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charitable Coast to Coast Weekend

Possibly my last word on the Coast to Coast walk

Coast to coast wrapup

We finished the Coast to coast walk 5 days ago. My feet are starting to recover and I am now away on a business trip for a couple of weeks – Brussels, Barcelona and Copenhagen. It’s the way to roll.

In packing for the trip I put away some of my winter wardrobe – thick pullovers etc – and retrieved some of my summer stuff –  loud but tasteful Hawaiian shirts – you know me. Whilst I didn’t lose any weight on the walk due to the high intake of compensatory calories I’ve found that my shirts are a more comfortable fit and I am almost comfortable with the next notch in on the belt. All good stuff.

I have had time to reflect on the two weeks on the trail. How do I feel having finished? I feel good about it. Sometimes I glow. 190 miles from coast to coast. Wow. 🙂 Would I do it again. Not a hope in hell.

I caveat that last remark. I would consider such a challenge but it would have to have better planning. We took on too much on a daily basis. Shorter distances giving us time to enjoy ourselves should be the order of the day. This can be a problem for people with limited holidays. Two weeks is usually the maximum sensible time off work. Every additional night also adds to the cost. It comes as no surprise that the people we met taking the easier, longer option were retired gentlefolk (I just added that gentlefolk bit in for effect).

There would also have to be a solution to my sore feet. This could be an experimentation with different insoles, anti bruising agents such as Arnica cream and Voltarol gel for the reduction of pain.

I have noticed since finishing and since the tiredness has worn off (I was completely knackered for a couple of days afterwards) that I am now quite relaxed. This must be the byproduct of lots of exercise, being extremely focussed on the task in hand,  not thinking about work and the absence of TV, internet and telephony from my life. OK I did have some connectivity but this was sporadic and limited. Possibly a lesson there.

I am also happy with the cash we raised for Cancer research UK. It could always have been a lot more but actually considering it was mostly done through Facebook and with very little proactive effort once the walk had started it’s a goodly sum. Remember I was doing it in memory of my Mam who died a year ago to the day we started walking. She was in my mind as I walked along and I think it appropriate that I smile as I now think of her.

Having completed the challenge I now feel up to taking on others. Not this year but I will be giving it some thought. Ideas are welcomed.

I guess I will finish by thanking everyone who supported us on the walk and especially to my gorgeous wife Anne who has to put up with a lot and who came to meet us on her birthday. She was greeted by a husband writhing in agony on the bed because of his sore feet and treated to a sit down fish and chip supper in the Shap Chippy. Very salubrious but it did the job.

To those of you who have been kind and generous enough to donate cash to Cancer Research UK I will be in touch with you individually whenever i can fit it in over the coming fortnight. I am away on business until a week on Friday.

Worralife eh? 🙂

Oh and one final word on A Wainwright, the designer of the coast to coast walk, national treasure, icon to walkers everywhere and a complete and utter b&^%$£d swine for being the architect of my suffering over two extremely tough weeks that I can now look back on and smile.

PS look out for the movie – remember I have 36GB of pics and vids to sort…

Trefor Davies

By Trefor Davies

Liver of life, father of four, CTO of trefor.net, writer, poet, philosopherontap.com

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