The Weekend We Walked 100km Part 2

...continued from Part 1 (if you haven't read Part 1 yet, check it out here).

It was at this point in the journey that Julie decided enough was enough and she needed to change into her second pair of walking shoes. Her boots had been causing her significant pain in her little toes for the past few stages and she really couldn't take it anymore. Blisters were starting to form! Help! She taped up her feet even further and swapped shoes. Her feet immediately felt a lot better in these as they were much roomier. No doubt her feet had started to swell from the continuous walking.

The muddy stretch into CP5

Starting stage 5 we were discussing about how the weather had changed and how peaceful it was on the Downs at this moment. The views were much clearer and we were given views that we were more used to from training walks. It was still VERY muddy though. Saying that, we were used to avoiding mud and puddles and now it had become the norm to wade through given our limited options.

The mud coming into checkpoint 5 was probably the worst of all the checkpoints. You could probably slide through it like skating. We couldn't imagine how difficult this would be for the runners today. As Josh said, you'd go backwards with each step. This was also another point for Josh to perform a comedy fall.

Anna & Gem at CP5

We entered checkpoint five where Jeff and Gem met us at the check in tent. Gem was telling us all about being towed in by a tractor and being assisted by a very hunky soldier. I'm sure he didn't mind helping out Gem and Anna too much...


At this checkpoint the support had the gazebo up, with bunting made by Gem and her friend Nat with inspirational messages and also pictures from our training walks. Ah happier days, when the walks were shorter and the weather was generally better! Thanks guys! Jo took the opportunity to use the pop up tent to get changed, part of her half way point plan. The change of clothes immediately brought comfort and warmth.

Motivational bunting

We also got our surprises here. Josh and Gubbs got message boards from friends and family from home, while Jo and Julie got video messages via Jeff's iPad, and email messages of support from friends and family. A great morale boost there, thanks.


This was half way and also the checkpoint to put on our head torches and reflective gear as darkness was quickly descending on us.


At the start of this next stage Julie shared her Hardcore Four song with the rest of the group.


To the music of Tom Jones - "Delilah":

Why, Why, Why, are we doing this??

Time to get reflective!

Why, Why, Why, are we doing this??

This is why we're called the Hardcore Four

So P**S OFF rain, we just cannot take any more!

And she also gave us the different options to substitute for rain - pain, mud, etc.

As the darkness fell, the mist also started to close in around the team. Often at points it was difficult to work out where you were going as the light from the headtorches just got lost in the fog. Then, out of the misty gloom we saw the dark shadows of the trees of Chanctonbury Ring. Julie had done some research on this ancient landmark on the internet, coming across stories of witchcraft and ghosts. The team took the opportunity to lift spirits, and possibly scare a nearby team or two by making 'Woooooooooooo' noises in the dark!

After the long climb up to near Chanctonbury Ring, Josh was having some real trouble with his left knee. It was aggravated when sliding around on the mud just before the checkpoint and now it was painful. We slowed the pace right down to enable him to be as comfortable as possible. He wasn't happy, worried that this may put him out of the event. Gubbs got out his iPod in an attempt to change Josh's focus and increase morale. First song on, Highway to Hell - AC/DC. Pretty well summed it up.

A trail of Trailwalkers

Jo was also starting to have trouble with her ankle, which had swollen up and started to bruise.  Limited as to what she could do to help ease the pain, Jo stuck a trusty Compeed blister plaster on it and crossed her fingers. If they could work for blisters, surely they might be able to heal bruised ankles, right??...

Although we had a struggle, the head torches behind us before we headed down to the checkpoint was a sight to behold, it's not everyday you can see such a sight and so it was a special one.

After a few more songs, ranging from Michael Jackson and Queen to Foo Fighters, we eventually found our way into Botolphs, another closed checkpoint to support crew.

Here Josh seeked help in the medical tent only to come out shortly after saying "I feel a lot better now - there are people in there passed out! I'm not so bad really!" I guess it provided some perspective.

A common sight of the weekend; Gurkhas pushing cars
out of muddy checkpoints!

We exited the checkpoint via the bog of the field and walked along the side of the river, equally boggy. Then we met night support crew Tracy and Peter at 1am in a petrol station in Upper Beeding. They were there without Jeff this time as he headed somewhere to catch some sleep before the next checkpoint. They had been waiting patiently there for hours ready for us to arrive. When we did eventually arrive we dealt with all our ailments and also picked up the glow sticks/rings that Tracy and Peter had supplied us. They even tied on the LED filled balloon onto Gubbs' backpack so he could be found in the dark!


