A quick round up!

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

So I am running about a month behind in my walking blog! This blog I might race through the walks a bit quicker than normal but hopefully we will get back on track! Without further ado:

Guildford - Hogs Back Brewery:
This walk has been on the cards for a very long time but it was only at the beginning of November that I finally got around to it. It looked like it would be quite and interesting walk but in reality it was fairly plane and simple. There was a really good path all the way from Guildford but in terms of interesting points the most interesting this was Guildford castle! Nevertheless it was nice to have Dad join me on this one!

Walk total: 9 Miles

Guildford - St. Martha's on the Hill - Guildford:
On this walk I was joined by my extremely good friends Max and Hayley. It was great to be out and about exploring the area in which they live in but sharing the hobby I enjoy so much with other people. We walked down through the town to the canal and followed it South until we came to the downs link and followed that up towards St. Martha's. We spotted an interesting war memorial and headed towards the hill. On the top we were rewarded with some great views as the light started to fade. My tracker failed on the top so we don't know the accurate distance but my guess was about 9.5 miles. It was a great walk with great friends.

Walk total: 9.5 Miles

Tarn Hows:
Back in the North?! This time for different reasons, which will/ or will soon be apparent. Walking with my good friend Vic we went for a snowy/sleety wander around Tarn Hows. Although the weather wasn't great it was a refreshing wander and a great catch up. The snow on the surrounding fells was awesome!

Walk total: 1.8 Miles

Shamley Green - Home
That sounds like a nice and simple walk doesn't it. In reality it was a test run for the Isle of Wight walk in December. Robin, Chris and I met up to put ourselves through our paces to see if we would be up to the challenge in December. We thought we would walk between 20 + 30 miles and see how we faired. We started at Shamley Green and followed the Greensand Way all the way to Dorking, the plan being to show Chris the beauty of Surrey, except it was shrouded in mist. We made our way up Pitch Hill and then down the other side and up Holmbury Hill and then down the other side of that before scaling the lofty peak of Leith Hill and down the other side towards Wotton. From here we snaked back into Dorking. We made our way to Denbies Wine estate and found one of the few remaining routes back to my house which I hadn't done! The light was falling but our night navigator Robin guided us safely home! We were all pretty happy with what we had achieved. No major problems. We are all alive and we aren't sick of the sight of each other yet! Slight case of "Marton Knee" the next morning but went away very quickly so it is looking promising for The Island we just need the weather to play ball now.

Walk total: 21.4 miles
OVERALL TOTAL: 413.23
Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

To The Mountains ...

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

This challenge was born out of the many holidays we as a family spent with Jim in The Lake District. Over the years we tackled many fells and walked around quite a few of the lakes, glimpsing many stunning views and sharing in many hilarities like the time I got stuck in a bog or when Jim nearly rugby tackled a fell runner that he thought was me messing around. It had always been in my mind to spend some time walking some of our favourite walks so I spent October half term in the North trying to get in as many fells as I could.

Pavey Ark - The Langdale Pikes
The amount of times I have walked up this particular fell is beyond my recollection! I met up with my friend Chris who walked the K2B and a couple of other walks for a good catch up and another fell off Chris' list. Parking at the bottom of the Langdale valley we walked back to Stickle Ghyll where the majority of the distance of the walk was covered. The next mile would be a very steep climb along the side of the ghyll (waterfall/stream/creek). It was great to be back on the fells with a good friend and we had a good amount of time to catch up on what had been going on in the North and also putting the world to rights. Although nothing massively special I do really love this walk and its one that Jim and I have done several times and could have possibly been the first (proper) mountain I climbed many years ago. Once we reached Stickle Tarn (a mountain lake) we paused and checked the milage counter which only displayed 2 miles ... but we were around 1,500 feet up! We then walked around the right side of the tarn, through some marshy grass and up onto the side of Pavey Ark, a buttress of rock which overlooks the tarn in imperious fashion. Slowly we progressed up the right side, navigating the short but steep climb to reach the top. It felt pretty darn good to reach the top of a fell again. It was like coming home again, I turned and surveyed the surrounding fells and pointed out which ones were which. From the top we went down the left side of Pavey Ark, which I had last done in heavy snow ... I remember telling that story to Jim over the phone ... I'm pretty sure he thought we were nuts for attempting it in the snow (we were). Once back down to the tarn it was back down the same steep path criss crossing the waterfall from time to time and back to the valley floor! A great welcome back to my favourite part of the country, with a really good friend.

