Let's Get Ready To Ramble - Good Friday 2013

I was thinking that I might be the lucky charm for our treks having had a lovely day for No. 2...then again, I was due out on the failed adventure a few weeks back (see below!). Thankfully, our 4th training walk promised far better weather this time for the New Forest on Good Friday.

Sadly being Good Friday we were a little down on numbers this time round, but nevertheless, 4 of the extended team (we've got 2 teams entered for July) plus one of our support team turned up on a cold, but clear, Friday morning at Bolton's Bench car park near Lyndhurst.

Kai, Dan, Shaz & Jam - Getting Ready to Ramble!

The route had only been planned a few days beforehand (I had the luxury of a few days off to do this...NOT that it took me a few days!)...and having led the last one across bogs and flooded valleys, I decided we should stick as much as we could to some of the great paths across the New Forest for both walkers and cyclists (the benefit of being a MAMIL as well!!!).

Here's the route we took...

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=206968503313066408789.0004d9111880aa4c62952

And so it was, at 9am the 5 of us left the car park and wandered through Lyndhurst south towards our Forest track and the start of the our circle route. Very uneventful start and a nice easy wander across paths that we actually walked along rather than sank into! Through the first gate and our first encounter with the public that day...it was early on a Bank Holiday. Say our 'Hellos' as we pass - looks like it's going to be a great day. Not 2 minutes has passed and the couple come bounding up behind us and fly by in the direction they had come saying they were looking for a black glove! Well, it must have been a very important black glove...but no, 5 minutes later, and with sheer relief on their faces, they waved the said glove (nothing remarkable at all - but no doubt missed on a cold morning).

Hooray - Solid paths!

Very few people were encountered in our first hour of walking, with the exception of what must have been twin runners...it seemed that the guy running past us appeared not 20 minutes later as we walked on...I mean, who'd be out at that time of the morning? As we progressed, we found ANOTHER black glove pointing the way (or was it trying to point us elsewhere!?). Our minds turned to scaring ourselves...creating storylines for movies that we could create, based in the forest and resembling The Village! The stories became a little more inventive as we walked on...walking trees, evil spirits, haunted gloves...I'm thinking we're onto something....working title of Lord of the Gloves!? 

A minor diversion from the planned route due to a boggy path meant a little more distance than planned but nevertheless, we enjoyed wandering the paths and encountering the odd dog walker or two. Oh, and if you refer back to Walk No. 2 you'll remember the little Jack Russell that greeted us on the way to Old Winchester Hill and that scared the bejesus out of Kaila. Well, it looks as though she has attractive ankles!!! Once again, as we emerged from the forest towards Brockenhurst, once again her ankles were nipped! Just over 9 miles and 2 hours down, we'd made it into Brockenhurst where I had promised the gang a great place for a cuppa and a well deserved bacon sarnie...we weren't disappointed either. The Buttery, at the head of the High Street, is a great little cafe with some great offerings....I had been before with a group who were on a Treasure Hunt round the Forest and thought it would do us all good to put our feet up, our bums down and quench thirst and hunger.

The Buttery, Brockenhurst - they DON'T DO ROLLS!

And so the entertainment started! Walking in (we weren't that bedraggled) we were greeted by a rather interesting gentleman serving behind the counter. Jam was first to order and it went downhill from there. 'Do you do bacon roll?'...menu thrust in his direction...'Baguettes and sandwiches'...'So no rolls?'...'No rolls'....'Do you do takeaway drinks?'...Huff 'How many?' and grabs a couple of takeaway cups. The baguettes were good (although Dan didn't rate the sausages), the tea was hot, but more importantly the rest was welcome!

So, nicely fed, watered and rested, we set off through Brockenhurst to catch the track up through the Forest again to Lyndhurst.

More good paths - a little boggy to the sides!

Our path through the moorland was again nice and solid (a few puddles at the start, but easily negotiated)...and a few more people about as it moved towards midday. And guess what...the New Forest Easter Glove Hunt continued as we found our 3rd of the day hung on a bush!

Yet another abandoned glove!

And so we trekked further north through the forest with just a few more Hi's and Hello's to fellow walkers and cyclists, before meandering into Lyndhurst again. Overall, 14.4 miles in just under 4 hours...a little ahead of our planned timings, so looks like we can ease back!

Next time out will be the morning of 7th April when we are looking forward to meeting some of our fellow Trailwalkers at the QE Country Park. Oxfam are laying on an introduction event and we'll hopefully put faces to names and wander across a couple of the Checkpoints of the actual walk together.

We'll blog again after next weekend's event and, in the meantime, if we could encourage you to help us raise money for Oxfam by texting TRUS99 to 70700 (to donate £5) or go online to www.justgiving.com/Trekkers-R-Us.

Keep Trekking!

Trailwalker Practice 3 (that wasn't!) - March 2013

   

The plan was to get out and up our distance to 25 miles this weekend, despite being a couple of our team missing. I say the plan, that was up until 0730 this very morning!

Up at 0630 myself to get everything ready for the trip to the New Forest...it would have to be the train today as those local to me couldn't make it. All ready for the leave until I discovered water pouring out of my new camelbak that I bought specifically for Trailwalker. OK, I'm a guy...I don't read instructions really and thought I knew everything about it! Typical schoolboy errors of a) not tightening the screw and b) laying the pack down! So, panic time spent mopping water from the kitchen and rescuing all the food in the pack! Eventually, having sorted all of that and ensuring the second bag (with a change of clothes and towel) was picked up, I started my mile long hike to the station.

 

Uneventful walk/stride/march although I did say to myself "Do NOT look at your phone to check the time!"...I was very disciplined, but might have been better doing so. As I arrived at the top of the station road, there was the train pulling in. I thought "Run or not" and decided I didn't want to be one of those runners and missers of a train - making myself look foolish in the process! As I got into the station, the guard on the train shouted to me to come to his door as he had held the train for me! Bless him - what a star! I sat down for the 5 minutes it takes to get to Eastleigh (where I was to change) and gathered myself for the next leg!

Off at Eastleigh and another schoolboy error - check everything before you go! If I HAD checked my phone I would have been a little more clued up. Sent Phil a text to say all on track and I then bought my ticket for the journey from the ticket office (as a good boy that I am!).

There was the reply from Phil saying everyone else had dropped out! Ah, decisions...just spent money on the ticket, but the weather had been closing in and, currently, the rain was coming in horizontal and the wind whipping up. Gave Phil a quick call, had a chat and decided to follow the rest in postponing today...ultimately a VERY good idea.

I'm sat here now watching the rugby and sipping on a cuppa (beer for the game later) having walked back from Hedge End station and getting incredibly soaked. The rain (and sleet even) cut through me and soaked me to the skin - that was just one mile...what would 24 others have done to me?

OK, I now feel guilty as I have friends competing in the Reading or Kerry Half Marathons, some of you are walking the South Downs Way AND it's even turned sunny outside. I could get out and do a little walk, but the good news is I am off just before Easter for a few days, so I will just have to make up for it then. I might even test out the next planned walk....have a look at it here.

So...any learning to share from this experience? Well, if you're walking with pals, make sure you give them your mobile number, make sure you look at your mobile before setting off and always read the instructions!!!!

Trailwalker Practice 3 (Part II) will be live once we've completed! In the meantime, once again, could we encourage you to donate to our cause on Trekkers-R-Us JustGiving Site.

Keep Trekking everyone!!! :)