Josh applied enough ibuprofen gel on his knee to put a small animal to sleep and also used Gubbs' knee strap to try and improve his situation.


Improve it did, we scaled the tough hill climb out of Upper Beeding without any issues and our stage 7 speed was looking good. Tackling this monster of a hill in the dark seemed to make it easier than when it had been scaled in training walks, possibly because you couldn't see how far away the top on the hill was! Going downhill was the only thing slowing us down a little with both Josh and Gubbs having some knee issues on the slopes.

The team entering CP7

We could see checkpoint 7 in the distance, lit up by a massive flood light. We could hear the beat of a drum as we approached too. Jo's plan for us all along had been to reach checkpoint 7, as she had heard from another team's blog that one of the Gurkha's had said, 'if you can make it to checkpoint 7 and get going again, you'll make it to the finish'.


Stopping for a quick break before the checkpoint we made conversation with a couple of lads in another team. They were telling us that they were going to have to call it a day as they were in so much pain. We were feeling relatively upbeat, we certainly weren't stopping now.


That's until we got to the car at the checkpoint with a plate of pasta. That's when the tiredness hit us. It was 4am. We all hit the wall. Jo's injuries were still causing her grief and we weren't in the best of shapes. Julie had taped her feet up so much that you could even see a square inch of skin any more! It was all tape and plaster!! Checkpoints now were becoming a place to sit and take the weight off your feet, which were getting more and more painful. There was less food being taken on with our stomachs really not wanting any more, and less stretching being done.


As darkness turned into light, we were not treated to a nice sun rise, just the grey got lighter. Not that we cared too much, we were cold and tired and would have done anything to the finish right now.

Almost there... CP8

The next stage was tough. We started worrying that we may not make some of the checkpoint closure times. We were going to finish this one way or another. We just wanted there to be some people left at Brighton Racecourse when we arrived that's all!!

We got into Jack & Jill to a wonderful welcome by the volunteers! A great bunch of people. We checked in and asked about the checkpoint closure times. One of the Gurkha's informed us that there would be some flexibility in the times today and so we weren't to worry.

CP8 Sock changing

Here Jo & Julie sorted out some new socks  and got a quick shoulder massage from support crew Jeff. Josh sorted out his undies (his undercarriage was getting very chaffed poor lad) and Gubbs just sat and stared into space.

We said goodbye to Tracy and Peter here. They weren't to see us at Brighton Racecourse as they were to head back home for sleep. They deserved it too staying up all night and morning waiting for us.

CP8 and knackered

We knew the next stage would be a killer. It goes on for what seems to be an eternity and when you are in pain it just doesn't help. Josh's injuries were getting the better of him and unfortunately that meant he slowed to keep the pain at bay. Gubbs was now suffering a lot more from chaffing and was desperate to get some new pants on at the next checkpoint!

Jo and Julie put on their MP3 players to give them a little extra motivation and it worked with Julie humming the Jackson 5 immediately!

As we neared the middle part of the stage we could see the windmill to mark checkpoint 9 in the distance. Though it was good to see it, it also looked sooooooo far away. One good thing was that the sun decided to make a long awaited appearance at this stage. At least it looked like the rain was gone for the time being.

About two thirds of the way through we had a stop and checked to see if Josh would be OK to go on. There was worry in the team and also from the support crew, who were keeping abreast of the situation, that he might be doing himself some real damage.

However, asking Josh whether he wanted to pull out was like a red rag to a bull, immediately after that and a fresh underwear change, Josh was in a different gear, determined to show everyone that he would finish this, pain or no pain.

We cracked on and met Jeff walking towards us about 40 minutes from the end of the stage and he offered a bag carrying service for the way into checkpoint 9! This was good news for Jo as her knee had started to become painful too, as she'd joined Josh and Gubbs' club! Although being a girl she shed a few tears at this point, while the boys took it like men! (Editorial note: This was Jo's text, not Gubbs' at the fear of being given some abuse!)

A busy CP9!

Heading into the checkpoint we could see some new faces here to welcome us, some surprises - Lucy, Josh's girlfriend, as well as Lilian and Steve, Gubbs' parents, all of whom were supposed to meet us at Brighton Racecourse by now if original plans were correct!

