Two Drowned Rats

7 weeks to go.

This morning Andrea suggested we postpone our 14 mile walk as the forecast was bad, but no I said, in 7 weeks time we'll have to walk the 26 miles regardless of the weather. How stupid am I? We tramped through wet woods in pouring rain, got lost, slid down muddy banks, got spooked by a wild boar/deer/jack russell, and when we finally found a pub for lunch I was ready to give up. My feet were squelching, I was soaked through, and my rucksack had pools of water in the bottom. These notes of our route were in my waterproof coat pocket; I could practically wring them out!

However, after a hot pot of tea and a jacket potato, then contorting myself to dry my feet under the hand drier in the ladies loos, and a change into Andrea's spare dry socks, we carried on. We are so dedicated to our cause (and we had a packet of Jaffa Cakes to consume: 2 each every 20 mins for the final 3 miles. And Andrea has the cheek to call me 'controlling'?!).

So we didn't manage the 14 miles as planned but we completed 10, which surely is still worthy of some support https://www.justgiving.com/helen-evans22/ !

The Two Tunnels

Not to be confused with The Two Towers.

Day 90. On Sunday we did this fabulous 12 mile circular route which goes along the Kennet and Avon Canal, through Bath (where we truly looked like a couple of namby pambies, as it was pretty busy with shoppers and tourists, while we marched through on a mission, wearing chunky walking boots, carrying rucksacks and using our 'nordic' walking sticks. Tres cool!). Then along the River Avon before turning onto the disused railway and through the two tunnels down to Monkton Combe and back to the canal.

It was a great route, but the tunnels were a bit dark and spooky. They are dimly lit, and the longer one has some fancy lighting and classical music piped into it. The music was an interesting combination of violins from the left hand speakers and a different piece from the right hand speakers.  It gave a truly unique sound when both speakers were within earshot!

If you choose to do this route too, bear in mind that once you are on the disused railway track there is nowhere to eat. We were foraging for edible fungi by the time we found a pub, having walked 11 miles on nothing but a bowl of cereal, a couple of toffees, a twix, and a Satsuma...

... And Many Facial Tics

Day 85. First of all I must say Hola and Salut to my international audience! I'm so excited to think that someone other than my family has found my blog!

Onto the business of the blog: today I joined the Winsley Walkers again and realised how much fitter I've become. I used to struggle to keep up with these seasoned walkers, but today I was striding out in front and even got to look at the view instead of concentrating on my feet.

This was a really beautiful walk through villages and valleys. We spotted rabbits, sheep, donkeys, shetland ponies and golfers. We crossed a stream through a field, the more observant of us choosing the old bridge, while the others waded through a bog. Lunch was in a lovely old pub where the food was good but the welcome was chilly; the landlady rolled her eyes so often I began to wonder if she had a facial tic.

You might recognise the village; it's used in quite a lot of films and TV programmes including Wolf Hall which is  TV at its best!

Who lives in a house like this?

Day 80(?) I think it's day 80 but to be honest, I've lost the plot. I just know its been a lot of walks. And what's worse is that Phileas Fogg managed to get around the whole world in 80 days and I've only just managed to get around Bradford on Avon which is really depressing. Mind you, he took a hot air balloon which is a bit kinder on the feet and knees.

So who lives in this house then? (Get me a bandage for my hand: I seem to be turning into Keith Lemon. Or possibly Lloyd Grossman. Two of the most irritating TV personalities on British TV). We stopped for a biscuit in Freshford today and across the valley was this huge mansion of a house. It's a beautiful building as you can see and would have had lovely views when it was built.

But then this popped up!

How on earth did the farmer get planning permission for his barn when its right below that huge house? Can't be an MP living there then!

We did 10 miles today and another clear, dry day. I really hope we're not using up all our good weather luck too early, so when we have the really long walks in March it will be torrential storms and gales. Can you imagine walking for 11 hours in horrible British weather? Surely that's worth a bit of sponsorship (bulldozer hint - see the link on the right!).

Going slightly mad

Day 76, I guess it must be. I'm losing track a bit.

This was a Wednesday and so I decided to go for a brisk hour, just anywhere within walking distance. Wanting to avoid those fast roads, I walked into and around Trowbridge, in the dark, on my own, without a dog. Which looks a bit odd really. It looked even odder due to my head gear. The house was lovely and cosy when I left so I didn't pick up my woolly hat. Flippin heck, did I regret that? My ears were about to fall off with frostbite it was so cold. And then I remembered the masterclass I was given at Christmas on the many transformations for a buff! Did you know, it can be a scarf, a headband, a muffler, a balaclava, and even .... a hat?!

Of course, as a seasoned walker, I had my multifuntional headgear with me, so turned it inside out, twisted an end and, hey presto, a little hat! But I knew it looked ridiculous, so whenever anyone was anywhere near me, I would whip off the hat quick; I didn't want to look too much like the local mad woman, did I? But when I got home I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and all that hat removing and replacing had not done good things to my hair. The local madwoman was staring right back at me from my mirror! Should have worn it as a balaclava and gone the whole nine yards!