Well. I managed it.
76 miles, about 20,000 feet of climb (and descent) with a 60 pound pack in 30 degrees (at times). Put that way, for a 54 year old obese smoking desk jockey, it does sound like the basis for a nightmare or two. However, I am happy to report that it was a wonderful 6 days (and 7 nights).
That despite the fact that my mountain goat, 10 stone, non smoking walking partner and I consumed huge meals, i.e. cooked Yorkshire breakfasts and mountainous evening meals plus of course lots of beer (well it is called the Innway guide to the Yorkshire Dales!) I seemed to have lost the equivalent of two bags of sugar A DAY in weight. It’s no good saying “well its just fluid, you’ll soon put it back on” because we have had at least 10 pints of fluid a day to stay hydrated and alive.
This 6 day ‘re-connection’ with the land has also been of huge benefit mentally. My stressed up MD friend and I have come back in some sort of strange state of Karma. Yes I know it doesn’t last but then neither does the flu. A few courses of this type of medicine should be prescribed to all stressed out 40 to 60 something year olds by their GP’s.
Anyway, thats the end of the health benefits eulogy. Apart from the fact that I am seriously considering augmenting my coaching and mentoring offerings with guided 3 /4 day walks. I think it could have a profound effect on any exec who needs to think his way out of a hole. I’ll save that for another blog though.
So…..
DAY 0.5 Getting there
We’d both made the brave decision not to avail ourselves of the services of the bag man. He’s the fellow who will come to your place of accommodation, pick up your Samsonite of really useful baggage and transport it to your next destination, all for around 8 quid a day.
So my mate dropped his car off at my place and with backpacks overflowing we set off to Grassington. Gary (my mountain goat friend) had approximately an hour to fend off all the usual “how can you go away with all this going on?” type emails and texts on his Blackberry before we hit the mobile flat zone known as the Yorkshire Dales. As I digested the information that he had been doing 18 mile bike rides a day for the last 3 months to get in the zone I pondered the wisdom of my training regime of around 4 walks during the same period as we approached Grassington. No worries! I had been training vigourously for the 26 named pubs we hit along the trail. So we agreed an early night and an early start was the right thing to do as Day 1 is one of the toughest days with 14 miles to do and a big climb and descent at the end of it to go through Littondale and then drop in to Buckden at the head of Wharfedale.
Problem was, it was Grassington’s annual music and Arts festival. There was a very passable soft rock band hitting the notes to Hotel California in the pub we were staying in (The Forresters Arms). Everyone seemed to be in a party mood………..so we joined in.
More on our tour tomorrow!!