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Pre-Walk Training Diary

This week I’ve been putting in plenty of training hoping to get everything in good working order before heading off for the start of the walk on Sunday. Having spent 18 days standing in a small shed I really needed to get some good mileage in or I’d be starting cold and that would not have been comfortable.

Luckily I’ve had a training partner all week which has been brilliant .. Kit Noble from Kingswear’s Nonsuch House has walked every mile with me providing company and distraction from the various aches and pains.

David and Rex on Dartmoor.

David and Rex on Dartmoor.

On Monday we met at 6:30, headed for Dartmoor and had a wonderful walk under blue skies on a crisp winter’s day. Perfect conditions and a gentle 12 miles to get things moving again. On Tuesday things got a bit more serious as we walked 20 miles, much of it on the coast path with plenty of climbing and at a very good pace. On Wednesday Holly and I had to go and collect our campervan, or which more later, so only a 7 miles walk on the coast path. However, joined by Cahrley Horton, we made up for it by walking 14 miles from Kingswear to Dartington before going for lunch at Riverford Field Kitchen. I can highly recommend walking 14 miles if you want to do Riverford’s lunch justice.

Apart from painful feet everything is feeling good.  The feet I’m putting down to still breaking in new boots which are tremendously comfortable, blister free but probably still a little inflexible. That’s all the training done now. I’ll have two full rest days and then I’m off.  Hopefully I’ve done enough to get through it but of course I don’t feel anywhere near prepared enough.