"How hard can it be?" I said to Simon and Richard in the pub. "It'll be great!" They nodded agreement and 'Three Men on a Walk' was born.
As it turned out, it was incredibly hard.
177 miles doesn't sound all that far, particularly if you say it quickly, but, believe me it is, especially if you're going to walk it in one go - in 9 days and carrying a 20 kilo pack with everything you need to sleep, eat and survive for the duration of the walk.
We set off on 20th May 2011 from Prestatyn in North Wales, having decided to walk from north to south. At the end of day one, Richard was so exhausted - having had a bout of gastroenteritis a week before we set off - that he was unable to continue. The following morning, day two, and Simon pulled a muscle in his groin climbing the Clwydian Range and that was him out of the game too. Both, thankfully, decided to stay with me and get public transport from checkpoint to checkpoint, relieving me of some of the heaviest items in my rucksack into the bargain. As happy as I was that the lads were staying with me, it didn't get away from the fact that I was going to have to walk the remaining 165 miles on my own. And with only me left fit enough to walk, failure simply wasn't an option. If I was to arrive at Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow on my bleeding hands and knees, then so be it - we were raising money for Woodmarket House and an unfinished challenge meant no money!
Despite some pretty awful weather - torrential rain at times - and some really challenging terrain - the Clwydian Range, the Switchbacks and the Black Mountains to name but a few of the tough sections, Offa's Dyke is a beautiful walk through some of the most stunning scenery in England and Wales - it actually crosses the border more than 20 times. There were times during the walk when I was fed up, times when I wondered what had possessed me to take on such a challenge, times when I was soaking wet and certainly times when I was downright knackered! But for most of it, I can honestly say that I loved it - even the solitude, which actually gave me a lot of time to think about things I probably would never have had the opportunity or the time to think about in my everyday life. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the walk was life changing, but it certainly put a lot of things into perspective for me - an opportunity I reckon most of us could do with now and again.
I finally reached Sedbury Cliffs - some 182.5 miles later - at 3pm on 29th May 2011. The lads were there waiting for me along with my wife and daughter - I couldn't have been happier.
And as for the folks at Woodmarket - well, take a look at the photo below. The picture shows the three of us (sat on the front row before any of you crack a joke!) surrounded by some residents and staff at Woodmarket House. We raised a fantastic £2346-30!!! Every penny has been paid into the Woodmarket House Comforts Fund, which pays for trips out for all the residents, meals out, Christmas presents and so on. In fact, they are in the process of organising their first trip to Southend on Sea in the next few weeks!
Thank you very, very much to everyone who sponsored us - to raise over two thousand pounds was beyond our expectations and I am absolutely delighted that the folks at Woodmarket House will have a more comfortable and enjoyable year or so ahead thanks to your kind support.
So what's next I hear you cry? Well, watch this space - next year may just see the Three Men on a Walk pull their boots on, shake the grass out of their tents and head for the hills once more.
And do you know what? I can't wait!
Russ.
