South Downs Way

An invite back to IBM for our departmental barbecue on Friday the 5th July was all the excuse I needed for finding a walk that finished in Winchester. Thus the South Downs Way was the natural choice and I planned for a five day walk, staring with a train to Eastbourne on Monday 1st July and another train back to Bracknell on Friday evening.

I aimed to cover just under a fifth of the distance on Monday, three longer days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, finishing with a shorter Friday, to ensure arriving at IBM in time for Lunch. It all went according to plan and I completed the walk on schedule - but it was much harder than I anticipated and in future I should allow myself more time.

Day 5	Day 4	Day 3	Day 2	Day 1

Although the official walk is supposed to be 100 miles, I actually covered just over a 150 miles during the five days.  The extra mileage was primarily driven by the fact that none of the places I had booked for accommodation were actually on the path itself, thus each day consisted of walking to the path, walking along the path, then walking to the bed & breakfast, then walking to a nearby pub or restaurant for food.  Having previously assumed that 30 miles a day shouldn't be an issue, due to having averaged over that as a daily rate when I did the Thames Path, I clearly underestimated the impact of hills - significantly different from the very flat riverside walk.  My feet were very sore by the end of Day 5 and I was glad the walk was complete.

Weather during the week was fantastic, leading to excellent views across the sea and countryside and made for a rewarding hike.  Overall it was a great experience.

Things I learnt during the walk:

1. Always check ALL the Bed & Breakfast and not just your bedroom before you leave. That way you wont leave your toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom. 
2. Always fill your water bottles before you leave. That way, if you discover there are no pubs or cafes in the 30 mile stretch you’re walking on a really hot day, then it’s no issue ‘cos you have water in your backpack. 
3. Always take a few sheets of toilet paper with you. That way you wont be trying to figure out which leaves work best if an unexpected emergency occurs. 
4. There's a patch on my neck, below my ears that I somehow miss with the sun cream and is also missed by the shade from my hat.
5. Butt cheek chaffing is a thing.

A selection of walk photos:

The Trail Begins - 10:17am, 1st July 2019

Many wild raspberries in the hedgerows

Amazing wild strawberries were yummy

The Trail Ends - 9:43am, 5th July 2019