In Training

In preparation for my 186 mile walk around the coast of Pembrokeshire I have been on various practice walks. This I must continue to do until next May if I am to be fit enough to complete the route. 

Bamford to Cromford






In October I walked from Bamford to Cromford along the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail. This was a big deal for me (as is the whole project if I'm honest!), because I have never done a walk like this on my own. My preparation was sufficient; my boots were well worn in and I had studied the maps. Wet weather gear, water, picnic, mobile phone all packed and ready. I needed to cover 13 miles on the first day to get to my bed for the night in Rowsley and then another 12 to Cromford where my friend was to meet me at the cafe in the Scarthin Bookshop.

As you can see by my photos I was blessed with lovely weather. I found the start of my path very easily. The nervousness that I had felt on the train melted away. I had expected to feel uncomfortable with the lack of companionship. I was aware of how rarely I had ever stepped out on my own like this. Yet I had the very real sensation that I had others 'walking alongside me'. What came into my mind was the intention behind the walk in May, to raise awareness of the Field of Merit and here, in Derbyshire, alone, I felt connected.

I made it to Cromford safely, in a good time and.....most importantly without blisters, yey!

Waterways Walk - Long Eaton to Nottingham  December 13th 

The morning was sunny and very, very cold. This was the day I had available to take myself off on another walk to prepare for those miles in May next year. But despite not being as far as my previous walks, it was tough!  Not just because of the cold, but also because I had not yet recovered from a throat infection. 

The morning went relatively well but,by midday, I was noticing how tired I was with only half of the miles covered (11 in total). The lunch stop at the Beeston Marina was very welcome indeed. Again, I did not feel unsupported or alone. Nigel called me a couple of times and we agreed to cut things short as he could come and pick me up as the walk was so local.
The scenery was interesting, but not uplifting, like my previous walk in Derbyshire. I had a moment of frustration; the tow path was closed in one section which meant I had to walk an extra 2 miles to get to my lunch stop. The very helpful keep going  moment came when a collie dog was so insistent that I threw that stick for him!

There will be days like this on the walk in Wales - I could be sick and unable to walk, twist an ankle or a family crisis could get in the way. I can't predict the future and this whole process is exercising my will in a very challenging way. My mind has been engaged in wondering - about the nature of Merit - what is good to do? 

One day at a time (one moment at a time) ....... taking care, listening closely, taking the next step.

And This is how I was feeling in the New Year......I might take the bus!

Like Rev Alicia the New Year has me pondering on motivation, stuff akin to resolutions, the year ahead and how such drivers fit with practise. The New Year Retreat at Throssel was a helpful place to

be and I came home with a new perspective on how I might approach my plans, schemes and those events I have written in my calendar so hopefully.

I have my walk May, daughter's baby is due in June, my studio in the garden is nearly built.......all these things keep my mind rushing to the future with expectation and  a smile on my face. But it also gets me wishing my days away and slipping back into that place where I can become too driven.

How much does ambition and  hope, which are naturally directed to the future affect how I experience the present moment? Does this hope and expectation make me somehow dissatisfied with now? I guess in many ways it does. 
Also I tend to have rather BIG ambitions; a 186 mile one to be precise.  And I have gone rather public with it! It may go even more public if the media I am getting in touch with respond. The walk I am doing is not about how many miles, how many days it takes and how many people take notice. I am not throwing out my schedule, the plan is still being formulated, and action to make it happen is being taken. And, taking a look at one of the stages around the city of Pembroke and it's docks, there is a bus I might take! 

But all of this is still very much in my imagination at the moment. And the sense I get from  the retreat and the teaching I have recently received is to pay attention to the here and now and to be somehow more gentle with myself.