Walk total: 5.8 Miles

Blencathra
I needed a fell close to where we were staying in Keswick that we had done with Jim that could be done in a morning before catching up with my friends in Ulverston in the afternoon. The iconic Blencathra was the only choice! Probably my favourite overall fell, this one sits just outside Keswick above the A66 next to Threlkeld. From memory we only did this with Jim once but it was quite a walk and he was fascinated by the many different routes and ridges on the mountain. On this walk I was joined by Dad and we headed up from Scales up along the back route to the fell via Scales Tarn. After the initial really steep bit the walk levelled out along the side of the valley before rising up towards the tarn itself. Scales Tarn itself is pretty stunning, with the foreboding Sharp Edge on the right spanning round to the face of the fell. I left Dad here as his foot was playing up but I carried on round up on the left side towards the summit and the cloud. It was a very slippery dash towards the top where I was greeted by thick cloud and some very grumpy people on the top. It's polite to at least say hello to people on the top of a mountain as you pass, let alone on a mountain where theres hardly anyone about and its foggy but no they weren't having any of it! I had a quick stop on the summit before heading back along the ridge to descend to Dad at Scales Tarn. If the cloud hadn't been there I'd have been able to see quite a bit all around but most fascinating to me the many spines that lead to the mountain top. After a dodgy descent to the tarn I met back up with Dad and headed back to Scales.

Walk Total: 5.4 Miles

Swarthmoor Hall
That very afternoon I met up with my old line manager and Lexi (one of the many great young people I have the pleasure working with). We went for a short walk down to Swarthmoor hall from Vic's house to grab a coffee and have a catch up. As usual the banter was of top quality and to me that is the best type of walking. Martin (Vic's husband) joined us later and then we all walked back to their place a bit later. It's always great to catch up with these guys and to get a mile and a half in the bag is a bonus!

Walk Total: 1.5 Miles

Buttermere
After two very steep climbs the previous two days we decided to go for a walk as a family. A walk that we had done with Jim a couple of times was around the lake at Buttermere. From memory I think that Jim even did this once with my nephew, Roary, on his back. The weather wasn't supposed to be particularly great and I didn't want to climb too much so this was the perfect opportunity to get this walk in. Buttermere is a lovely lake, secluded and peaceful with the ominous Fleetwith Pike standing watch at the lakes far end. The walk itself is really straightforward as there is a decent path all the way around. There are many off shoots that would take you off on to the surrounding fells should you want to but todays task was simple, just get around the lake. We had a couple of stops to take some photos but apart from that we took our time and had a leisurely stroll around the lake. Sadly we didn't find the lone tree which is many moody pictures of the Lakes ... one day I'll find it.

