After a hearty breakfast this morning, we were up and out by eight thirty – on schedule apparently. Tears for Beers run a very tight ship – or so we like to think!
Despite being parked at Helmsley before nine o’clock – we didn’t start walking until nine thirty-ish. After a few delaying tactics – putting on of boots, debating the need for long johns, adjusting walking poles, needing to find a loo, etc, etc, we finally couldn’t put it off any longer and started our longest walk to date, anticipating that we would be walking even further than the twenty miles we’d planned. After all, it wouldn’t be a training walk if we didn’t get lost at least once!
The walk was really muddy almost immediately and we got caught up behind a group of Americans walking to Rievaulx – in the most inappropriate attire you’ve ever seen. (Being “proper walkers” now, we are allowed to comment on walking gear with some authority. We have, after all, spent a huge number of man hours in Cotswold Camping, Blacks and Milletts doing our research.) We soon overtook them though as they were engaged in a spot of sheep rustling in the first field they got to. At that rate, it would have taken them three days to get to their destination!
The scenery today has been stunning – we’ve done some good walking around Norfolk so far, but there’s really no substitution for hills and especially the views, not to mention the exhilaration on reaching the top. At the end of the day, I think we were getting a bit blasé about the whole hill scenario to be honest! Another one knocked off, etc, etc. The moors were amazing – although blinking cold, with the wind whistling around us and I think then that we were glad we were wearing so many layers. There have been lots of shooters out today – and the sound of gunfire accompanied us pretty much all day.
Had some good comedy moments today – Rachel desperate to find a sheep to take home with us for one, although they all kept running away from her. Steve’s comedy dance which he assured us was meant to keep morale up – although it just made us think he’d had too much fresh air and was doing the birdie dance. The sprint to the trig point was pretty entertaining. And it was actually at this point that we saw the only other walkers we’d seen all day – with precision planning, at the exact spot that we needed a photo of the entire group.
So, all in all a very good day – looking forward to the next one!
Despite being parked at Helmsley before nine o’clock – we didn’t start walking until nine thirty-ish. After a few delaying tactics – putting on of boots, debating the need for long johns, adjusting walking poles, needing to find a loo, etc, etc, we finally couldn’t put it off any longer and started our longest walk to date, anticipating that we would be walking even further than the twenty miles we’d planned. After all, it wouldn’t be a training walk if we didn’t get lost at least once!
The walk was really muddy almost immediately and we got caught up behind a group of Americans walking to Rievaulx – in the most inappropriate attire you’ve ever seen. (Being “proper walkers” now, we are allowed to comment on walking gear with some authority. We have, after all, spent a huge number of man hours in Cotswold Camping, Blacks and Milletts doing our research.) We soon overtook them though as they were engaged in a spot of sheep rustling in the first field they got to. At that rate, it would have taken them three days to get to their destination!
The scenery today has been stunning – we’ve done some good walking around Norfolk so far, but there’s really no substitution for hills and especially the views, not to mention the exhilaration on reaching the top. At the end of the day, I think we were getting a bit blasé about the whole hill scenario to be honest! Another one knocked off, etc, etc. The moors were amazing – although blinking cold, with the wind whistling around us and I think then that we were glad we were wearing so many layers. There have been lots of shooters out today – and the sound of gunfire accompanied us pretty much all day.
Had some good comedy moments today – Rachel desperate to find a sheep to take home with us for one, although they all kept running away from her. Steve’s comedy dance which he assured us was meant to keep morale up – although it just made us think he’d had too much fresh air and was doing the birdie dance. The sprint to the trig point was pretty entertaining. And it was actually at this point that we saw the only other walkers we’d seen all day – with precision planning, at the exact spot that we needed a photo of the entire group.
So, all in all a very good day – looking forward to the next one!
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