It was a nice surprise and a welcome boost to morale. To add to that, Gem and Anna were making bacon rolls! This was the checkpoint we wanted to get to. We knew that after that last killer stage we could finish this.

The racecourse was only 10km away... What could go wrong??

The final part - Part three can be read here.

Changing Faces

The Jubilee Weekend Blog Update

After a very enjoyable and successful Pub Quiz last week, we have some BIG news...

Start Time

First of all we have received our start time for the day itself. We had hoped for a 8am start, so we were pretty happy to be given a 9am slot. If nothing else it gives us an extra hour in bed before heading to the start, so that can't be a bad thing.

New Team Line Up

Who's that chap in the bottom left...?

Secondly we have had a team member change. It is with sadness that we have to report that Gem, having done all that training and fundraising until recently, has had to step down from the Hardcore Four team following advice from her doctor... The doctor actually would advise against anyone doing it even if healthy, but we'll breeze over that...

...that said Gem isn't going to slide off to Trailwalker retirement quietly. You may have noticed that having been unable to participate in our last training walk, Gem provided us with support team practice with friend Anna. She did so well that we've decided to move Gem to a backroom staff role (in football terms), or a 'promotion' (if that makes her feel better), to be a part of a new and third support team sitting in the middle of our two existing support teams on event day. This is a role we know Gem will enjoy and will enable her to remain part of this challenge as it was her who suggested doing it in the first place! In addition, we've had confirmation from Anna that she'd like to partner Gem in that support team, so thanks Anna!

All that said, Gem is still gutted she will not be getting a Trailwalker t-shirt!

We obviously needed to replace Gem, and that we did, with a good friend of Gubbs'; Josh who Gubbs met through work 5 years ago.  Josh's profile is up on the Team page for you all to check out. He must be mad for joining us at this late stage, but for that we are eternally grateful, and we'll hand him over to the men in the white coats after we finish Trailwalker.

Enough of that, there's walking to be done

This week we looked at hiking a route that was a little scaled back in terms of distance to ease Josh in. So we selected the 17 odd miles between Washington and Jack & Jill Windmills (Stages 6-8).

The entertainment started for Jo, Gubbs & Josh on the drive to the end point, where they were to meet Julie. Josh was describing how he had been reading about the correct way to hang a Union Flag and how hanging it upside down could be considered a distress signal. So we started a game of spot the flag and whether it was hung correctly or not. We spotted about 5 in this part of the journey all of which must have had some distressed owners as they were all upside down! ...either that or Josh was getting his facts wrong, which he admitted getting from a primary school web site...

It was a windy morning at Jack & Jill. Wind that would stay with us through much of the walk leading to a feeling of being quite windswept.

When we did this route a couple of months ago in early April we were unable to find the actual starting point for the stage. As it turned out we were well off, trying to walk down the verge of the northbound A24 duel carriageway. After a bit of research we found that actually if you were finishing stage 5 you do not reach the A24 but rather work your way down a footpath through some woodland before turning into a field. So today we decided to give that a go, and while we didn't go into the field we followed the footpath to the grounds of a posh boarding school where we would exit the checkpoint to continue on to stage 6.

Beacon ready atop Chanctonbury Hill

As we walked we realised that the golf course mentioned in the instructions was actually part of the school grounds too! We started to discuss the kind of cost of sending your child to such a school and after a little research it turns out to be up to £7,000 a term, so not cheap then!

Anyway back on to the walk, when we climbed to the top of Chanctonbury Hill, not only were we greeted with the expected sight of Chanctonbury Ring, but also a huge pile of wood which we could only assume would be used in this evening's nationwide beacon lighting for the Jubilee celebrations.

As we walked along the hills towards checkpoint 6 we wondered across a free range pig farm which had a fresh batch of piglets running and jumping about, leading Josh to question where Eeyore was??

We continued along ended up at the checkpoint in Botolphs where we stopped for a 15 minute break for some sandwiches/rolls and a quick stretch before heading out on stage 7 towards Devils Dyke.

This was our opportunity to introduce Josh with one of the more 'challenging' hills we've come to expect from the Trailwalker course and it's one that he very much 'enjoyed'.

Paraglider high in the sky

As we neared Devil's Dyke we spotted a sole paraglider who was floating through the sky above us. He looked like he was in a sleeping bag, having been surprised after waking up to be found floating through the air.  There's a prank to be had there...

We had another 15 minute break at Devil's Dyke and then proceeded on to our 3rd and final stage of the day, now heading toward the car park at Jack & Jill windmills.