Walk Total: 5 Miles

High Street
When we first planned the walking trip in the North we knew that this walk would have to feature. I can't actually remember the amount of times we have been to the top of this one but that's not the reason this walk went straight to the top of our list. When we set out to do this particular walk in what must have been the summer of 2012, we didn't realise that this would be our last walk. Sadly Jim never ventured back up to the North again. Firstly it's a fantastic walk but secondly I wanted to walk it again out of respect that this was in fact the last mountain we climbed together. We started over at Haweswater and parked the car at the far end of the reservoir before walking round to the far side of the lake and starting the ascent. It was a gorgeous day and Dad and I couldn't believe how clear it was considering we had been expecting it to be pretty cloudy. Once we made our way around the end of the lake you follow the main path over a slight raise and are greated by an impressive view over the rest of the reservoir. From here we turned up towards the ridge and made our way steeply up on to the side and eventually the top of the lumpy ridge. I remember the steepness, I would be striding off into the distance and turn around to see Dad not too far off and then Jim lagging much further behind. I dont think he appreciated me setting the pace. The ridge rises and falls before a steep rise up to the fell. This time around Dad had started to complain and wanted to turning back, but we were so close to the top that this was simply not an option for me. Understandably he was tired and also fearful of the steep and loose dash to the top, but I am not the person you want to meet if you are lacking confidence up a mountain. I was not going to turn back and I knew Dad would kick himself if he gave up so after a small amount of beration and encouragement we carried on and made it to the top. Taking those last few steps onto the summit plateau were some of the strangest paces I have ever taken. A sense of achievement and relief were quickly swept away by a multitude of emotions. I have reached the tops of many mountains since Jim died, but this was different. To know that this was the last one that the three of us had reached the top of together was unnerving and in that moment I missed him more than ever. It was a sobering reminder to cherish the moments with those you love and also let them know how much you appreciate with them. It was really a validation of this whole challenge, it suddenly made it all real. Sometimes I feel like I am just walking but this time it made it so clear that this was something that we had so much fun doing and that every time I'm out there now I'm doing it with Jim in my heart.
As we approached the summit trig point we looked to the central fells and had the most stunning view of the majority of the Lakeland fells. The view and visibility was arguably the best I have ever had from the top of High Street. It was bloomin' windy so we sheltered behind the wall and had our lunch before tackling the bend in the horseshoe and moving over onto Kidsty Pike. We headed down off the top and moved round over onto Kidsty Pike and had a great view across the ridge that we had climbed up onto the top of High Street. From here the descent was pretty steep down a grassy bank which I managed to slip down a couple of times. We then joined up with the path round Haweswater and headed back to the rise where we had turned off the ridge. Once back at the far end of the lake I wanted to go down to the shore as the levels were low and parts of the flooded village of Mardale could be seen. It was pretty strange to think that a town used to be there but you could see the outlines of buildings bringing it very much into reality.
The GPS freaked out on the top so gave us more milage than we actually did so I have knocked it down to 9 miles for this walk.

Walk total: 9 Miles
Height Gain over the lakeland walks: 8500ft Approx
Overall Total: 371.8 Miles

Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Plogging On

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Littlehampton loop
Mum and I went down to the coast to meet up with Mum's cousin Sam to go for a "little" walk. We met at Sam's house and then wandered down towards the sea front and headed towards Littlehampton. It was quite refreshing to be wandering along the coast again after the millions of brambles I had faced on previous walks. After a quick (essential) refreshment stop in Littlehampton we journeyed in land to complete our loop where we were faced with extremely unhelpful paths. The paths were on the map but one had a rope across it later followed by a piece of wood which we had to crawl under to continue. The biggest annoyance came when we weren't far from the finish when we went to take a new path and we faced with what only be described as a wall of nettles. Beyond a joke. There was a farmers field full of cows next to it which we did debate going through but decided against as the cows were blocking our way ... so we had to take a detour ... I had no problem with this but the others were understandably tired. So our little walk turned into a bit of a bigger walk. Nevertheless it was lovely to be joined on a walk with some great company!

Walk Total: 9.4 Miles

These guys weren't going to moove ... the left was the path ... fancy it?

Fetcham to Ripley 
What an odd walk ... why would you do that?! Well originally it was going to be Fetcham to Woking but hey plans change rapidly. After a minor mix up in certain Norwegian friends telling us the wrong airport, I had agreed to meet Robin at the school he works at in Woking before doing battle with the M25 on Half Term Friday to retrieve said Norwegian from Heathrow ... I set off and walked through Bookham common on a route I used to cycle frequently when I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh award. When I got to Horsley I followed the a path along the Drift and into a wooded area heading towards Ockham. After changing paths I realised that there was a new route that would avoid road walking much to my delight so I decided to take it. Heading along the way I came to take a new path when disaster yet again struck ... another huge foliage barrier. I was fuming. The second walk in a row where I had gone to use a path that had been overtaken by all sorts of unsavoury plants. A man in a local lawnmower shop asked me if I was lost to which I replied I wasn't but couldn't get down the path. He said I should try ... to which I nearly replied that he demonstrate the effectiveness of his lawnmowers of which were in abundance and take down this obscenity. He was very kind and suggested an alternative route - Using a major road - with no pavement. Infuriated I took the detour and wound up several drivers in their flash Ockham cars heading towards the A3 roundabout. I went under the A3 and joined back up with the path I had originally intended to take. Heading through Ripley wood towards the River Wey I got a call from Robin saying he had finished early and that he'd come and meet me in Ripley. Being rather annoyed at the overgrown path and nearly being taken out by idiotic drivers and walking through an inavigable forrest I gladly took him up on the offer and we joined up and went off to Heathrow.

