Colchester

Busy busy busy weekend!

I turned 26 on Thursday so I had the whole family up for the weekend, then we followed them back to Colchester for a day or two. It was lovely seeing them all. My niece and nephew are growing up so fast! It was great playing with the eldest on soft play too because she's now at an age where she's starting to understand that I can't hear her so on the (remarkably rare) occasions that she forgets to face me I can remind her and she understands. Plus both of their signing is really coming on.

Did manage to fit in a little walk though. This is the Bourne Valley trail, a hidden little gem that livened up a rather ordinary urban walk. The trails were a mile at most, but so pretty (just watch out for the bogs!)

Beautiful scenic route with bluebells aplenty (turns out they swarm in other places than Nottinghamshire lol)

 There's also a little pond which opens up a bit for a lovely, wide view

After a while the trails closed up and soon led me into a few bogs. One with a half-broken plank bridge, one not so much...

Geocaching

Hey guys,

Thought I'd make a quick post about this latest phenomenon - Geocaching. The idea being you use the app on your phone (that is if you don't have a really rubbish smartphone that holds charge for a few hours at a time -_-) and it guides you to the cache, you log to say you found it and put it back. It reminded me a little of the 'mystery hunts' my dad did when I was a kid. He'd give me a clue which led to a clue which led to a clue and so on.

You can get the app free and get the simple caches, or upgrade to premium and get the more difficult and 'puzzle' ones.

It's certainly one way to liven up a ordinary urban walk. I say urban as I've noticed a distinct lack of caches in parks, trails and what have you.

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Hello!

So I did go to Attenborough and got some wonderful dramatic shots since the weather was playing hide and seek. So there are three trails there: The Tufted Duck (1.9 miles), The Kingfisher (3.7 miles) and The Skylark (2.6 miles).

Right in the middle of the centre there is a handy board with a map and record of the local wildlife. There's also a really nice, eco-friendly cafe and a picnic area which is flooded with ducks and the occasional swan.

 The first trail I did was the Kingfisher...

 See? Sunshine!

Then I moved straight on to the Skylark. This is Fred's favourite route for one, very long reason... Trains!

 Then onto the Tufted Duck...

 Because it isn't a walk in Nottinghamshire without bluebells

All three walks are really well marked. It's pretty difficult to get lost... Unless you're on Skylark for the first time, not paying attention because you're lipreading your husband and nearly walk you both into a river. I mean... that never happened to me! *ahem*

Anywho, it's a lovely walk and if you're in the area I highly recommend it. It's great for all ages and families since all three paths are relatively flat (apart from the bridges).

I like my view this morning...

And who wouldn't right? I mean look at that view. Today I took one of my new favourite trails which is nearby my house. It's a pretty little 5 miles circular walk from my house, through the park, onto the trail, through the fields and back home again. Plus there's a few steep hills to climb back up to get my heart pumping and you're well rewarded with the view.

I've been thinking about going to Attenborough again. I say again for a good reason! The nature reserve is a good half an hour away by bus (plus the walk on either side), but it's so worth it. It quickly became my favourite 'treat' walk. There are three trails of differing lengths and a wonderful cafe to get a bite to eat at. The views are spectacular (as long as you don't annoy the swans and bigger ducks) and there's always plenty of greenery and life. Even my husband likes walking there as one of the trails walks for a mile alongside the train track. Despite driving a train down that track every day he's endlessly fascinated by all the traffic that goes down it - and with the lake on the other side.

Also, in other news, Boom Bewm cat is FINALLY up to weight. I swear she eats enough for two, possibly three cats and she takes forever to build weight. She is literally the only person in our family who doesn't struggle to keep it off! It's probably a good thing we don't have any other pets - one, she'd bully them into submission and two, we already spend a small fortune on food!


I'd like to leave you with a newfound quote. I thought perhaps it was appropriate for many of us.

'The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.' - Anne Frank

Pennine Way

So the hike didn't go as planned. I had had a big earlier in the week which I had thought was cleared. By the time I got to Jacob's ladder that theory was proved wrong and I ended up having to retreat and go home.

I'm (obviously) really disappointed, but I am also a little glad I did simply because of how ill I was for the rest of the day, and the next, and today. I am getting better, but I'm still not brilliant if I'm on my feet for too long. At least I'm keeping down solids now though!

I'm hoping to come back to the Pennine Way again at a later date and stick to smaller routes for this summer. Maybe do the odd multi-day hike which is two or three days long.

Most importantly, keep walking and exploring :)

T-minus two days

So I'm now two days away from the Pennine Way. I'm actually getting nervous-nervous now, as opposed to excited nervous. I'm constantly thinking and running through lists and scenarios through my head to make sure I have all the bases covered. Hell, I'm thinking of them in the background while I'm writing this post!

