My 400 mile charity walk - advice needed please

[boisdevie]

Next summer I'm planning to walk 400 miles from my house to my Dads' grave to raise money for the Alzheimers Society. Dad died with this awful disease at the age of just 66. So, I'm asking anyone and everyone for advice. The route will be mostly canal towpath in late May/early June so I'm looking for advice particularly on distance per day, should I program in days off, what's the best equipment to wear?
My own thoughts are 20 miles per day, no days off and for equipment so far I think Karrimor KSB shoes. For the rest I have no idea but will approach Karrimor to be a sponsor.
So advice would be most gratefully received.

 

[sandbender]

I spent the last five years of his life caring for my father, people used to say "oh it must be terrible for you", well sometimes yes, but for the most part we had a great time together. So I cannot say that I know what you went through, some have it much worse than others. I wish you all the best on your walk.

It can be fairly hot at that time of the year, are you walking further into France? Make sure you have enough water for each day, hydrate properly, I find using a cup helps me measure what I'm putting into me.

Carry as little as you can, you'll get more from the walk if your not bent double looking at the ground.

I wear all terrain sandals for summer walking, this stops my feet from getting sweaty but I appreciate that not everyone wants to walk without shoes or boots.

I use a poncho rather than a set of waterproofs, its lighter and gives me a small tarp for lunch stops when its wet.

Twenty kilometers a day is a nice even pace, good for a long trip but try to fit at least one rest day in to the schedule, you don't have to use it but its nice to have some leeway.

I hope this helps.

 

[ged]

Have you done anything like this before? Twenty miles a day isn't exactly pushing the boundaries but I wouldn't recommend just setting off without first finding out how bits of your body (and feet!) cope.

Where will this be done? If it's in France, surprise weather at that time of year could easily give you problems.

Are you training yet?

Where/how will you be sleeping? Hotel, B&B, tarp? What kind of support will you be getting en route?

You'll need plenty of water, and carrying it all might not be an option. I could easily drink four or five litres of water on a twenty mile hike, more if it's very hot.
There are more public places that have potable water in France than there are in the UK so plan to walk past them if you can.

For your feet, whatever is comfortable and will take rough treatment. The rest of it very much weather dependent. You'll probably need a hat with a wide brim plus maybe something to drape loosely around you to shield your arms from the sun, and plenty of sun block cream. Wet weather is less of a problem.

 

[boisdevie]

Have you done anything like this before? Twenty miles a day isn't exactly pushing the boundaries but I wouldn't recommend just setting off without first finding out how bits of your body (and feet!) cope.

I'm not going to just set off and hope for the best. This is why the planning begins now and the walk will be done next year.

Where will this be done? If it's in France, surprise weather at that time of year could easily give you problems.

Apart from a brief bit in France it will be in the UK. I'm not expecting lovely sunshine every day.

Are you training yet?

I will be from this weekend.

Where/how will you be sleeping? Hotel, B&B, tarp? What kind of support will you be getting en route?

Planning to sleep in peoples' houses. Support during the day? None. But I will be inviting people to walk with me if that counts as support.

 

[tim_c]

Sounds good. Best of luck with your walk and training etc.

20-miles per day sounds reasonable but I'd recommend a day-off per 5, 7 or 10 days. (Or plan to take 2-days off on a flexible basis). It will take a toll on your feet and you'll certainly feel better if you have a day to sort yourself out. Any blisters, pulled/twisted muscle or rucksack-rub can be very distracting from an otherwise pleasant walk.

Practice walking is probably the best thing you can do. This'll give you a chance to wittle down the kit you like and the amount of water/snacks to take. Training like 10 miles day 1, 15 day-2, 20 d3, 25 d4, 30 d5 will give you a good idea about toll on feet & muscles.

Check-out Shewie's excellent post about kit for the TGO challenge (Clothes, water-proofs and shoes, rest of the kit is probably irrelevant if you're not sleeping or cooking outside.)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89562&p=1079851#post1079851

Second best thing is planning a route that includes food, toilets and sleep stops. There is a lot available near the canal. Although my experience is limited to Milton Keynes / Northampton / Rugby but there were lots of pubs, villages and marinas with all the shops and facilities you'll want.