Walk Total: 9.1

Overall Total: 344.8 

Most of you know I've been in the Lakes walking since this and yes they are coming soon ... but there was simply too much to put in one blog ;)

Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

The Wight Walkers

December is looming, winter is coming, the challenge is drawing to its end. There is still quite a bit of ground to cover between now and then but my mind has been shifting more to the end and how best to finish these 500 miles off.

It needs to be something big ... something verging on the edge of insanity. The K2B has been and gone but proven that something bonkers and off the wall can be done so how do you top that?
My dear friend Robin Beeson came to me with the proposition of doing something crazy as he needs a challenge to do for his Diamond Duke of Edinburgh award and suggested we pool our madness together and plot something on a grand scale. The cogs started to spin and slowly, a plan formed.
After weeks of scheming we have settled on something which we are daunted by but equally ready to attack at full strength.

From the 28th - 30th December, Robin and I will embark on a round trip of the Isle of Wight. Yes, all the way around the coastal path of the island, at the end of December, over three gruelling days of walking. The walk in total is over 70 miles and is sure to test us to breaking point. It's going to cold, it's going to hurt and we have no idea if we are going to make it to the end. One thing that is for sure is our feet will never be the same again.

The plan so far is as follows:
28th Dec: Cowes - Shanklin
29th Dec: Shanklin - Freshwater Bay
30th Dec: Freshwater Bay - Cowes

The Scout network of the Isle of Wight have kindly offered us their Scout huts to stay in over night but Robin and I would really like your help whilst we are there on the Island. One of the most invaluable things about the Keswick to Barrow was our wonderful support team who spurred us on, replenished our supplies and also transferred gear from point to point. With each day verging around the 25 mile mark we could really do with a volunteer or two who would be willing to their time to join us and put up with us through this challenge. We realise that this is three days in the middle of the holiday season but if anyone is willing to give the time we would greatly appreciate it. Don't panic walking is not required, you would be our chief source of motivation and supplying us with much needed nourishment and support should things not go so well. Accommodation is all sorted so you wouldn't need to worry about that but you do need to be able to drive - if you've got a partner in crime as well then even better!

As always there is a reason behind this challenge, for me that is and always has been walking in memory of my late Uncle, Jim. I'm doing this to raise money for his chosen charity The Rainbow Trust who support families with terminally or seriously ill children by doing something that Jim and I did together so often. If you feel you can donate then please do using this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Robin is walking to raise money for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme who work with thousands of young people every year. They help young people to develop and try new skills that they have not tried before. The work they do with our young people is fantastic and helps young people to see that they are part of a bigger community and of course their famous expeditions give young people the chance to move out of their comfort zone and do something different. Do support Robin by donating using this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobinIsleofWight  

We are going to be filming the walk and hopefully posting some things throughout our epic challenge. We can't thank you enough for your support for us and our causes and hope that you can help by either giving your time on the island or donating to either of our chosen charities.
As ever this walk is open to ALL and it would be awesome if you felt you could be a real trooper and walk the whole 70 miles with us but we totally understand if you cant. However if you do feel that slight twinge of insanity and want to join us then do get in touch with Robin or myself.

Thanks again!
The Wight Walkers,
Charlie and Robin

Two more in the bag

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Pulborough - Arundel
Looking at this walk, it did look pretty straightforward. Follow the Wey/Arun navigation and it should be major paths all the way. I tell you, maps lie. After walking through a lovely patch of wooded land I crossed a main road was a bit taken a back to find the major path on the map was virtually nonexistent in reality. I checked and double checked that I was in fact in the right place, I was but the path wasn't what it said it would be. There is nothing majorly positive to say about this walk apart from its start in the lovely wooded area and its final mile or so walking along the Arun with the castle in sight. The middle was simply horrendous. Brambles and nettles were crowding the path making them almost unusable. If that wasn't enough I encountered a pesky dog at a farm that insisted on following me before I finally gave him the slip in a field. Being very frustrated I did not want to have to walk back to the farm, he wasn't far from home and was being highly irritating. Arundel is a lovely place, if you want to be stung or scraped continuously then by all means this is the walk for you, if not just drive there.

