Distance walking is an interesting undertaking. Funnily enough I find the steep and difficult walks a lot easier than the flat walks. I seem to go faster up hills. Maybe I was a mountain goat in a past life. Nah….maybe a snow leopard. Sounds better. There’s also more to think about, like where you’re putting your feet. Flat walking can get monotonous. Gives you way too much time to think. I already think too much. Always analysing and philosophising. And with today, Day One of the walk being 14 miles of basically flat walking, I had life, the universe and everything all figured out five times over. I mean, I think I’ve solved every global issue that has ever existed whilst walking on the flat (or was that on IB chat with Mr Marchant??!?!) Drives me insane.

The first task of the walk is to race down to the beach at St Bees and pick up a pebble. This is to be carried for the duration of the walk and thrown into the North Sea at the end of the walk in Robin Hood’s Bay. The walk doesn’t officially start however, until your pebble and feet have made contact with the Irish Sea. Mission complete and off we went! It’s a little disconcerting initially as the first few miles of your trek east are actually directly north. It’s a nice coastal ramble though. By the end of the day, I was surprised how well the body pulled up. Everything felt good after the 7.5hrs. Except perhaps for my already dodgy right shoulder. I must say though the day pack feels heavier than it should, but with just the essentials of waterproofs, water, maps and food, it was basically impossible to lighten. I felt like our Mongolian packhorses from a few weeks ago. My heart went out to them!! Ok, so perhaps the nail oil, mascara, hand cream, lip gloss and essential oil could have been left out, but it’s nice to make oneself feel a bit more gorgeous over the slightly-to-long lunch break!

XXX