As we set off we felt the spots of rain after Gubbs had recently said "Looks like we'll be alright today...", referring to the weather. Nice work Gubbs. Luckily it didn't amount to much and we didn't have to crack the waterproofs out.

We also got a sponsorship notification while out on this section, which really rises the smiles we can tell you! So thanks to The Bings (Anna's parents) for your very well timed sponsorship!

We reached the car park after 6 hours 37 minutes walking 18.5 miles.

One walk down for Josh, with no blisters which he was very chuffed about. Next week we will up the miles by another 7.

Strong To The Final Furlong...

We had this Saturday marked in our diaries for some time. This was to be the biggest one to date (until it was prematurely eclipsed by Jo, Gem & Gubbs' walk along the Clarendon Way a couple of weeks ago). This was Stage 7 to the end, 25 miles.

With Gem still feeling some of the effects from the walk a couple of weeks ago, she decided to provide support team cover for us, and even managed to rope in friend Anna to assist and provide company for the day.

Our starting point was a lay by on the A283 relatively near the checkpoint in Botolphs. From here we were able to join the Trailwalker route by the river easily and proceeded on through Upper Beeding, before heading to the dreaded climb out of the village.

The hill that just keeps on giving

We knew what was coming after having done this stage previously. So we made ourselves comfortable, shedding the extra layers of clothes that we would no longer need for the climb, for this would really work up a sweat!

When you get to the top and look back towards the village, you see yourself how far up you have climbed.

We walked on after a quick viewing stop (aka breather). We were headed for Devils Dyke where our support crew would be waiting.

On this section we passed a number of 4 strong teams of young lads we presume were doing DofE, or a scout trip, or something. We passed many of them looking enviously at our light day packs compared to their heavy bags laden with camping gear. This was also when Jo revealed her competitive streak asking if it was just her or "do you just want to get past anyone who is walking in front of you?" We can only imagine the kind of pace Jo'll be looking to lay down on Trailwalker day with hundreds of teams out there!

Further along this section we were dodging the minefield of cowpats and cattle which led Julie to dub this Pat Land (though we thought there was no picture necessary for the blog...)

View from Devil's Dyke car park

As we approached Checkpoint 7 at Devils Dyke we called our support crew to let them know we were almost there, to find that they were not yet! This had us wondering what they have been up to the last two hours! Thankfully they arrived just before we did, apparently fresh from a hot chocolate at Marks & Spencer's and a stroll along the beach in Shoreham!

This is the first time we've had a support crew and we felt almost pampered at the service we were receiving. The car park at Devils Dyke was not too busy with just a group of motorcyclists riding up to catch some of the views.

Heading to Jack & Jill

After a 10 minute break we headed off again on the next stage, momentarily jumping out of the way of a group of cyclists heading down the hill. We had our revenge shortly afterwards though when tackling another incline. These boots were made for climbing, and their bikes (or legs at least) perhaps were better suited for downhill. We overtook the cyclists one by one (perhaps taking in some of Jo's competitive streak).

At the top of this hill we could see the Jack & Jill windmills which is the location for the next checkpoint. Gubbs' phone was chiming to indicate an email which turned out to be a notification of sponsorship! Thanks Elisa for the very well timed sponsorship which had us beaming as we walked on.

Julie's worked flint find

This downhill section towards the A23 crossing was also an unsuspecting place for Julie to make an archaeological find, but nevertheless, she picked up a piece of flint that had been worked into a tool. She explained how the shape on one side is only ever formed by the breaking by force and the claw like workings had also been worked out to form a tool. This was an exiting find, which required an excited picture at the checkpoint!

Unknown to us, Gem and Anna were watching from the windmills and they could just about make us out as we walked down the hill.

When we got to the checkpoint Gem and Anna had coffee and hot chocolate ready for us with a blanket laid out ready for stretches. What service! It wasn't a cold day but something different to drink from water and energy drinks was well received.

Nice view for a stretch

This was also our lunch stop and we tucked into the sandwiches and pasta made the night before and enjoyed the views from Jack & Jill car park.  We stretched a little and applied the sun cream at this checkpoint as the sun was quite strong.

We left our support crew after a 30 minute lunch break, probably our longest ever, and headed out on stage 9, the last unknown quantity for us on the Trailwalker course.

