How am I planning my route? 

Last year, while on a hiking holiday in the Alps, my attention was drawn to the well-kept trails and footpaths. I have long known of such routes, like the Camino de Santiago, but also, of the long-distance paths that go throughout Europe. In fact, the Camino de Santiago is one of the most famous.  Also known as the Way of St James, it is a well-known pilgrimage route, of medieval origin. Pilgrims would journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwest Spain. There are in fact, many different routes to Santiago, so people choose their personal preference. The most common is the Camino Frances, known as the French Way.

My walk isn’t really a pilgrimage, though. Or is it? Having written the sentence, I looked up the (f)actual meaning of pilgrimage: “A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.” This is from Wikipedia and looking at it in this way I have to say it fits. I’m just not yet sure about returning to daily life. But then again: finding that out is what the big hike is about after all.

You can find out more about this by reading my blog, ‘Why I decided to Walk’ (link).

When the idea first came to me, to walk, I thought I might do the Southwest Coastal Path, or the Macmillan Way. Both of these walks are beautiful. The former starts in Minehead, Somerset, runs along the coast of Somerset, into North Devon, into Cornwall, back into Devon and then ending in Dorset – in Poole Harbour. It’s the longest of the UK’s National Trails.  The latter, the MacMillan Way, in support of Macmillan Cancer, runs along sea banks and river banks from the Lincolnshire fens, via Stamford, ending up in Abbotsbury on the Dorset coast.

However, always in the back of my mind, I felt these walks were not “enough”. They seemed too tame. As I have chosen to walk away from all my creature comforts, my friends and community, I wanted to do something with a real challenge, not something that would be like a walk in the park (not that I think those walks would be a walk in the park!). I want to feel I’ve achieved something unique when I finish. Therefore, I’ve worked out the route I want to take, making use of some of those well-known and lesser-known national paths.

Initially, I thought I’d walk down the Thames Path, then cross over, near Windsor to the North Downs Way, and follow that to Dover to make my way across the channel. But, as I’m starting in July, the thought of being stuck in a heatwave in Continental Europe wasn’t appealing.

Instead, I turned my thoughts northwards, to Scotland.

I have loved Scotland ever since I first set a foot in Edinburgh about fifteen years ago, so it makes sense to be walking towards somewhere I love.

Of course, the next stage was to plan my own route. So, using OS Maps, guidebooks and the OS app, I have carefully planned out the first part of the route. After researching the other long-distance pathways and walks in the UK, I also have a rough idea how it’s going to continue onwards. Though an important part of this hike is the freedom of choice: changing direction or distance at a moment’s notice (or when I’m too sore to trod on). 

The Cotswold Way runs from Bath to Chipping Campden. I’m going join at King’s Stanley (walking there from Cherington) and continue to Chipping Campden, where it meets up with the Heart of England Way. That will take me through undulating farmland and lowland heath, woodlands and riverside paths, ending up in Cannock Chase. From there I join the End to End Trail that runs from the bottom tip of England to the top tip of Scotland. I will meander through the changing countryside, by passing towns and cities, ending up in Inverness.

It is so exciting and feels rewarding, to think how much ground I’m going to cover. On foot.  Most important for me is to have plenty of non-tarmac routes. Good for me, and very important for the joints (and paws) of my two black labs – Doctor Watson and Captain Hastings (side note: they have their own Instagram account should you wish to check out their side of the story). Tarmac isn’t great for long-distance walking: whether you’re human or animal. Aside from the heat it holds on sunny days, it’s also very hard making walking on it a possible source for joint injury (or at least a lot of sore muscles). Another upside of staying off the roads as there’s more hope to have shaded areas, woodlands, tree covers, and the odd lake or river to cool off in.

Incredibly, I’m going to travel through 14 different English and Scottish counties on my walk.

Starting out in Gloucestershire -Warwickshire -West Midland – North Warwickshire – Staffordshire – Cheshire – Lancashire – Cumbria – Dumfries – Peebles – Lothian – Kinross – Perth – finishing in Inverness.  A length of about 600 miles!

I’m going to see some amazing scenery: countryside, beautiful villages and small towns, glorious English and Scottish landscapes, all of which will be very varied. I wonder how they will differ and whether it’s the architecture more than the landscape that is going to change more. 

Weather wise, I’m hoping it’s not going to be sweltering, but I don’t want non-stop rain either. I’m an early riser so will get a good few hours of walking in before noon. That way I can rest throughout the hottest part of the day if needs be. The rough plan is to be in Inverness around the end of August / beginning of September. So, for the return journey, the weather will definitely be different. But that’s part of the experience – and possibly part of the fun as well, right?

If you are interested in learning more about my travels, please follow my blog, on my website: www.thewanderlustcoach.com