I'm working on the assumption that it's normal. I've had similar experiences before every big decision and this definitely counts as big! Apart from a few bits as pieces everything is packed in and my resupply boxes are packed and ready for Fred to send out for me. I'll be unfront and honest - it's REALLY heavy! Repacking the backpack helped but the simple fact of the matter is that I've got to carry a lot in the first week and a bit. I have two resupply boxes with food and gas to be sent ahead as I walk but they're relatively close together and towards the mid/end of the hike. I need to be carrying eight days worth of food, plus a day spare on the first leg of the journey.

I have made a few decisions to save weight though. I'm still taking Fellowship of the Ring with me but I'm not taking the sonnets. I'm also adding Two Towers to my resupply box and a pre-labelled amazon book box (it's flat at the moment) so I can send FotR back home and not be carrying the extra weight.

I think at this point it's all about keeping calm, get some valuable rest in, enjoy my girlie day at the ballet tomorrow with Tiffany (because gods knows I'll not be feeling feminine on the trail) and eat plenty at dinner tomorrow.

Hiking equipment

Hello!

So I've been a very busy girl getting the last of my equipment, and getting new clothes (since I've lost enough weight that my old clothes are really very baggy!). I've taken pictures of all my kit, but I forgot to put in my fleece and waterproof jacket so add them to the list :)

So we have; a bra (I do have another upstairs lol), two pairs of toe socks and liner socks, plus a spare pair, very pink knickers, a headscarf, bright orange vest top, purple t-shirt, 1 pair of normal trousers, 1 pair of zipper-cutoff trousers, 1 pair of waterproof over trousers (the black ones up top), a paracord belt, the little orange triangle is my (as yet unfinished) peerag, then wipes, moisturizer, suncream, shewee, vaseline, tiny pot of hand cream, full first aid kit, 2L bladder, 1L bottle, compass and guidebook, Shakespears sonnets, Fellowship of the ring, bumbag with sunglasses and my 3310 on top, the little blue oval is my collapsible bowl, 3 cans of gas, a tiny little stove, cookpot, tent, washing line, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and last but not least, my backpack! Oh! And the little yellow bag in the top corner by my clothes is a compression drybag :) And the camera I'm taking the photo with!

I also have the vast majority of my food in too. I just need a few packets of ramen noodles, and perhaps some protein bars and I'm set... I've worked out I need to be carrying enough food for a minimum of 16 breakfasts, 15 lunches and 15 dinners, plus snacks.

Walking sins

I think for those of us who love a good walk or hike, we're always interested in doing the new. Going somewhere special and untouched and different to what we're used to. If you're anything like me, then you're quite happy to do a bit of traveling to do this - just for a good walk.

But we forget that there are hidden gems far closer to home. Today's walk was just that. Yesterday I found that hidden at the other end of my area was a park. I had literally missed it because it has the world's smallest entrance, but it opens up into this wonderful little space with a pond and little football pitch. And at the back there are a few trails that are just begging for some walking. Mind, it's highly advisable to take your waterproof boots!

 So this is where I start. This is the green behind my house. After leaving here, I weave through a few estates and then up the main road and into the *new* park.

Ta-da!

 Definitely a trail made for waterproofs!

 I think it reads 'Footpath no.15 to Ockbrook'

 Lovely view of the fields

 The trails ends in a locked gate, but you can loop round through a thin little gap in the hedges and generally head back the same way you came entering the *new* park from the opposite direction.

 Spring bulbs are still looking lovely - even after coming through so early this year.

 See, pond :)

And back home to the green behind my house!

So this walk ended up being around 4.5 miles from my doorstep, and the new trail itself was around 2.5 miles. Got to love hidden urban gems :)

First things first...

Like most of life, I'm afraid you guys are jumping in part-way through the story. Part-way through a marriage, part-way through infertility treatment, part-way through sign language lessons and even part-way through the planning stages of my first big hike.

Right now, I'm two and a half weeks away from my first big hike. I'm walking the Pennine Way in nineteen days, trying to find something out there to remind me of me. But I'm jumping in part-way through again :)

After two and a half years of heartbreak, last summer my husband and I thought we'd had a miracle. I got pregnant and the closer I got to the end of the first trimester, the more we hoped that this time we'd be just that lucky. Sadly it didn't work out, and I went from struggling to not giving up, to struggling to not meltdown. After months of this, I read a book called Wild. As a child and a teenager, when life got too much I would take to the woods and wild spaces wherever we were living and it was like a little reminder of who I was. So I went walking. Then I walked some more. Every time I went out, I found a little bit more of myself. So I started thinking: 'What would happen if I spent a few weeks walking, just me, my boots and the wilderness?' So I talked to my hubby while we were on our hols and he was remarkably supportive of the idea.

And so the Pennine hike was born.

At the moment I'm training with that pack of mine, and just trying to prepare myself for the three weeks I'll be walking and finishing in perfect time for my twenty-sixth birthday. I still feels a little like a dream, and a little like a good kind of scary, but hey I'll get there. And besides, it's hilarious watching people's expressions when I tell them I'm a deaf, female solo hiker :)

It's gonna be hard, and cold, and wet, and fun and so very very fulfilling.