Wednesday 14 September 2011

Seven days mapped out

Crikey, she hasn't been on another walk has she!! ;O)) Nope, this is one of my old OS maps, just out of curiosity I checked out the mileage of a walk I did from Ashbourne to Burton on Trent. This is half of it, won't all fit under the scanner lid and I can't be bothered to do the rest. It comes out at 17.17 miles, I walked this when I was in my mid twenties. I'm pretty chuffed that I can still do this distance and more, over 40 years later.

I couldn't use this map though, I would get lost, everything has changed. Ashbourne has a bypass, some of the paths I walked have been upgraded and called The Centenery Way, the A50 trunk road from the M1 to Stoke now bypasses all the villages, and Tutbury has a bypass. I probably wouldn't recognise it now.

This is the state of one of my desks at the moment, I have two. As you can see there is a job in progress, map printing and more planning. I am shortly to go off on another trip. It will soon be winter, and I want to make the most of the daylight hours we have at the moment, because they are getting shorter.


This walk won't be as long as Blackpool to the Humber Bridge. I am going to Burton on Trent on the train and walking back home along the River Trent. About 110 miles.

This time I am booking beds, and I am lucky that I have two good friends who can each put me up for a night. It will be an interesting walk, especially around the Marina's in Derby and Nottingham. The last 20 miles will be a bit of a slog though, mainly along the road, but I don't mind that, as all I will be thinking of is the finishing line, my front door, ha ha. I'll be posting as I go, as before, and now I have a better idea of packing a rucksack, I hope I wont get sore shoulders again. I'm not rushing this one because I want to enjoy the scenery and have time to look around. Should take 7 days. I'll let you know when I get on my way.

8 comments:

  1. I wish I had a quarter of the energy that you do! I am always amazed how places change, making old maps totally redundant. Just as well you have a decent printer. Good to know that you will be staying with friends too, company is important.

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  2. Wow! You are quite the hiker, Ilona. Right now I can barely walk so I envy you. Slowly over the years the problems in my heels are creating problems in my legs. I'm seeing an acupuncture doctor just so I can walk again. I love to walk. Besides it is so necessary just to do things. I don't take my walking for granted, that's for sure.
    Have fun planning!

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  3. Far do's Ilona your walking puts my meagre attempts into some perspective, I can see that I'm going to have to pull me socks up to match your energy and drive.
    Regards,
    John

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  4. i look forward to reading about your travels Ilona.

    I'm stepping out of my comfort zone a little on 2nd October, when I'm cycling the Cycletta event from Tatton Park. It's 40k and I only normally do around 16 miles if I can be bothered to do that on my own.

    It's a womens only event and I'm looking forward to it!

    To think, I used to be able to race 25miles in 1 hr 11 minutes when I was really fit in the dark ages (60s). I will not publish my time unless I am happy with it. It is not a race however, more a social event where women cycle together support one another nd chat too.

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  5. Sounds good, Campfire, let us know how you go on, good luck. Hope your botty doesn't get too sore.

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  6. Remember that you don't want to be chucking your clothes away (like last time) if the weather is chilly!
    Jane x

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  7. Wow, another amazing walk! Go for it!
    I`m making the most of a few warm days here to do some gardening. Would rather do a walk myself.

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  8. Hi there Meanqueen. I'm new to your blog, but am enjoying reading it. The trip along the Trent sounds very exciting! I recently read a book called Downstream by a guy called Tom Fort. He canoed and camped his way down the Trent. An excellent book and I would certainly recommend it!

    The table of maps looks very exciting too, I love a good map.

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