My route was a mixture of long distance footpath (South West coast, Cotswold way and bits of Pennine way, St Cuthbert's way etc) see attached GPX. It took me 69 days, I slept in a tent 50% of the time and stayed in Inns the rest. I averaged 18 miles a day, had 4 rest days and walked the rest, I raise £8265 for the Alzheimer's Society (
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Iamorganisingmyownwalkortrek2024-GaryCampbell ) and lost 2 inches of my waist despite drinking lots of lovely local ales!
As I was doing the walk for charity, folk were so, so kind. Many was the time I went to pay for my breakfast to be told 'that man / lady who just left paid it for you' , very few campsites charged me to stay, pubs often let me camp in their gardens and on one occasion a hotel refunded the price of my stay.
I was overwhelmed by the wonderful folk I met and the conversations on their lives, my walk, the hell that is Alzheimer's and dementia or about the kit I was using. A van would drive past on a single track, stop, reverse and I would be given £40 for the charity or once they asked where I was staying and my dinner was paid for! Folk would donate £2 or £100 depending on their circumstances and I had several great conversations with homeless folk who I was able to share my flapjack with.
Much to my surprise, I hardly listened to the talking books I had with me, I found it a distraction and I wanted to be in the moment in the woods, moor or cliff top I was on. I found myself talking to myself a lot, laughing out loud in really wild weather and feeling so grateful for the opportunity to achieve a lifetime ambition. I became expert at managing my expectations of where I might be spending the night and learned to look forward to a nightly ritual of a half hour of reading / watching something on my phone with either a 20 cl bottle of wine or a hot chocolate. No matter how hot, wet, cold, steep or sketchy the day, I knew that I would have that half hour in warm dry clothes at the end of it.
I learned a lot about myself and the landscape and people of Britain, the vast majority of which I liked.
Happy to chat about the kit I used if anyone is interested.