Walk Total: 11.0 Miles

St. Martha's - Dorking
I'm starting to run out of local walks that I can do, and there are only so many times you can walk from one place to another using a different route. Looking at what we have done this was one route that I haven't really touched. St. Martha's on the Hill was a great place to start, even if its sandy slopes are a tad annoying. From the top you have a fantastic view of the surrounding area. It's one of those places you could watch the world go by from and not care how much time passes by. Descending the hill I followed a very familiar path towards Albury. This walk was a quintessential Surrey walk, apart from being canvassed by a random vegan lady in the middle of nowhere, lovely fields and smooth rolling hills mixed with the occasional quaint village. Speaking of quaint villages I passed right through the middle of the most stereotypically British village of Shere. If you have friends from abroad take them to see some of these little villages, they'll love the culture these places ooze with, their little village shops and old buildings. I headed out of Shere, through Gomshall and then all the way along to Dorking. As I was walking through some woods I found a massive stone cross which was dedicated to William Wilberforce's 3rd son Samuel who died at that very spot where he fell from his horse. Apart from that there wasn't anything major until I hit Dorking and then walking through Denbies wine estate where my chauffeur was waiting. We may not realise it but we are really blessed to have such amazing countryside so close by.

Walk Total: 12.0 Miles
Overall total: 326.3 Miles

Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Three Hundred

It's pretty obvious that I have reached another huge milestone. 300 miles ... crikey! I am really pleased to have got this far and it's far from over but I really do appreciate all the help and support that you have given me over the past three hundred miles. Of course this is all done with a man who means so much to me firmly in my mind, Jim. As I write this I am listening to one of his favourite artists, Steven Wilson. I know he would be over the moon to know that we are here this far through the challenge. Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Beachy Head + Seven Sisters
When I came back from America I was keen to crack on with my challenge as time really is running out. You may think, "Oh but there is plenty of time before the end of the year!" when actually this is possibly one of the busiest times for me. Mum came up with the idea of walking from Beachy Head along the Seven Sisters Cliffs, I looked it up and I saw that it wouldn't be massively far but it would a fantastic walk from a scenery point of view. Sure enough it was, it was probably one of the best walks I have done this year.  The weather was fantastic and you could see quite far out to sea. The chalk cliffs snaked along the shoreline, rising and falling every now and again. As you approach Birling Gap you get a great snapshot of the cliffs and the path ahead. Strolling along the tops of the cliffs, ascending and descending frequently was a great way to get re-inspired with walking after the enormity of the challenge had hit home. Patriotism swept over me throughout the journey, having just got back from America, this was a real kick of Great Britain. We may be a small island, but we sure have some fantastic places to visit and there is no place like this island of ours. Before I get into a full blown rant about I why I love England, I will say that if you ever have any friends from overseas, then do take them down to see this place. On the final rise I was met by mum and dad and we headed back to the car.
What a fantastic walk.

Walk Total: 7.0

Dad insisted I had my photo taken ... Dad's huh!

God save the Queen

Kingston to Weybridge
Miles. I need miles ... Who's he?! I digress, I need them and lots of them. I joined up with my old friend The Thames and walked from Kingston to Weybridge. Sadly theres not really much to report about this walk apart from a certain King's palace which was passed. I wasn't in the mood for a great adventure and I wanted something simple and not too big. Setting off from Kingston I told myself to go at a reasonable pace and not over do it too much. Needless to say I bombed it down to Hampton Court Palace, took a few snaps of Old Henry's place and then went on my way. Every now and then you would encounter the groups of rowers being snarled at, STROKE ... STROKE ...STROKE. Many young people being pushed to their limit ... •sigh• welcome to middle class Surrey, where kids are no longer kids but drilled to perform and achieve their master's bidding. Nevertheless a very stale 9.9 miles.

