Day 1... Let the Adventure Begin

Today I found my stride - eventually! For a while I thought I'd left it behind at home, along with my walking pole (my mother, who bought mine for me as a gift, will NOT be happy), and my beloved at one stage early on suggested that perhaps I'd packed it in my suitcase along with my sense of humour, but as the morning wore on I found it again. I think perhaps it was just suffering from the effects of too late a night. I don't know about you but I have a tendency, when about to go on holiday, to suddenly decided that it's ESSENTIAL to strip all the beds, vacuum the house from top to bottom, fill the fridge to bursting for those at home in my absence and THEN think about packing. Inevitably therefore it was quite late when I retired on the eve of our adventure but still, as I said, I finally found my stride.

The day can probably be summed up, in the way many things begin, with an A. B. C.
A for Adventure. Not just our own, although we did get chatting about some others we recalled from our youth, but also for MacsAdventure, the company we have charged with the organisation of all the logistics for this trip - and what a sterling job they have done. Pretty much the only thing they haven't done for us is walk the Trail itself (although I suspect most of their staff have done that too, and got the t-shirt). They have booked all our accommodation, organised the transfer of our luggage and even booked some of our evening meals. Now that's what I call service. http://www.macsadventure.com/

By about 11.00am we decided that B was for blessed breeze- crumbs it's been hot today. Last weekend we had lunch with friends. One half of the couple, a more experieinced walker than I, asked which direction we were walking "The Way". 'North to south, naturally' we said, 'given our starting location'. What we didn't expect was the sharp intake of breath a la builder. Well we couldn't leave it there.... "Why?" And he's right. Walking north to south in poor weather would mean you are more than likely to be facing into the prevailing wind: on a sunny day however you are walking INTO the sun all day. Hmmm. Now, I know, and so does my nose..... despite the factor 15. Hence the B for blessed breeze.

The accolade for C goes to charming Cotswolds. On this first stretch we progressed from Chipping Campden, through Broadway and are based this evening in the delightful village of Stanton. Full of fish, frites and fresh air I'll be retiring early but guess what we did after arriving here, 10 miles in, mid-afternoon? We went for a walk! What a delightful place - I can feel a Treasure Trail coming on.

So, it's been a good first day and, in case my mother is reading, I think perhaps the reason I found my stride was that I managed to pick up a new walking pole. Here's to tomorrow...

Preparations Are Underway...

Last week we went shopping! Before setting off we counted socks, unearthed a few packets of well beyond their best-before, dehydrated meal-mix from long distant camping trips and the ingenious Russian-doll style paraffin stove and decided that most of these were not going on our Cotswolds adventure with us. But I did find my gaiters! I'd forgotten I even had these and mercifully - unlike most things you find in the back of a cupboard after 10 years - they still fit! It seems my calves and ankles have escaped what most other bits have suffered in the same decade so they moved to the 'yes' pile. Their existance did, however, cement in our minds that the weather, in the UK, in October, was more than likely to be wet, at least at SOME stage. What we needed was waterproofs! Our existing shower-proof outerwear was going to have to be replaced, or at the very least supplemented, by some serious gear. In fact 'serious' pretty much sums up that shopping trip. We stood in the store choosing between dark blue or black, wondering who in their right minds would want to wear trousers that alert your presence to every man and beast with each rustling step and thwart the intended objective of keeping clothes DRY by making you so hot that the simple act of walking, effectively inside a plastic bag, has the complete opposite result.  Nevertheless we succumed to the advice of the experts and paid up. I can't remember many occasions when I've left a shop feeling more than sightly depressed, having spent a small fortune on items that I hoped I'd never have to wear!

