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...
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