\u00a0<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgA9d_lJ8pRaQISQgXg6o4WfDOXmb76k-497kNs8_ViYq3nhEzQiqoki-GQJN7dE8PY6PfFmdIzCvoka-vpB32LjMMmdl8YICntCZw3P_gORRQTJWqMN6OWzmFPJ2UhxfmJKtr9Ty9Ae8VQ56AW6v5AdFEfQ3KsKpVHXY1Z4zGsa4NhDUh5LE9DIUqG18Q\/s2048\/Paul%20bootlaces.JPG\")
<\/a><\/div>\nAs well as beer and travel<\/span><\/b>, one of my other main interests is Rambling<\/span><\/b> normally refers to organised groups of I prefer the term walker, and most of the walking I I have only completed three long-distance footpaths all of I completed both these walks over 10 years<\/span><\/b> It took me much longer to complete the NDW<\/b>, as with a Sometimes it’s nice to walk alone, especially when you fancy There are several other LDPs<\/span><\/b> I would like Published in 1968<\/span><\/b>, Both books inspired me to take up walking for both fitness For the record the group leader was the local vicar, A few years ago, I heard an article on the radio I shall end by describing briefly, the sense of
\nwalking.<\/span><\/b>
\nBy walking I mean being out in the great outdoors, travelling from one
\ndestination to another, preferably across country. This cross-country walking,
\nas opposed to pounding the streets in urban areas, is variously described as
\nhiking, rambling, hill walking, trekking, or backpacking. The latter two terms
\nrefer to long-distance walking where participants carry their entire luggage
\nrequired for a multi-day hike, on their back in a rucksack. Walking,
\nparticularly in high mountain areas for several days, is also known as trekking.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nbetween six and twelve people, following a clearly defined route plan. To me,
\nrambling, conjures up middle-aged men in shorts, over-sized leather boots,
\nbrushed-cotton shirts with the sleeves rolled up and a large, stiff, and
\nwell-worn canvas rucksack on their backs. The women are of similar age and
\nsimilarly attired; possibly with a tweed skirt replacing the shorts. Whether
\nit\u2019s a rucksack<\/b>, a knapsack<\/b>, or a backpack<\/b><\/span> they\u2019re
\ncarrying (the terms are largely inter-changeable), it will invariably contain
\nan Ordnance
\nSurvey <\/span><\/b>map, a flask of tea, packed lunch, plus that
\nconfectionery no serious rambler would be without \u2013 Kendal Mint
\nCake!<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nundertake is either a circular hike to a nice country pub<\/span><\/b>, or a
\nlinear hike following an established long-distance footpath (LDP),<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/b>
\nof which there are many in the UK.<\/span><\/b> The former are normally undertaken with a
\nsmall group of friends, whilst the latter are either solo walks, or with just
\none fellow walker for company. They quite often involve at least one overnight
\nstay, and often several more. The latter two are my favourite types of walking,
\nas they afford a real opportunity of getting away from away from it all; a
\nbreak as it were from the stresses and strains of modern life. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nwhich are in the UK.<\/span><\/b> The first of these walks was the South Downs
\nWay,<\/span><\/b> which is one of the oldest of Britain\u2019s
\nLDP\u2019s.<\/span><\/b> The SDW<\/b> is a 100-mile<\/span><\/b> trail
\nwhich follows the line on the chalk South Downs<\/span><\/b> uplands from Eastbourne<\/span><\/b>
\non the East
\nSussex<\/span><\/b> coast to Winchester <\/span><\/b>\u2013 the ancient capital of England.<\/span><\/b>
\nThe second LDP<\/b> is the Wealdw<\/span><\/b>ay, an 83-mile trail<\/span><\/b> from Gravesend <\/b>on the Thames
\nEstuary<\/span><\/b> to the town of Eastbourne<\/b>, on the south coast,
\noverlooking the English Channel. <\/span><\/b>As its name suggests, the walk traverses<\/span>
\nthe Weald<\/span><\/b>
\narea of Kent<\/span><\/b>
\nand Sussex,
\n<\/span><\/b>in a roughly north-south direction. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nago, and last autumn (2022),<\/b> I finally finished the North Downs Way<\/b>.
\n<\/a><\/u>The latter LDP <\/b>is perhaps a mirror image to the SDW,<\/b> as it takes
\na similar east-west route, but along the chalk escarpment of the North Downs<\/b>.
\nIt broadly follows the historic pilgrims <\/b>would have taken, from the Surrey<\/b>
\ntown of Farnham <\/b>to the shrine of St Thomas Becket<\/b> in Canterbur<\/b>y.
