Walking Calendar 2017

2017 in miles, hours and boots

Note: I wasn't planning on training for LEJOG until early 2018 with a proposed start date of 29th March. However in April an opportunity arose meaning I'm on for LEJOG this summer. Training has therefore been brought forward:

January 


29th December (Thursday) 2016, Training route, 24 miles, 6 hours 42.
2nd January (Monday) 2017, Training route, 24 miles, 7 hours 15.
8th January (Sunday) 2017, Basingstoke to Winchester, 23 miles, 7 (hard muddy) hours.
14th January (Saturday) 2017, Reading to Basingstoke via Calleva/Silchester, 7 hours, about 23 miles.
21st January (Worting Road to Kingsclere via Cottington's Hill/Hannington and back), 5 hours 45, 17.6 miles.
28th January (Saturday) (Cottington's Hill and back; hill training, 3 ascents) 6 hours 40, 22 miles. Turned my right ankle on a divot. Ouch.
29th January (Sunday) training route full circle (with various shortcuts) 7 hours 33, 25.89 miles.
Total: 159.49 miles

February


4th February (Saturday) Basingstoke to a woodland near Abbott's Anne (outside Andover), 7 hours 15, 23.57 miles. Bivvied down. Kudos to the ultra-light sleeping gear, waterproof bivvi bag and silnylon tarp.
5th February (Sunday). Up at birdsong. Abbott's Anne to Stonehenge, then down to Salisbury. 28 miles. 9 hours, 1 minute, 30 seconds.
Total: 51.57 miles

11th February (Saturday) Brighton Hill roundabout, Preston Candover, Ellisfield and back to town through Hackwood park. 17 miles, 5 hours.
Flew to Inverness the following weekend and moved house the weekend after that.

Total: 68.57 miles

March


4th March (Saturday), training route via Hackwood Park, 7 hours 10, 23 miles.
11th March (Saturday), circular via Hartley Wespall, Hound Green, Mattingley, Hazeley Heath, Hartley Wintney and the Basingstoke Canal. 27.64 miles, 9 hours 23 minutes.
18th March (Saturday) 33 miles, 10 hours, 9 minutes. West from Eastrop all the way to the Roman Road, north between Monk Sherbourne and Sherbourne St John, north to Pamber and Pamber Heath, then north east through the open woodland to Welshman's Road, the into the quarry where we promptly got stuck between flint lakes and impenetrable gorse and had to retrace out steps to the road which we walked along until Mortimer West End, Mortimer proper and then south around the top of Calleva, and then to within eyesight of Calleva by mistake, and south all the way to the railway bridge north of Bramley at Minchens Lane where we headed east avoiding Bramley, and road/track walked our way to Sherfield on Loddon, then Wildmoor Lane, Mole End, across the fields to Pyott's Hill, Old Basing and back to Eastrop/Riverdene. Longer than we expected. But we made it! Exhilarated at walking our first 30+ miler of the year, the first since Wayfarer's back in October. Confidence boosted sufficiently to attempt Basingstoke to Southampton the week after next.
25th March (Saturday) 23 miles, 7 hours 2. Training route via Hackwood Park. Sun strong enough to redden my brow. 15 degrees plus. 2 liters of water no longer sufficient. Final outing for a faithful old pair of synthetic walking boots which are now being used as flowerpots in the garden.
Half an hour after their last 23 mile walk.
Total: 106.64 miles

Q1 total: 334.7 miles.
April

1st April (Saturday) 38 miles, 12 hours 13 minutes. Basingstoke to Southampton via the Oxdrove to Winchester (6 hours 20) and the Itchen Navigation until Southampton centre. 

LEJOG 2018 UPDATE: MY EMPLOYER OFFERED ME AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY TO WALK LEJOG THIS YEAR, WHICH I ACCEPTED. LEJOG 2017 IS ON. ("Oh shit...").

Pre-LEJOG training holiday in the Cotswolds:

14th April (Friday, bank holiday) 14.15 miles, 5 hours 8 minutes. Bath to Hinton Grange on the Cotswold Way. Hilly. 
15th April: Circular walk from Hinton Grange along the Cotswold Way north to Old Sodbury, a further mile until the Iron Age fort, then back down to join the Frome Valley walk for a short section until the Monarch's Way south to home. 17.08 miles, 6 hours 8 minutes. Hilly but less so than yesterday.
16th April: Hinton Grange to Castle Combe and back, same route 19.59 miles 6 hours 2 minutes (less hilly).
Total: 50.82 miles.


Q2 total: 88.82 miles.
Q1 + Q2 total: 423.52 miles.
Meindl Kansas boots total: 558.82 miles.

LEJOG TRAINING:

Objectives: 
1) train multiple consecutive days (April/May 2 dayers, June 4 dayers, June/July 7 dayers)
2) train with full weight backpack (6 KG base weight plus 3 KG water and 2 KG food = 11 KG)
3) break in new pair of boots 

29th April (Saturday): training walk via Hackwood Park plus 1 extra mile at 24 miles, 7 hours 10. Cloudy, cool and dry. 11 KG pack; new boots. Heels slightly blistered due to not removing debris from boots promptly enough.
30th April (Sunday): training walk via Hackwood at 23 miles, 7 hours 40. Cloud cool and dry. 10 KG pack; I ate day 1 of the 3 days of food I was carrying and took 2 litres of water instead of full capacity).
Total: 47 miles, 14 hours 50 mins.

April total: 135.82

Holiday to Inverness
Monday 1st May: flew to Inverness with my walking buddy on a pre-planned holiday. On Tuesday 2nd May we took the opportunity to reccie the A9 from Inverness all the way up to Wick (17 miles short of John o'Groats) tracking our progress on all six O/S 1:25,000 maps during the 3 hour bus journey north and the 2.5 hour return via taxi (kudos to the driver from Sneckie's Cabs for your valuable advice). This was extremely important. In short, yes, the A9 is negotiable on foot for almost all the way. Almost - but not quite (beware road walking around Golspie and Berriedale; please see the Inverness to John o'Groats trail website for advice on alternatives). Wednesday was spent in the Inverness Tattoo Centre for 6 hours of pain (thank you Kenny). Thursday, flew home. 

May

6th May (Saturday) Kintbury to Basingstoke town centre via Inkpen Beacon and the Wayfarer's Walk, 27.15 miles, 8 hours 10 minutes. Warm and sunny. Took a lightweight day pack instead of the LEJOG gear; can only carry a pack on my right shoulder until the tattoo heals. New boots.
7th May (Sunday) training route via Hackwood, 23 miles, 7 hours 26. Hot and sunny. Daypack. Old boots. 
Total: 50.15 miles, 15 hours, 36 mins.


Q2 total: 185.97 miles.
Q1 (334.7 miles) + Q2 total: 520.67 miles.
Meindl Kansas (old) boots total: 604.82 miles.
Meindl Kansas (new) boots total: 51.15 miles

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