At this stage I should perhaps suggest that those with a sensitive disposition log off since I need to share some advice with the 'desperate' few (yes, I chose my words carefully there) following another spot of shopping earlier in the week. A matter of mild irritation when out walking, the absence of frequent and accessible 'facilities' had been troubling me with our imminent departure on 'holiday' looming. Niggled as I was by how unfair it always seemed I was determined to address the problem head on. Why is it that the chaps always seem to manage to hang back for a step or two, exchange a few words with a tree or a hedge and re-join the group without so much as a rustle before we, the girls, have even noticed their absence. Yet when it's our turn, no such luck. First we have to play hunt the thicket, then ensure it's not of the prickly kind, announce that we'd like some privacy lest the menfolk think we've been snatched by aliens having been gone so long and shed half one's wardrobe in order to find relief. I was having none of this every day for 8 days. I discovered the Shee-Wee! So having decided on the more discreet form of shopping for this particular item I ordered it via t'interweb. It arrived in it's bright pink case just over a week ago. Ah ha! One up for equality, I thought, until the time came to study the thing properley. The packaging suggested practising in the shower. Strange!? Surely the whole point was that this simple device was intended to assist with the call of nature WHEN FULLY DRESSED. I couldn't see the point in practising in the altogether, and besides how difficult could it be? It's not as if this activity was one to which I was unaccustomed. Not so. I can't describe the trial run - I'd be blacklisted - but let's say it was surreal and not a little hilarious. My husband was alerted to 'something funny going on' when I returned from a 'comfort break' flushed and with the giggles. When I explained that I'd been 'having a trial run' his first comment was "Where? In the garden?" Whatever does he take me for? Naturally I'd been replicating what I taught my son some 18 years earlier, in the bathroom, with the door shut but let me tell you, I now understand hubby's reference to that fiend, Sheik Y'Dripsoff, who threathened always to embarras little boys and I can firmly assure one and all that a certain piece of pink plastic will not be making the packing cut. We live and learn...

And as if to add insult to injury, have you now seen the forecast? Must dash - I'm off to buy sunscreen.

Treasures of the Cotswolds: A Cotswold Way Companion Trail: Pre-Prep

So, my work and play both involve walking, it's true. You'd think then that I'd be a fit young thing. Young, not so very these days and fit, well this is where I get really unstuck. You see, how ever much I love a stroll, the opportunity to explore and a good dose of fresh air in delightful surroundings, hacking up hills has never really been my thing. Actually that's not quite true - I do remember scampering up a few peaks in Derbyshire in my teens as a Venture Scout but the memory is distant, in fact the memory has gone the way of the eyesight and the joints. But I DO love an adventure and even more so, a challenge.

As a Treasure Trail writer I've been creating fun ways for people to explore my corner of the country for 18 months now. With a catalogue that combines 30 city, town and village Trails, I was reflecting on what my next project should be. Most Treasure Trails, be they Treasure Hunts, Murder Mysteries or Spy Mission Trails are, on average, 2 miles long and will occupy a family or group of friends for a couple of hours or more. Recently however I wrote a slightly longer one - 4 miles - originally as a project for a lovely group of girls who wanted a hen party with a difference. Soon afterwards I converted this into a standard Trail for sale to the public. Such has proved its popularity that the germ of an idea began to blossom. What if walkers in Gloucestershire have a taste for greater distances? What if a whole new group of walkers would give Treasure Trails a go if the distances were more challenging? Was it worth experimenting? Food for thought...

A few weeks ago hubby declared war on his headaches - eyes tested, new glasses, repositioned computer screen, a little more gardening whilst the weather was good but clearly what he really needed was a holiday.  Last autumn we headed for the magnificence of New England - Boston, New Hampshire and Vermont in the fall are breathtaking and we had a truly wonderful time but, you know, we couldn't help musing that our own autumn displays in the UK are pretty spectacular too. So this year we decided on a 'staycation'. You can see where this is going....

So here we are with a week to go. This time next Friday we're setting out on a challenging adventure to walk the length of The Cotswold Way, creating a Cotswold Way Companion Treasure Trail as we stride out. Will my creaky bits benefit or go bust? Will the sun shine on our endeavours or will we drip into our B&Bs each evening? Will the Trail be popular once written or prove a step too far? Who knows. We shall see ... want to follow the progress? See you in a few days...