\nIt doesn\u2019t end at the cathedral city, as it carries on towards Dover<\/b> and
\nthe famous White Cliffs<\/b>, and just to complicate matters, the path splits
\njust to the west of the river Stour<\/b>, with northerly and southerly routes,
\nboth of which finish at Dover,<\/b> <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\ncouple of exceptions, I walked the route a section at a time, on the odd day
\noff from work. This was in contrast to the other two walks which were completed
\nseveral sections at a time, with overnight stays, either at pubs or bed &
\nbreakfast establishments along the way. Overnight stops were a key feature of
\nthese walks and added to the sense of freedom and relief that goes hand-in-hand
\nwith \u201cget<\/span>tin<\/span>g
\naway from it all.\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\na bit of solitude, but the enjoyment which comes from shared experiences on the
\ntrail, such as appreciating a spectacular view, laughing at a particularly
\nfunny joke, or sinking that first pint of the evening, is something which
\ncannot be under-estimated. It\u2019s nice to set a challenge, plan it out and then
\nset off to accomplish it. If the challenge is a physical one, then so much the better,
\nand as I experienced on the NDW<\/b>, walking the entire length of the
\ncounty, and then heading into neighbouring Surrey<\/b>, took me to places I
\nhadn\u2019t been to before, even though they\u2019re at most a few hours\u2019 drive or train
\nride away.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nto have a go at, Including the famous Pennine Way<\/span><\/b>, the Cotswold Way<\/span><\/b>, and
\nnearer to home the Greensand Way.<\/span><\/b> If I had my time again, or was
\nperhaps 30
\nyears younger<\/span><\/b>, the world famous, 2,200-mile-long,
\nAppalachian Trail<\/span><\/b> in the east of the United States<\/span><\/b> would be the
\nlong-distance walk to aspire to. The American<\/span><\/b> writer Bill Bryson<\/span><\/b>
\nfamously recounted his experiences attempting to walk the trail, in his book, \u201cA Walk in
\nthe Woods,\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/span> <\/span>but the book that really inspired me was \u201cJourney
\nThrough Britain,<\/span><\/b><\/i>\u201d<\/span> by British<\/b> walking enthusiast, John Hillaby.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nthe book describes Mr Hillaby\u2019s<\/span><\/b> epic eleven-hundred-mile trek <\/span><\/b>from
\nLand\u2019s
\nEnd<\/span><\/b> to John O\u2019Groats.<\/span><\/b> My father, who was an avid reader,
\nas well as a collector of books, lent me his copy. I read it whilst in my teens
\nand still living at home with my parents. I eagerly devoured the book,
\nfascinated by the author\u2019s narrative and descriptions of the places he passed
\nthrough on his epic journey. From memory, he had an interesting and slightly
\neccentric view of life, and this comes across in his often-witty observations.
\nA few years later, he published a follow-up in the form of \u201cJourney
\nThrough Europe.\u201d <\/span><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nand pleasure, and I have enjoyed walking since my mid-teens. During
\nthis time, I lived in a small village, with poor or non-existent public
\ntransport links. This meant it was often necessary to resort to shank\u2019s pony as
\na means of getting about. I was also a <\/span>member of a local youth group <\/b>which,
\nduring the school holidays, embarked on a number of Youth-Hostelling<\/span><\/b>
\ntrips. I\u2019ve got the leader of the group to thank<\/span> for
\ntaking us on these holidays, which involved a fair amount of walking and,
\nwhilst it may on occasion have seemed hard going at times, just being out in
\nthe fresh air and enjoying the local scenery, instilled a love of the great
\noutdoors which I still have today.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
\nand the l<\/span>ocations we visited, and walked, included the South Downs,
\nNorth Wales, the Peak District, <\/span><\/b>and the Isle of Wight<\/span><\/b>.
\nOn one of these trips, I learned how to take compass bearings and follow these
\nacross open moorland, without getting lost. You don\u2019t lose these skills and
\neven though navigation by GPS <\/span><\/b>has largely augmented proper map-reading,
\nthere is still no substitute for being able to follow a map, unaided. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nentitled, \u201cIt\u2019s the sitting down that kills you\u201d.<\/i><\/b> Apparently,
\nresearch has shown that sitting down in excess of six hours a day makes you up
\nto 40% more likely to die within 15 years,<\/b> than someone who sits for
\nless than three hours.<\/b> This applies, even if you exercise! Fortunately,
\nas stated earlier, I\u2019ve always been fairly active, and my current job allows me
\nto walk around the factory on a regular basis.I also go for a walk most lunchtimes, covering
\nbetween a mile and a mile and a half. This allows me some exercise before
\ngetting back to my sandwiches and a cup of tea. I really enjoy being out in the
\nfresh air and getting away from the factory, whilst the rural setting of my
\nworkplace adds to my enjoyment. Following a small number of set routes also
\nallows me to appreciate the changing seasons; something which is obviously far
\nmore noticeable in the country than it is in a town.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
\nachievement and euphoria I experienced on my first LDW<\/b>, which was the South
\nDowns Way.<\/b> <\/a><\/u>It was the spring of 2008<\/b><\/span> when a friend and I set off to walk
\nthe 100 or so miles <\/b>from Eastbourne<\/b> to Winchester<\/b>. We
\ncompleted the walk the following year, having divided the trail up into three
\nmanageable sections. <\/span>We stayed overnight
\nat B & B<\/b> establishments along the way; some of which were pubs, and
\nin the evenings especially, there was normally plenty of beer consumed to
\nrejuvenate a tired and aching body. I cannot overstate the enjoyment of walking
\nthrough some of the most attractive landscapes in southern England<\/b>, the
\ncamaraderie, and the people we met along the way. <\/span><\/p>\n