Thu Jan 12, 2017 @ 12:21

Ramble Preamble

The idea was to take a train to Poole, then the ferry from Sandbanks (posh bit of town) to Studland Beach (nudey bit of town with dunes) and camp out for the night.

The one problem with plans is they tend to go wrong. And mine did. Ten minutes into the train journey I tore my pack trying to squeeze everything I'd need for three weeks of winter hiking into a rucksack that just about carried my summer JOGLE kit.

So rather than kicking off with a thoroughly enjoyable night camping in sleet and snow, I have to endure a modest hotel room and hours of patching, stitching, a few tinnies and Jamiroquai off the playlist.

Tomorrow the fun starts. 630 miles over the South West Coast Path. The plan is to average 30 miles a day as a tester and training for the Appalachian Trail in April.

I've never been a lover of hills, but with 91,000 feet of climb (4300 a day) this is a good trainer for the much bigger numbers the AT throws at you. I'm not even getting into that at the moment. It's scary.

Anyways, back to the sewing...