Walk Total: 9.9 miles

Wotton - Leith Hill Loop
I'm running out of local walks to do but I spied this one on the map, and asked Mum if she wanted to join me. I knew it would be under 10 miles and the climb up Leith Hill wouldn't be too strenuous so she agreed. We parked at the church at Wotton and then ambled up through the tiny hamlets on the approach up to Leith Hill (the highest point in Surrey). We walked through a lot of forested areas and it was really quite pleasant strolling through the trees and seeing these stereotypical English villages. We took the gentlest route up Leith Hill and when we finished I was astonished that we had climbed nearly 1000 ft because it certainly didn't feel like we had. If you don't like steep climbs I would highly recommend this route. From here we descended down the much steeper side of Leith Hill to Coldharbour the route from here on in was incredibly straightforward. Straight down the path through the forestry to Wotton. It was a great walk and Mum was rather chuffed that she'd done it.

Walk Total: 8.4 miles

Kingston - Richmond Loop
Another day off, another walk! With a busy week ahead I didn't want to do anything too major so I spied a route from Kingston along old Thamesy through to Richmond and back through the park fighting any deer that crossed my path. From the centre of Kingston along the Thames path avoiding cyclists along the way. As much as I slagged it off earlier I do like walking along the Thames, a lot of people all over the world would love to have the chance to walk along one of the most historic rivers in the world. You feel that history when you see the places you pass, and the buildings you see. I was careful at Teddington lock not to catch rabies as one of the signs said. Don't panic! It was a sign saying that any foreign animals should be declared to prevent the spread of disease. There were stronger border checks there than when I passed through Heathrow a couple of weeks ago! Anyway I left the Thames just before Richmond and headed up a very steep hill to the Park. Richmond park was a myriad of paths and I only went slightly wrong. Sadly I didn't encounter any deer today but nevertheless it was nice to walk through a completely different environment. All too quickly we headed back into the hustle and bustle of Kingston.

Walk total: 8.5

OVERALL TOTAL 303.3

Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

From the sea to halfway and over the seas

Being the holidays and having not really done anything major since the Keswick to Barrow I thought it was about time to get something big done. I go away on holiday on Monday and I wanted to get past the halfway point before then so I needed something big. Something that has been on my list is finishing off the disussed railway line from Shoreham by Sea to Guildford. I had already done a good sizeable chunk as K2B prep but I wanted to get the rest of it done so the plan was to walk from Shoreham through to Christ's Hospital just outside of Horsham.
It felt quite strange starting a walk by the sea, you could smell the salt in the air a feel the wind pushing me North. Walking along the Adur Estuary I watched a few biplanes taking off from the sketchy grass run way at Shorham airport, one of the planes went through a big puddle as it was taking off but that didn't stop it on it's way. I followed the Adur up stream criss crossing it several times throughout the day. I was following the Downs Link path which felt like it was a motorway for walkers, no end in sight, plenty of people on it, people zooming up it and the occasional small child asking their parents if they were nearly there yet. Whilst most people peeled off, I was on the Downs Link for the long haul and I soon got myself into a very steady rhythm, like the lorries that always go at the steady 60 mph. Soon I was at Bramber, a quaint village with the ruined castle that I had seen along the banks of the Adur. From here it was a long and pretty boring slog to Henfield, at points it was pretty picturesque but when the hills behind Upper Beeding were out of sight it was under the trees all the way through the Henfield. I was surprised at how good I felt, 10 miles in and virtually no pain and my pace was consistent at around the 4mph mark. Not bad at all. After a very brief stop for lunch I carried on towards Partridge Green. The Downs Link had been pretty good, a nice path and fairly quite and then you hit Partridge Green where you have to walk along the edge of the main road through the village, it was only a short distance but it wasn't great. From here on I was lining up the stopping points before the end, all were pretty evenly spaced so I hit West Grinstead which was cool, it had it's old platforms in place and the downs link, true to the rail way, emerges from a tunnel and between the platforms. I felt like I should let some passengers off or something. Next stop, Copsale. The marker told me I had 1 +1/2 miles to go but when I got there I checked my tracker and it was in fact 2.2, don't always believe what you read on the signs! From Copsale I knew I only had one more stop before the end and I targeted a finish time of 3:55. It was 2:55 with just under four miles to go. I passed through the back of Southwater and then out the other side and only had about two miles left to go, would I make it?! I like a good time trial. I could see the buildings of Christ's Hospital in the distance and went for it and made it back bang on time.
20.1 miles ... The third longest walk I have ever done and I feel ... well actually ... pretty alright. No more Marton knee or dodgy toe. It's all good.
I knew that the total would bring me close to halfway but I had to check. So the current total is 252.5 Miles! WOHOO! Half Way! Closer to the end than to the start now!

