Day 16: how to execute a plan properly

Day 16:

Day 16: "Super human effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results" - Sir Ernest Shackleton. Yesterday was an example of how not to do it: blind faith in paper objectives, ignoring clues about dead end paths and relying on fitness instead of brains. Today (Sunday) was an example of how to execute a plan properly. Up at 05:30, gear packed and ready by 6, breakfast coffee and maps re-worked by 06:45. Go. I left Whitchurch heading north along the roads to the Peckforton Hills. I had the opportunity to use the Sandstone Trail but recent experience made me weary and I liked racking up the easy miles. Yet by Beeston Castle I was won over by the sheer number of walkers either joining or leaving the trail - always a good sign. It was brilliant: well used, properly way marked and a pleasure to walk. With regret I left the ST at Delamere forest and after deciding that I was strong enough, shaped a course for Warrington. I wanted to complete the second section in 6 days: Severn Bridge to Warrington, and if I could do that, day 7 would be a rest day. This meant that I walked from 06:45 to 21:45 - 15 hours - and covered about 35 miles. This mileage burns through a lot of supplies: 1 egg and bacon muffin, 1 BLT sandwich, 2 bowls pasta, 1 bag choc raisins, 1 ice cream, 4 large cookies, 2 cans coke, 4 litres water, 2 coffees, 1 pint orange juice, 2 gel little toe socks, 2 compeed plasters, 6 ibuprofen, lots of duck tape and 3 maps. I'm happy I can pull out a 35 miler on demand. A 15 hour day seems a lot and it is, but climbers summiting Everest are typically on their feet for 17 hours or more on summit day. Right - day off here I come.


Near Ellesmere Port.

Near Warrington.

A note about the blog

I must be the only LEJOGer without a smart phone. This means I don't have the ability to update this blog when I'm on the trail. My support team back home kindly offered to update the blog for me, so this will be communicated by text message and written up on my behalf. It will therefore be brief and without photos. I will expand on this when I get back from my journal entries, dictaphone recordings and photo journal. The detailed account will be published as a book which will be available on Amazon.

Charity

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to Helping Hands for the Blind, a respectable local charity. You can make a donation here. Using Gift Aid, the charity is able to claim an additional percentage of each donation from the government as part of the Gift Aid scheme.  

While I am not tracking how much has been raised, the charity themselves may wish to do that; leaving a note with your donation such as "LEJOG" will help them do that. To be frank, it's more important that they receive donations than it is for me to take credit; they're actually doing something important whereas I am going on what could be described as a holiday.

My books

Lastly and leastly, I am an independent author. Writing is a pleasure even if reading it isn't! I will write an account of my LEJOG journey in the form of a book which hopefully will encourage other people to give LEJOG a try (and probably discourage many more). If you want a copy, the first batch will be given free of charge. Ask and you shall receive...

My other books are available on Amazon:


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