Cotswolds at Christmas

The freezing weather conditions meant that our walking was very limited. We walked from the caravan site into the village each day, including Christmas morning for Family Communion. This was a round trip of about 5km on very icy ground, walking sticks essential. Now back home we are waiting to see what the New Year brings, drier weather hopefully and the opportunity to lengthen the distance walked carrying our packs.

Winter Walking

The very wet weather has left the local footpaths very boggy, especially where the cattle have been standing in the gateways.
Most of our walking recently has been on the country roads nearby. We walk about 7km, taking just over an hour and a half to do so. Ultimately it should be possible to walk about 15km as a circular tour once some of the paths have dried out - probably next spring!!

Meanwhile our ferry tickets are booked and we have the excitement of planning our route in Spain.

Walking in the Peak District

Mam Tor and Losehill are both near Castleton, famous for its caves and Blue John (fluospar), unique to this area.
Mam Tor itself has a well marked path from the National Trust car park, Losehill has footpaths from Castleton itself and from Hope with access also along the road between the two.
There are a number of walks in the area of varying lengths such as Mam Tor and Cavedale.



Photos:
from Mam Tor

Mam Tor from Losehill

Walking in the Cotswolds

Broadway Tower is the second highest point on the Cotswold Ridge at 312mt/1024ft above sea level. There are well signed footpaths out of Broadway village, but to take the correct route to the tower a guide or map is advisable. (Downloadable guide) The paths link to the Cotswold Way with most following a route round below the tower. There are stone stiles and the path is steep in places but it is well worth the climb. On a clear day the view from the top would be marvellous. We walked about 10km/6miles including walking into Broadway, up to the Tower and back again. From Broadway itself the distance is about 8km/5miles.


Photo:

Broadway Tower through the trees

Medical/First Aid Kit

Terry is carrying our first aid kit as listed in his equipment list.
Disposable razor
Universal plug
Nail clippers with integral nail file
Sheep's wool

In addition Valerie is carrying
50ml Hand gel
Hay fever remedy (spray and eye drops)


(in box)
Needle and thread
Eye ointment
Savlon (15mg)
Latex gloves
Ear plugs
Toothbrushes, small pot toothpaste
Water purification tablets
Emergency dental kit
Safety pin
Loperamide tablets
Dioralyte sachets

(in red bag) Sticking plasters, small bandage + wipes (cleansing and anti-mosquito)

Winter Kit

With the coming of colder weather Valerie has added a pair of Trekmate longjohns (120gms) and a Trekmate long sleeved T-shirt (110gms) to the kit. The top was bought large enough to go over my short sleeve T and walking shirt, giving 4 layers if needed including a fleece. The Trekmate top and bottom together would also make ideal pyjamas. Technical polyester, lightweight, quick drying etc.

Water, Boots and Trekking Trousers

Terry has two 1 litre bottles and Valerie has two half litre bottles: 1 litre = 1kg
In addition we are wearing one full set of clothing, excluding fleeces, and have Hi-Tec Altitude IV WP (waterproof) boots. Our 'trekking trousers' are shower-proof and have zip-off bottoms below the knee.

Terry's Packing and Weights

Here is Terry's list of equipment and weights, also not in order of importance! His rucksack too is a good personal fit.

Terry's rucksack, Berghaus Freeflow IV 40+10:-
Towel (large - microfibre) - 300gms;
Valerie's towel (large - softfibre) 190gms
Small towel 110gms
Our sheet sleeping bags -(375gmsx2) - 750gms (insect proofed)
First Aid/Medical - 450gms;
Soap/toothpaste etc - 300gms;
2 'sporks', tel charger+cable -120gms;
trousers(1), shirt(1), vest(1), pants(3), T-shirt(1) - 1k 100gms;
Socks - 200gms
Fleece - 350gms;
Camera and case - 250gms;
Waterproofs:- poncho - 340gms and trousers - 350 gms
Crocs - 220gms; .
Plus weight of my rucksack (1.67kg) and 'snack bars'.
Total weight 7.1k (without water in my bottles).


This always reminds me of Brian the snail - carrying everything around on my back! Seriously though, the fit of the rucksack is all important. If it fits correctly you can pack it full and, with practice, carry it all day. Mine has already been from Santander to Oviedo on the Camino del Norte, and then on to Santiago over the Camino Primitivo, 600 km with no problems.

I am looking forward to taking things a bit slower and having time to visit places I just walked through before.

Valerie's Packing and Weights

Here is Valerie's list of equipment and weights, not in order of importance! The rucksack was chosen because it is a good personal fit.

Valerie's rucksack, Freeflow IV 20:-
Trousers (1), shirts (2), T-shirts (2), underwear (3 sets) -1kg 200gm
Socks -200gms (Corrymoor mohair - 1pr cushion sole, 1pr plain knit; 3prs Rohan liners )
Long sleeved zip-T shirt - 150gms
Trekmate lightweight longjohns and long sleeved T - 230gms
Rohan dress - 185gms
Fleece (in Pod-sac)- 350gms
Waterproof poncho -340gms
Waterproof leggings 200gms
Crocs (in Pod-sac) -220gms
Glasses & case -100gms
Soap/shower gel, toothpaste & t-brush,comb -300gms
Rucksack - 1.07kg and snack bars
Total weight 4.6kg (without water in my bottles)

Small camera in case (round neck). Terry is carrying my towels and sheet sleeping bag to keep weight down and enable me to use the 20lt rather than the 25lt rucksack.





Photos:
Clothes, waterproof poncho in bag, sheet and towels

Clothes and poncho folded/rolled and ready to pack. The socks tuck in the bottom corners of the pack

How much can I carry?