Walk total 20.1 Miles
Overall Total 252.5

When I flew back from Norway in April, I spotted a very interesting looking lake over towards Kent and Sussex and thought it would be a cool place to go and walk around. Sure enough I got the map out and found that it was in fact Bewl Water and that there was a walk that went around the outside of the reservoir. Dad and I decided to go down and tackle it, from the air it looked really interesting. There were so many switch backs and fingers of land stretching out into the lake. You would think that being a lake it would be a pretty flat walk but actually there was a fair bit of undulation, why? Because the reservoir is not actually at sea level but a flooded valley. With that in mind the path then skirts the edge of the surrounding hills and through some very small villages. It was a very hot day and the sun was strong, thankfully there were quite a few trees to give us some relief. There were lots of families out and about enjoying the sunshine tackling the 13 mile route on their bikes, rather them than me on some of those hills. The constant switchbacking got tiring fairly quickly and come the finish we were rather glad to see the last of the inlets and walk on to the dam(n) wall and feel the breeze flowing across the lake. It was only when we were on the dam wall that you could really appreciate how high up we actually were. It was fairly tough in the heat but overall its a nice walk, a bit long for the odd stroll and you do get fed up with all the going in land and then out again.

Walk Total: 13.0

A couple of days after this I flew out to the United States to go and see my good friend Mark who I interned with up in Cumbria. I hadn't seen him for over a year so it was good to catch up with my main Cumbrian hiking partner. Mark was working in Estes Park, Colorado this summer so the mountains were much bigger than the ones we climbed in Cumbria the year before. So much so that the altitude we were starting at was around 7000 ft above sea level. Sadly we didn't get to do too much as Mark wasn't too well and I hadn't (acclimated for our American viewers) acclimatised to the altitude quick enough. What we did do was a short four mile walk to a place called Gem Lake. Gem Lake is a tiny lake about 1,000 ft above the bottom of the valley situated by some stunning rock formations and gorgeous pine forests. It was a steep climb up and the altitude combined with heat was pretty brutal, nevertheless it was a stunning walk with magnificent views across Estes Park and over to Longs Peak, a 14,000+ft peak. We made it up to the lake and saw the intriguing rock face behind it and decided to climb up it. We got almost to the top of it but the highest pinacle of rock was separated from us by a chasm that we couldn't get across sadly. That didn't matter we still had stunning views across the whole area. Afterwards we decided to descend via a more interesting route ... going down the front face of the rock. Mark and I have always liked a challenge and taken on some of Cumbria's more challenging paths so we were in our element. Our descent caused some intrigue back down at the lake as some people were intently watching our every move. "Come on man lets go" One chap said to his friend, "No man, just wait a minute. I'm watching these guys!" he replied "Oh great" I thought, an audience. It looked much, much worse than it actually was. When we got back to the lake I walked around to get some more pictures and the guy stopped us on our way round, congratulating us on our effort. His words were "What you guys did there was amazing". In true British fashion I said, "well it wasn't that hard really". As we left them they too went up the rock face inspired by what they had seen. Please don't panic we did advise them to take there time and gave them tips. It was a great walk in a totally foreign landscape, I would highly recommend the Rocky Mountains in Colorado if you get the chance!

Walk total: 4 Miles: Sadly there is no GPS trace of this walk  
Overall Total: 269.5 Miles 
Please do not forget I am doing this for charity, I am walking 500 miles for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity who support young people with serious and terminal illnesses and their families at the most difficult of times. To donate follow this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

The face Mark and I climbed down ... really not that bad ...