, stay put on Sunday morning and travel back in the afternoon.
The good news is, I’m pleased to say, we managed a further 17 miles on Saturday, which took us from Sidmouth to Lyme Regis. As we say, one step at a time!
Whilst it was lovely and sunny the ground conditions are now wet and muddy, which makes it hard going. The other restraint is the amount of daylight. We set off at sunrise shortly before 8 and arrived in Lyme Regis around 5, having walked the last hour with head torches. Just to think, when I started this journey the day would start at 7 and stop with sunset at around 7:30. A full 12 hours compared with today’s 8.
The good news is of cause the days will now start getting longer, with today being Winter Solstice.
Having recently covered 510 miles myself I knew this weekend would be tough.However, a few things still came as a surprise. The ground conditions are now very tricky. Lots of rain have made the paths really muddy and this makes walking quite difficult, especially when it’s not flat. We both found descending hills to be a real challenge and the thought of slipping with nobody else about makes for quite a tense walk! The limited amount of daylight this time of year really does restrict the mileage one can cover. It’s not too bad if you are out in the open but in dense tree covered areas on a cloudy day by mid afternoon a torch is required! The other thing that has surprised me is how quickly you lose your level of fitness. Only a few weeks back I was commenting on how fit I felt and yet this weekend really has been a challenge. The positive here I suppose is that to keep fit one has to keep putting in the effort!
It made such a difference having my wife Lisa with me over the weekend. We both found it tough but at least we had each other to share the highs and the lows. I’m hugely impressed with her level of fitness in being able to do such a challenge at the drop of a hat. Those yoga classes and regular 5k runs are certainly worth it!
Given Covid restrictions now in place I’m not sure when I’ll be able to complete the final 100 miles to Poole. However, there will come a time so I’ll be sure to keep you all updated.
In the meantime I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas. We will be sure to remember this one!
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