Part of the preparation is about planning the essentials. A good rucksack, what should go into it and how much it weighs. Ideal aim is 10% of body weight. Last year Terry was carrying about 7kg plus water. My aim is for less than this, about 4 - 4.5kg, plus water, if possible. That is the weight I think I can manage and Terry will not take a sleeping bag so will help by carrying some items for me. We will be weighing the pack contents and listing it here, so watch this space................



Photo:
Both rucksacks fully packed for a practise walk in Stover Park.
My fleece and Crocs are in the Pod-Sac fastened to the back of my pack.
Terry's has a top pocket with buckles which holds his fleece in place.

Sponsored Walk

Having returned from Cornwall we continue to walk locally.
On Saturday Terry managed a hilly 22 kilometres as a sponsored walk for Devon Historic Churches. Visiting Trusham, Hennock, Bovey Tracey, Chudleigh Knighton and back to Chudleigh church for a welcome cup of tea. The climb up from the Teign valley to Hennock is from 30 metres at river level to 200 metres at Hennock church. The narrow lane back down to Bovey Tracey has a gradient of 1 in 4 in places. I remembered to tighten my bootlaces at the top! This prevents the foot sliding forward in the boot and bruising the toenails.




The Photos show:-

Hennock village from Trusham.

The river Teign at Trusham bridge.






That traditional sign of "Caution Blasting".


Chudleigh town from Hennock.

Godolphin; Cornwall

The Godolphin Estate in Cornwall is owned by the National Trust. There are well waymarked paths through the estate and some very interesting cattle grids. We walked about 10km in total with a break for a picnic lunch. No blisters; the 3 pairs of socks trick works well. (Very thin liner, lightweight mohair middle layer and cushion-sole mohair outer layer).



Photo:
Granite cattle grid

Cornish Holiday

During a week in Cornwall we were able to walk part of the cliff path near Hayle. There is one cove where the seals breed and can be seen from the cliffs above. We counted over 50 on the beach below us, from very large adults down to young pups.
Nearby is Godrevy lighthouse. It is also possible to walk along the cliffs nearer to Hayle and back along the beach, after calling in at the Jampot Cafe.
Further along the path is "Hell's Mouth" cove, where there is also a very welcome cafe serving Fairtrade coffee.
Distances varied but it was all good practise - particularly the climb up the cliff, using the steps, back to our campsite.




Photos:
Seal colony











Godrevy Lighthouse
Coast path

Templer Way - 2

Today we both walked part of the Templer Way, 7.6km in 2 hours including a coffee break. Terry keeps shortening my stick, by a few millimetres a time, until we get it right. Nearly there I think.
Next week sees us aiming for some longer or more strenuous walks. I also need to get used to carrying my new rucksack regularly. At present it weighs around 3.5k without water and includes a complete change of clothes, my waterproof poncho, fleece and a few 'odds and ends'. I need to add in a towel and liner-sheet for weight. As the bag is only 20 litre my Crocs will have to tie on the outside when needed. However this was the most comfortable fit for me and Terry has said he will have room for some of our shared items - First Aid kit etc. We are not expecting to take sleeping bags so that will be space saved.



Photos:
The footbridge is over a stream near Teigngrace.

The railway from the Heathfield Industrial Estate to Newton Abbot only gets occasional use!

Templer Way

A longish walk today: 12 kilometres on the Templer Way, local footpaths and by-roads. Valerie went off to meet with a friend and dropped me at Stover park. The Templer Way runs from Hay Tor quarries on Dartmoor to the river Teign near Teignmouth. The first part follows the line of the granite tramway down from Dartmoor to Stover near Bovey Tracey. It then picks up the line of the Stover canal which it follows to Newton Abbot. Part of my walk today was along the old canal, now totally derelict and overgrown. It is well 'way marked' (a railway truck wheel with a barge tiller) and easy to follow.
After walking the Camino I do miss the coffee stops! In the U.K. there are very few 'bars' and the traditional English pubs are getting fewer every day! Today though, I called in at a local hotel/restaurant and had a black coffee. Black because another thing the English don't do very well is 'cafe con leche'!




Photos:
The path near the canal. The Templer Way marker can be seen on the post.

"Light and Shade" The footbridge over the River Teign. (The green box is part of the flow-meter system.)

On Dartmoor

A lack of posts over the past weeks was due to time spent with small grand-daughters; on holiday on their own from Sheffield! We had the joy of introducing them to 'The Moor' which is only 8 miles from our home. They enjoyed finding and taking imprints of the stamps from 'Letterboxes'. Looking under rocks for the plastic containers and scrambling up and down. Needless to say they loved it.




Pictures of Saddle Tor and Widecombe from Bonehill rocks.

Glastonbury - cradle of English Christianity

The tower is all that remains of the chapel of St. Michael on the top of Glastonbury Tor. In traditional folk tales the Tor was one of the entrances to the 'Underworld'. The Wisht Hounds also called the Wild Hunt were reputed to come out and hunt the wicked across the sky. Remember the American song "Ghost Riders in the Sky"? It may be that the early church wanted to put them to rest so a chapel was built, dedicated to St. Michael, conqueror of the Devil.

The view is across the levels to that other ancient site of Brent Knoll.

Introduction

As Valerie and I hope to go back to Spain next year to walk some parts of the Camino del Norte, it seemed like a good idea to start a new blog and detail some of our preparation.
These 'training walks' take us to all kinds of places of interest - England has its own pilgrimage sites some of which we already know, others we hope to visit in the future.
To begin, here is a photo of Glastonbury Tor taken from Brent Knoll across the Somerset Levels.

See http://walktocompostela.blogspot.com/ for photos and details of my Pilgrimage from Exeter to Santiago de Compostela; a walk of 411 miles.