Firstly, the experience was definitely as amazing I was told to expect. As I was also expecting, it was quite tough at times, especially when the weather wasn't great. But on the last day, the exhilaration I felt was almost matched by the sadness it was over! If it hadn't been for the rubbish weather towards the end I think I would have found it even harder to finish and wanted to carry on and on. As it is, I would like to start planning another walk (probably a shorter one!) very soon.
It took a few days to adjust back to normal life, I found it weird being asked ("hassled") by friends and family about when I wanted to do things... just normal stuff like dinner or cinema or whatever, but I wasn't used to having to decide things with other people in mind... Rudy didn't seem to care whatever we did. When you're walking on the Path alone, all you think about is; finishing the day, eating, where are you going to sleep. As long as you've acheived those things, it's been a successful day! And those decisions only have to take into account one person, so it's very simple.
The simplicity of the idea of walking from one destination to another was liberating, sometimes I felt like I was living 200 years ago when people had to walk everywhere and that thought of using your own two legs to reach somewhere was empowering. You know you are eventually going to get there, so all you have to think about is enjoying the journey. No cars, computers or queues, it was bliss. Whenever I reached a town/city it would slightly freak me out and I couldn't wait to get back onto the proper path.
A massive positive impact on my particular walk was the charity element. It made me try and actively engage with people. (A lot of the time I didn't have to try as people constantly talked to me). Fellow walkers are nearly always friendly and interested in what others are doing, and the fact that I am (relatively!!) young, by myself, with a dog and a rucksack and a blue charity shirt on meant people were always stopping me. I would often be paused (especially at the beginning in the heat!) mid-hill & people would stop and chat, and by the time we finished I would sprint up the rest of the hill so buoyed up by someone's friendliness/kindness/generosity/ donation. I think in total I raised an extra £250 just from people's donations on the route, virtual strangers. Which is unbelievable. It would have been worth it just for that money raised.
I have now reached my £5,000 target and still have a few more donations to come in, which at the beginning, I could never have imagined reaching. So, again, a HUGE thanks to everyone who donated money, please be assured it is going to a extremely worthy cause.
I couldn't possibly talk about the walk without mentioning my constant, unwavering companion in life... no not Harry, but the little hound. I can only conclude Rudy is a dog of warrior credentials as she took it so easily in her stride, if I didn't love her so much I would have been quite annoyed. No dodgy paws, sprains, upset stomachs, accidents in B&Bs, the perfect companion in every way... and she never once complained. Every morning, (except when we happened to be in a big town when she did seem to sulk slightly), she was raring to go, however tough tough the previous day. This enthusiasm always motivated me, and seeing her scampering about, so excited to be in a new place yet again, never failed to make me smile. I can probably guarantee, a human companion would not have been so easy on the ear!
However, having a dog did make some things harder, such as booking B&Bs in the last couple of weeks, as it usually took a good few phonecalls and asking around before we located a dog-friendly one, and this was not always in the ideal location. Obviously this could have been avoided with better planning... Another thing about walking with a dog is that many of the tourist attractions or interesting things to do along the way had to be missed, unless I wanted to leave her tied up outside/in a tent- so not really an option. However, time and energy were factors anyway, so this was only really an issue on rest days.
Right, I've probably babbled enough, but suffice to say- an incredible adventure, I really miss being in the wilds of nature for eight hours a day... and the changing scenery around the coast was a joy to discover day after day.
I hope everyone's enjoyed the blog, I've certainly enjoyed writing it, and reading people's comments at the end of the day. Cheers. Vx
Well done to the both of you.
ReplyDeleteLinda and Roger from Exmouth