North South East And West

Tuesday 28 May 2024

I have had the Bank Holiday weekend to adjust back to ‘normal’ life now and to start the process of assimilating the experiences of my LETJOG E2W adventure. In many ways I feel that all I have done is to scratch the surface of some of the regions that I have walked through, and perhaps it is true on a trip such as this that one finds out more about oneself than about the lands through which the journey passes. I have attempted to capture my experiences in the text and photos, and to provide some insight into the landscapes and weather, the flora and fauna, and the history and culture, on each of my days’ rambles, both as a record for myself and also in order to share the walk with those family and friends at home, and those that I have met along the way. To everyone who has made it this far in following my Blog, my sincere thanks for sticking with me, and I hope that you have enjoyed the ride.

My thanks go out to you all, once again, for all the messages and encouragement that I have received along the way. I would also like to pass on my own thanks, and on behalf of Parkinson’s UK, for all of the kind and generous donations that everyone has made to the charity: the contributions that we have jointly provided are already with Parkinson’s UK, and through them we have enabled the funding of a medical researcher into the condition for a whole month! Michelle, my contact at Parkinson’s UK, has been in regular touch with me, including last Friday at the conclusion of the walk, and she and the team assure me that our efforts are already making a real difference. So our thanks to everyone. My JustGiving page will stay open for another week or so, and, for anyone who would like to donate, the site can be accessed via the link on my HOME or BLOG pages above, or simply by clicking on the following button:

I said I would share the Facts and Figures on my walk, and I have now put together a spreadsheet from which I attach below a summary. In all, my E2W walk covered 675 miles (nearly 1,100 kilometres), at an average of around 17 miles per day for the 40 days, and with around 47,000 feet (14,350 metres) of cumulative climb. The trek took me nearly 250 hours of walking, so a little over six hours per day of exertion, with my total step count reaching nearly 1.4 million.

Behind the numbers of course there is a whole lot of planning. Indeed, to anyone thinking of undertaking a similar walk, I would say that it is more of a logistical and emotional challenge than it is a physical one. So, in addition to the training beforehand, procuring and deciding on which items of clothing and equipment to take is key, and then there is the route planning, the booking of travel and accommodation, and the communication aspects. All of these factors are quite time consuming and make the task pretty much a full-time project during the trip and for several days either side of it. And then there is the matter of writing this Blog each day (or evening) – which, for me, has been an integral part of the whole challenge itself – more on that to follow below.

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of my task has been to stay fit and well during the forty days and nights. I avoided any injurious incidents, and indeed I managed to avoid falling at all during my trip (I had four falls, none serious, during my LETJOG 2021 trek), and I also had no joint or muscle issues beyond an occasional bout of cramp in the evenings (usually in my shoulders), whilst with good boots and foot care I had no blisters. I was fortunate perhaps in having no incidents around personal security, beyond a field of inquisitive and boisterous young cows that gave me an anxious moment in Wales. I had no confrontations with dogs, very few insect issues at this early time of year, and not so much as an angry voice raised in my direction. That I stayed well throughout from any coughs, colds, and sickness was possibly fortunate, but also due to having the right kit with me, and having good places to shower, to eat, to sleep, and to dry wet or washed clothing at the end of each day. Staying hydrated is important, and finding the right variety of nutrition has also been vital. I have lost several kilos, and probably still more body fat that has been replaced on my limbs as muscle – at least that is the hope (although the greater challenge is to keep it that way)! Keeping a supply of nuts and fruit on the trail, and finding nutritious and varied food in the evenings, is not always easy, particularly on Monday and Tuesday evenings when many rural pubs and restaurants close, and I think I counted six evenings when no food was available nearby – in each case I had checked in advance and bought enough cold food to be able to put some kind of fare together in my room. Other than a faulty phone charger cable in Norfolk and breaking a walking pole ten days or so before the end of my trek, all of my kit held up well, and I managed not to lose anything en route – including not forgetting my phone charger each morning! So planning is everything, which comes back to any challenge of this nature being something of a 24/7 activity. Travelling solo and unsupported (for the most part) sounds quite testing, but it actually means that I have been in control of every decision taken along the way, and that also has certain advantages.

I have been searching for a fitting Blog heading on which to conclude my LETJOG E2W adventure, and ‘North South East And West’ seems to fit the bill. The title is taken from a song released just this month by Staffordshire-based acoustic trio Sheer Calm, from the band’s new album ‘Aurora Six Stack’, and the song includes the lyrics ‘I’ve been driving down this open road, where I’m going man I sure don’t know, but I’ve been trucking north, south, east and west, I sure don’t know yet which road is the best’ that seem somehow fitting, whilst their reference to ‘seen lots of colours – green, white, red and blue’ sounds to me like a reference to the individual nations of our islands.

A fair few folk have been asking me ‘what next’? It is far to soon to think about that, but my thoughts at the moment are to look at some of the better known long distance paths that would keep me off-road, as I did for The Ridgeway walk last November, rather than to plot my own course again. As and when I decide to take on another such walk I will very likely let you all know and reinstate this Blog to share any new journey. Until then, I will say my goodbyes again, and thank you all for joining me on my LETJOG E2W adventure.

Go well and enjoy the summer,

Nick

And just finally, this might be the right time to clear up a couple of other points. I have been asked the question: ‘How long does it take you to write your Blog each evening?’ Well, I would say about an hour to confirm and to research my song title heading (mostly I decide this in my mind during my walking day), to write the text, and to format everything – but the big unknown is the photos. This depends on the number of pictures that I have taken (anything from 50 to 150 usually), and the big variable is how good the wifi is at my destination, and therefore how long the shots take to upload from my phone and onto my iPad (that I always carry with me on these treks as my ‘luxury item’) for editing and selection. This process sometimes takes an hour and, when complete, another hour for me to curate and edit the pictures. So, two hours in all, plus quite often some ‘waiting around’ time. I enjoy writing and putting it all together, and when I’m on my own this gives the evening a focus: indeed the task is all part of the challenge. I can also tell my hosts that I am a writer, which usually ensures excellent service and full portions of dinner! Secondly, on another topic, my thanks to Betty and to Angela for both naming this vivid moorland plant from a few days ago:

THE END