 

[lannyman8]

i have done 40+ miles a day with support though, carrying all the team kit, flares, first aid, sleeping bag etc, just in case the brown stuff hit the fan...

i was going through 8 liters of water a day, the terrain was hilly and most days warm, the support team would set of off then go and set up that nights camp, return to us with water then go ahead again and cook food for lunch at a set point, then replen water in the afternoon, before going ahead to cook dinner....

if your walking allot of miles remember the 1 hour rule, get as many carbs as possible within the hour after you stop, the body absorbs more of them and has more time to replenish your body, drink loads of water at night even if it means getting up for a pee at night, your body is adleast 20 % more effective when fully hydrated.....

best of luck with it all, and get some practice in, tape your feet before you get blisters, it will save a whole lot of time, effort and pain, take some anti inflammatory pain killers when you start (ibuprofen), and keep on taking them, take them at the specified times even if your not in pain, it will help loads with your knees and back as long as you keep on top of them the whole time....

regards

chris.

regards.

chris

 

[lannyman8]

boisdevie, hows the prep and planning going for this walk, it would be good to see some pic's if you have a chance when your out and about....

good luck with it...

 

[Edcraft]

That's a good stroll that Good cause. Good luck

 

[Gus1990]

Hello, I'm a long distance hiker. I've walked 3 of scotlands long trails and one 200 mile trek last summer.

A few things I would say:

Firstly I wouldn't expect to achieve 20 miles per day average. Yes on a flat canal towpath you may do a 30 mile day but you will find it difficult to keep this up for many days in a row from my experience. If I were you, I'd plan for 15 mile days average. Although it has to be said I carry all my overnight kit which you won't have to worry about so you may be a little faster (and better fed).

In terms of kit I'd say just keep it light and simple, especially if you are sleeping in houses.

Rucksack: a 20 litre day sack should do the trick.
Clothing: goretex paclite waterproofs are probably what you want, as I'd imagine it will mainly be lowland walking?
A sunhat may be an idea as previously mentioned. Also zip off trousers are good so you can wear them as shorts when its hot.
Water: you don't need to spend a fortune on a camelback, platic screw on top bottles are cheap, easily replaceable and lightweight. (+I find after a while camelbacks get manky and leave a funny taste to the water unless you are very diligent at keeping them clean)
Food: I normally taked non-perishables like cerial bars and dried fruit but you could easily make a sandwich each morning so its not much of an issue.


In terms of phisical preparation it may be an idea to do a 2-3 day hike to assess your fitness to figure out what kind of mileages you are comfortable with. Training is not essential as you can just start with low mileages and build up if you prefer.

Give me a shout if you have any more specific questions.

 

[Edcraft]

I agree with gus. 15-18 miles a day over big hills is about right in my experience with 20kg and tenting it.

 

[21st century pict]

Like Gus 1990 I’m also an experienced long distance walker. With 1000 o miles under my belt and no blisters, wear the boots you plan to walk in for about a month before you go and wear nothing else on your feet and you won’t have any boot blister problems. Wear some clean and worn in thin cotton shocks under a light to medium wool shock and you won’t have any blister worries with your feet. The most I’ve done in 24 hours is 55 mile hike and never had any blisters, but I did have to carry my dog home.
Anything over 14 mile a day is a good walk, 18 to 25 miles is very good going but you may find the next day tough going.
A 35liter pack @ around 10-12 kilo should be plenty.
Have a big breakfast, Take a hour and a bit off around midday and have a good big meal and pack in loads o carbs pastas, cheese, oat cakes, pepperoni, beer, a rest and some fast and slow release crabs, and that will help you to keep you going all day. Have a good meal and a dram at night you deserve it and try to get a good night’s sleep and u will be fit for the next day.
Try not to push yourself to hard the first couple o days and just find your natural pace and don’t set any time restrictions and u will get there ok.
I have seen shed loads of people set out on the West Highland Way with massive packs and F### off home after only 12 mile on the first day , GO LIGHT.
If you’re hurting just take a day off as and when required.
All the best Bro...

