Good news! The total distance of my walk from Land’s End to John o’Groats has been reduced by a mile to 1,278! I found a shortcut to the accommodation in Monmouth across a park.
In other news, I really struggled with the training walk from Lulworth to Swanage. This is the walk that, for the last few years, I’ve saved to be the last of my pre-trail training walks. It’s 19½ miles, with over 3,800 feet of ascent, so a good test by most standards. Before doing the Pennine Way, I made it the second of two consecutive walks, the first being Lulworth to Weymouth. This year I’ve included it earlier in the programme, as a test and to up my game. Well, it certainly was a test. I postponed it from Saturday to Sunday last week in view of the 70mph winds forecast along the coast, and booked a table at the Black Swan in Swanage for the evening, when Liz would drive to pick me up. I can now use my wonderful bus pass to get to Lulworth, although the service makes for a late start, not getting there until 10.43am. I calculated that I should finish around 6pm, and had reserved a table for 7.30, simply because the pub was fully booked for 7pm.
It all started well enough, although I always find the trudge over loose stones and shingle around Lulworth Cove a tedious way to start. Bindon Hill is the first major test, surmounted with relative ease. I spoke to two ladies there who were in the process of completing their staged South West Coast Path Challenge, on which achievement I congratulated them. Then there’s the slog up to Flower’s Barrow, and another climb after Worbarrow Bay, but the one that fills you with dread is Houns Tout Cliff, just before Chapman’s Pool; all the others are just pimples in comparison. Then you have the switchback just prior to St Aldhelm’s Head which, on its own, is a worthy challenge but, when you’re still reeling from Houns Tout, threatens to spoil your day.
As I stopped to remove a layer after Houns Tout, I was passed by two women walking at a pretty good pace. Wanting motivation to up my pace to reach Swanage at close to my predicted ETA, I set after them in determined fashion. They told me they too were walking from Lulworth to Swanage, training for a challenge they’d signed up for – a 52 km (32 mile) walk from Swanage to Weymouth with over 1500 metres (5,000 feet) of ascent. I’m familiar with it because there’s an event called the ‘Dorset Doddle’ covering the same route, one which certainly commands respect. Now the snag was that, having chatted with them for a few moments, I didn’t want to intrude any longer on their conversation, so felt compelled to accelerate away, at a point when all I really wanted to do was plod on like an exhausted zombie. I managed to get down and half way up the switchback before they loomed into view again behind me, regaining on me a little as I had to stop for breath four times – more than ever before on that climb. On I went, past Winspit and Seacombe, the feet now starting to blister. After Dancing Ledge I sat down to give them an airing and eat the last of my peanut rations, only to see the two ladies loom up again, so off I went. At Durlston I changed out of my boots and into my Inov8 Parkclaws, which provided some relief. I made it to meet Liz by 6.25pm and, by 6.30, had supped my first pint!
The next walk was a 24 miler from Weymouth to Corscombe. I’ve done this each year since mum died in 2013, because that’s where she’s buried. Once past Nottington and the local dog walkers, it takes me through some of the most peaceful, unpopulated parts of Dorset, and therefore of the country. On this particular day, though, it happened to be the inaugural Hell Stone run, with dozens of marathon runners passing in the opposite direction all the way between Smitten Corner and Little Bredy.
I’m usually absolutely shattered by the time I get to Corscombe because, although the first 10 or 11 miles are pretty straightforward, the going north of the A35 is altogether tougher and slows you down. Reassuringly, I still felt able to move with relative ease at the end this time, possible because of the strengthening due to the Lulworth-Swanage walk. I managed to average 3mph for the walk as a whole, although did use up over an hour in stops. Something that really helps with recovery are the ‘warm-down’ exercises recommended by Boris, the sports masseur:
Liz and I have done these together after our walks and shared much hilarity at our attempts to reach the toes in the hamstring stretch. They really do help, though, making stiffness on the day after a thing of the past. Yes, there’s still a certain amount of muscle fatigue, but not such that you’re edging up and dowstairs, crab-like, one step at a time.
My Achilles tendon still isn’t right. After the Lulworth-Swanage walk I had pain during the night that kept me awake, and soreness for a couple of days after too. This was demoralising, making me wonder how on earth I’ll cope with the walks like that I’m due to do on consecutive days in June, on the north Devon coast. After the Corscombe walk I still had pain during the night, but less than before, and, after a few stretching exercises the next morning, I could definitely envisage doing another day’s walk. So, onwards and upwards – bring on my final training walks – 171 miles done, 80 or so to go.
White Acorns 