This stage's biggest issue is the distance and some interesting navigation when you get close to Lewes. Other than that it is mostly downhill, until a short sharp incline across a field after crossing the A27.

Say hello to my little friend...

Most of the stage covers open hill tops with some nice views in all directions, passing a couple of Ice cream vans on route, which proved particularly tempting, but we held off!

Part of the way through the stage we saw some horses being ridden around in a field and then we reached the racing stables, which is where we saw a great sight of little and large...

Going strong

We have heard many things of the Gallops area of this stage and so we kept a keen eye out for the sharp right turn that we'd need to take. Gubbs, ever ready, had taken to warning Jo and Julie that he had a feeling it would be very close, and this he claimed about 5 times in about 15 minutes, with no sign of it. In the end he decided to keep his feelings to himself.

As we headed towards the checkpoint at Kingston, which we could for most of the stage by spotting the white windmill without it's sails, we could see a couple of people in the distance with florescent jackets waving - this was Gem's attempt to embarrass Anna as much as possible.

Our support crew for the day

We stopped again for a snack, change of socks and chat, and the time just flew by. It was 25 minutes before we left again for the final two stages, which in total would be less distance than the last one we had walked.

It was also time to say good bye to Gem & Anna, for now, who would meet us at Brighton Racecourse to take us home.

Stage 10 we knew would be about an hour to complete, so pretty short. The only challenge with this one is the large hill on the way out of Kingston. This was a head down and pull yourself up it moment. With legs and feet a little tired after the mileage so far it wasn't fun, but had to be done. We know it will be worse in July after many more miles so little time to complain!

The sheds at checkpoint 10

After reaching the top there was time for another stretch and then onwards to the checkpoint. This we found though fields that were full of sheep last time but they were long gone looking at the growth of the grass. We had found the checkpoint from memory after completing this section previously.

Then it was the final stage which none of us are a fan of for the following reasons:

1. It seems to go on forever.
2. The scenery isn't as nice after about 3km following a track behind houses.
3. It goes on forever.
4. By this stage you are going to be knackered.
5. It really goes on forever.

We worked our way up the final hill of the day, conversation now was getting light, we were tired. There was some delight in seeing the racetrack followed by some confusion as we saw Gem and Anna drive towards us on not the road but the dusty track we were walking parallel with. Apparently they were just checking where we were, but they had no offer of a lift...

So as we watched them drive off towards our finish line we trudged on and on until we finally made it.

And as we did Gem & Anna were providing entertainment of their own giving commentary for the race to the finish!

Time for another stretch/flake, popping some ibuprofen tablets and then crowding into the car for the journey home with our semi-sunburnt faces.

Total distance 25 miles in a total time of 10 hours and 21 minutes, including 1 hour and 20 minutes on breaks at checkpoints (we may need to be a little stricter on that!)

Easter Weekender Part I: The Walk

Jack & Jill Windmills at Trailwalker Checkpoint 8

Well, what a busy Easter weekend for the Hardcore Four; a training walk, some big success with acquiring quiz raffle prize donations, and a surprisingly successful fundraising car boot sale. It was a good job we had the long weekend to pack this much in.  There is soooo much to talk about we are splitting this blog update into three. So we start with...

The Training Walk
Good Friday allowed the team to hike across more of the Trailwalker route as we seek to walk the whole course through our training. This week it was stages 6, 7 and 8, taking us from Washington to Jack & Jill Windmills. The distance should have been 16.2 miles, but in-keeping with what is now a Hardcore Four tradition, we inadvertently increased the distance.  This time though, it was not our fault...honest!

This is the first time we have done more than two stages which meant taking two of our OS maps, and in addition to the route's positioning on those maps, it meant we had to become experts the art of map folding.

A view from the car park at Checkpoint 8

We drove in convoy to the end point first, checkpoint 8, and dropped a car off with Jack & Jill Windmills. It was a fantastically clear and bright morning, although a little chilly. The views from the car park were stunning, but we had a walk to do so we drove back to Washington, our start point.

Washington is checkpoint 5 and it is likely to be the checkpoint where the day support crew, Jeff & Stewart, hand over to the night support crew, Tracy & Peter.

Jo showing off her new BAM trousers

The checkpoint itself is in a field, which outside of Trailwalker time, is not accessible by Joe Public so we parked up at a South Downs Way car park on the other side of the busy A24 and made our way to the real checkpoint so we could follow the instructions supplied.

Gubbs stretching...we think.

