Well, I picked up some decent boots a couple of weeks ago, from the very nice people at Cotswold Outdoor, and had done a little walking round Longlevens to break 'em in, as well as a trip up Chosen Hill last Sunday morning in some rather bracing hail, but yesterday was the Full Monty - a day of walking with J, who'd come over from Herts for the occasion...
We looked round a bit for a route, and chose a slab of the Cotswold Way - south of Cheltenham, so no hassles with race traffic, and of a suitably 'introductory' length - 12 miles, Cranham - Stonehouse - we could have walked south - north, rather than north - south, but my limited understanding of the topography suggested this might be more 'up hill' - facts seem to bear this out - we climbed 1500' and dropped 2000' rather than the other way round, which at this stage I view as 'a good thing'...
So, what did we learn??
- This kind of length walk is very achievable in a day - 12 miles took us less than 5 hours
- Without more training, further (and there's a 20 mile day on the WHW!!) will be a struggle - we need more miles in our legs, over a prolonged period
- J needs some footwear which doesn't damage something on his plates of meat
- Whatever nightlife the Highlands has to offer is not under threat - bed by 9.30!!
- A portage service to move our kit from A - B - C looks like a sensible investment - life's hard enough with a day bag full of fresh air!!
- If at all possible, a sensible pace, and regular breaks help a heck of a lot...
- Sausage & onion sandwiches make a big difference
- It's fun - reasonable distance A-B walking is great, and the peace & quiet and the views are brilliant
- A hot bath / shower after walking is worth selling your soul for...
Slabs of the Cotswold Way look like representative, local, attractive training prospects - found a great site with relevant info, so will hopefully be doing more...
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