I have never walked more than two days in a row, and the biggest non-physical problem I can see is staying motivated.
Like it or not we will ache, we will have blisters, we will be tired, we will sometimes be miserable – but if we stay motivated then we can still keep going!
There are four key ways I think we can stay motivated (and you can help with at least three of them).
Parts of Offa’s Dyke are going to be amazing – breath taking scenery, stimulating conversion with Alex (@winkysmileyface), chats with locals and fellow hikers, or just watching nature go about its business around us.
However, I am under no illusion that other parts are going to be truly horrid – strong winds, driving rain, exhaustion, aching limbs and monotonous views. At this point a hike becomes a “trudge” – every ache and pain is magnified tenfold in your mind – you just want it to end.
So how can you focus your mind whilst “trudging”?… Read the rest of this entry »
It is not often that things live up to their marketing spiel, but actually the Priory Mill Farm campsite comes pretty damn close.
Situated just outside the town of Brecon, Powys, just North of the Brecon Beacons, Priory Mill Farm is on the banks of the river Honddu. We stayed mid-week in March 2010 (we were unsurprisingly the only ones there!) for two nights at a cost of £7 per person per night plus £1 per night for the dog.… Read the rest of this entry »
With just over a week to go, final preparations are well under way. My lounge now looks more like a branch of an outdoor store, with camping equipment and hiking gear strewn across the floor. Fund raising and publicity has gone up a gear, and I would like to thank everyone who has donated so far…… Read the rest of this entry »
It seems a very long time ago when I came up with the idea of walking Offa’s Dyke to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis Society. But now, with just two weeks to go, it is probably a good time to remind everyone what we are doing, how and why.… Read the rest of this entry »
Here is draft pack list of everything I am planning to pack for our Offa’s Dyke camping / walking challenge. Weights are given for all items in the backpack.
I would love to hear any comments or suggestions for how I can reduce the weight!… Read the rest of this entry »
The one thing that has been lacking in my training regime (well it isn’t really a regime, more a panicked collection of walks) is big hills. I love walking across the rolling farmland of Northamptonshire, but it is a far cry from the ups and downs of Offa’s Dyke.
So for the final training trip before our challenge begins, I am off on a camping and hiking trip to the Brecon Beacons. Unfortunately my fellow Offa’s Dyke team member Alex (@WinkySmileyFace on Twitter) is unable to join me due to work commitments, but instead I will be joined by Justin (@JustinFleming on Twitter).… Read the rest of this entry »
One of the things I have really enjoyed about the build up to Offa’s Dyke is the lovely people I have “met” on Twitter – to name but a few groups: fellow hikers and campers, locals near Offa’s Dyke, people who’s lives have been affected by Multiple Sclerosis and other foolish people who have walked Offa’s Dyke.
One of these foolish people is Pete (@Pete_Knight on Twitter) who walked Offa’s Dyke last May with some fellow Naturists for a diabetic charity - he has kindly put together the following tips on avoiding a miserable 13 days on Offa’s Dyke:… Read the rest of this entry »
Now we are under a month away, it is time to work through how we are breaking up the route, and where we will be staying.
This post details our plan, which keeps most days around fifteen miles and ensures that every night we have somewhere confirmed to sleep (hopefully with warm showers!). We are walking Offa’s Dyke North to South and in most cases we will be staying on campsites, with a few exceptions, that are dog friendly and easy to access from Offa’s Dyke.… Read the rest of this entry »
When we head to the Brecon Beacons in a few weeks time for our last training trip before Offa’s Dyke, we will hopefully be joined by Justin (@JustinFleming on Twitter). Yesterday I joined Justin on his own practice walk – what was supposed to be a 15 mile loop from Bugbrooke in Northamptonshire.
At the last minute we decided to modify our route slightly to take in a lovely area to the South of Long Buckby – but the resulting walk was 19 miles long, and ended with a rather tiring last few miles slogging down the Grand Union Canal in the dark!