 

[Opal]

Like Gus 1990 I’m also an experienced long distance walker. With 1000 o miles under my belt and no blisters, wear the boots you plan to walk in for about a month before you go and wear nothing else on your feet and you won’t have any blister problems. Wear some clean and worn in thin cotton shocks under a light to medium wool shock and you won’t have any blister worries with your feet. The most I’ve done in 24 hours is 55 mile hike and never had any blisters, but I did have to carry my dog home.
Anything over 14 mile a day is a good walk, 18 to 25 miles is very good going but you may find the next day tough going.
A 35liter pack @ around 10-12 kilo should be plenty.
Have a big breakfast, Take a hour and a bit off around midday and have a good big meal and pack in loads o carbs pastas, cheese, oat cakes, pepperoni, beer, a rest and some fast and slow release crabs, and that will help you to keep you going all day. Have a good meal and a dram at night you deserve it and try to get a good night’s sleep and u will be fit for the next day.
Try not to push yourself to hard the first couple o days and just find your natural pace and don’t set any time restrictions and u will get there ok.
I have seen shed loads of people set out on the West Highland Way with massive packs and F### off home after only 12 mile on the first day , GO LIGHT.
If you’re hurting just take a day off as and when required.
All the best Bro...

Cos' the dog ended up with blisters, right?

 

[21st century pict]

Fortunately for me it was the Jack Russell and not the Bull mastiff ...

 

[21st century pict]

Oops sorry .......gave it the old double tap there ...nothing to see here please move along....

 

[boisdevie]

boisdevie, hows the prep and planning going for this walk, it would be good to see some pic's if you have a chance when your out and about....

good luck with it...

It’s early days because the walk is 12 months off. But I”ve made lots of decisions already which I hope are the good ones. As ever, advice etc gratefully received. Yes, photos will be taken.

I need to plan my exact route well in advance in order to get the nightly accomodation sorted out and also to let people (inc celebrities) know when and we’re I’m walking so I can walk with people and get the local media into the act. So I have decided to do 20 miles approx per day and no rest days. Because I plan to stay in private houses my sack is going to be very light so that should be OK and I reckon 20 miles a day with a daysack is easily doable. I shall get caches of clean clothes etc at various points along the route so wont have to carry too much.
I have a year to prepare for this and shall do some very serious walking beforehand and I shall also break in the footwear. I’m 48 years old and have a physical job so personal fitness should be OK, especially once I’ve done some training. I’m not overweight, don’t smoke and don’t drink so don’t foresee any problems.

 

[gobfish1]

For the uk canals, id get a collins/nicholson waterways guide ,, also a british waterways key (free drinking water) and a wash
Also looking up canalplan/ac ( good for planning you trip along the uk canals )

id say 18+ miles a day would be ok if you dont have much kit , if you plan it righ you dont need to have much food or water in your pack ,, pick it up as you go ,,

i ride and my bike and walk along the canals, camping along the way ,, no problems camping or getting water and food
i can smell a chipshop 1 mile a way ,,

only bad thing would be lots of rain ,, ground can be v muddy and hard going ,, but get 3 nice sunny days and you have a nice past ,,

good luck ,,

[h=1][/h]

 

[Colin.W]

I switched from karrimor to burghuas walking boots about 3 years ago they are a bit dearer but I have been glad of the change they are comfy and hard wearing, if they weren't the shop assistant would definately have known about it.

aparently there is about 2,000 miles of navigable canals in the mainland UK most being in the middle half of England (between London and Leeds)

Most canal tow paths are pretty good walking routes thanks to british waterways and various canal restoration groups and you can tell where the inclines are easily enough on canal maps, They'll be the bits with the locks but generally engineers tried to stick to level ground to keep the cost down

Just a thought that might be worth a try, a friend of mine did a cycle ride from glastonbury to it's twin towns in france and germany to raise money for the Encephelitis support group he wrote to Brittany ferries told them he needed a cheap crossing and why. They sent him tickets for the crossing and a voucher for a meal. perhaps you could plan your stays and try to blag free lodgings, even in these frugal times people are still happy to help a worthy cause if they can

 

[boisdevie]

he wrote to Brittany ferries told them he needed a cheap crossing and why. They sent him tickets for the crossing and a voucher for a meal. perhaps you could plan your stays and try to blag free lodgings, even in these frugal times people are still happy to help a worthy cause if they can

Blagging stuff - had experience of that as a journalist so it's on my to do list. Not just the ferry but also equipment
Free lodgings - already on the To Do list.

 

[ScoobySnacks]

Bois, if you pass near to Newbury/Hungerford sort of area I'd be happy to offer you a bed for a night. Can pick up and drop off even.