Unfortunately they start with "Leave the South Eastern corner of CP5...", which meant the path we should be following was in this field we could not access. We could see from the map that this should follow the west side of the A24 south until a bridge which we should cross. Attempting to walk along the verge of the A24 was quickly thwarted as bushes would have forced us to walk on the road. Valuing our lives more than our stage 6 replica timing, we decided to head back to the car park and work our way up the South Downs Way (SDW) instead.  The Trailwalker route meets up with the SDW in any case, so we thought we would just wait for paths to meet and we could walk down to the road again so to see the terrain we faced.  This is where we earned our additional 3 and a bit miles!

The start of the stage takes you up a long incline so we stopped for a quick stretch at the top. Once you make the top it is all down hill the rest of the way, leaving you to enjoy your lofty position, giving you some of the best views from the South Downs that we have experienced so far. It is unfortunate to think that at this stage of Trailwalker for us it will be getting dark.

The team taking on water in front of Chanctonbury Dew Pond

Continuing along the route we passed a dew pond when we were reminded to keep drinking.

A little further along we saw Chanctonbury Ring, a hill fort built in the Iron Age, turned temple location in Roman times, but now known for its ring of beech trees.

As we approached we heard howling. Were these Iron Age ghosts making themselves known at our presence..?

No, as it turned out it was just a pack of search dogs and their trainers that we spotted earlier in the car park.

Walking towards Chanctonbury Ring

We followed the path around the South side of the Ring and continued on our route.

This was a popular location for walkers and cyclists on Friday.  Maybe it was the extra day off work, the weather, or that we were at a landmark, but we saw more people on this stretch than we were normally used to.

This was Jo's first outing with her new Deuter backpack after finding that her old one was a little too big for the purposes of Trailwalker. Julie told the team about the survival instructions that are printed on the inside of the bag. She started demonstrating the signs to helicopters for 'Yes, I need help' and 'No, I don't need help'. Julie had only finished with her demonstration when a helicopter raced over our heads. We realised that Shoreham Airport was just a short distance away and perhaps practising these signs were not the best of ideas here!

YES PLEASE HELP!

We stopped for lunch at checkpoint 6 which is a small field off the SDW. Jo made some butternut squash soup which was very tasty and really hit the spot! This is one that we'll need to have again on the future walks.

On this walk we all took more food than last week and it seemed to help us stay motivated and energised. Julie made some very nice cookies which we had in our pockets to snack on as we walked and Gem dished her tasty brownies later too.  We started up again 22 minutes later making note to keep an eye on our stop times.

Stile, Gate or Cattle Grid? You decide...

The beginning of stage 7 takes you alongside the River Adur for a short distance before arriving in the village of Upper Beeding. The route takes you into residential housing before heading past a petrol station (where we stopped for some cold drinks and a toilet break), then into another residential cul-de-sac. At the end of this cul-de-sac we met the second climb of the day, this one was the worst though. It was a continuous climb going from almost sea level to 200m elevation. Energy gels and sweets taken at the top prior to hitting the deck, and as we turned back the views were well worth the slog.

It was also at the top of this incline that Gubbs found that his right walking pole tip had gone missing! Cue the *Tink* sound of metal on flint for the rest of the walk.

Paragliders from Devils Dyke

The path continued along the hilltops until checkpoint 7 at the Devils Dyke. This is where we were able to view a number of paragliders being lifted from the top of the hill into the air and gliding in the air above us. What a way to spend an afternoon. It looked very relaxing once you were up there, though we're unsure on your level of control!

We took a 12 minute stop at checkpoint 7 to snack and stretch a little.

From this point on the topic of conversation turned to being able to see the Jack and Jill windmills that we left hours ago. We knew that we would be able to see them on the hilltop, so at every hill we took on in this stage we were asking ourselves if this was the one we'd be able to see the windmills. It seemed that we'd never get there until finally we got to the top of the last one and we could see them. We knew the end was in sight! At this point Gubbs found that his other walking pole tip had also gone missing. We're going to need spares.

No balls please.

After that it was just a case of wondering through a golf course looking out for flying balls. Luckily for us there weren't any golfers playing with a drive like Gubbs, so we survived to run the gauntlet again in July (though in July will probably be going through here in the early hours of the morning!)

Finally the path took us to Jack & Jill and the car. The sky had at this point clouded over and it felt colder again so we were pleased to be heading home.

We completed our trek in 8 hours and 8 minutes covering 19.5 miles.