186 miles....

Having just had a few days off my walking training (and therefore not feeling the usual aches and pains) and then reading about a charity walk that an AQA researcher is doing from John O'Groats to Lands End, I briefly wondered if 186 miles is all that far. But with the temperature soaring to 32 degrees c in London and my inability yesterday to complete a gentle jog around Chiswick Park without stopping 15 times for water breaks, I am completely satisfied that 186 miles is quite far enough to give me a challenge.

I've made a plan for my trip which starts at the Thames Head in the Cotswolds and finishes at the Thames Barrier two weeks later. So far I'm not planning any non-walking days (is that a mistake I wonder?) but I have scheduled in a couple of really low mileage days in case I'm exhausted or fed up. I start at the end of July and the schedule is as follows:

Source to Cricklade 12.25 miles
Cricklade to Lechlade 10.75 miles
Lechlade to Newbridge 16.25 miles
Newbridge to Oxford 14 miles
Oxford to Culham 12 miles
Culham to Streatley 18.25 miles (big scary day!)
Streatley to Pangbourne 4.25 miles (rest day - I'll need it)
Pangbourne to Sonning 10.5 miles
Sonning to Marlow 14.25 miles
Marlow to Windsor 14. 25 miles
Windsor to Shepperton 13.75 miles
Shepperton to Teddington 11 miles
Teddington to Strand on the Green 7.5 miles
Strand on the Green to Waterloo 14 miles
Waterloo to Thames Barrier 13 miles

Happily some long suffering friends have agreed to accompany me for some days to boost my will power and maybe also to check that I'm really doing it! Special thanks to Trish, Bill, Gill, Karen and Gabs & Georgie (at 9 months of age, showing signs of amazing precociousness I think you'll agree.) Mum, Dad and Uncle Alan are joining me at a couple of pubs.... it is unclear at this stage whether they'll be doing any more actually rambling than just from the beer garden to the bar but we'll see. Colly is making the supreme personal sacrifice of doing the longest day with me.... it's not so much that he'll find it tricky with 9 marathons and 3 triathlons behind him, but imagine the constant moaning and whining that he'll have to put up with from me with blisters on my blisters and a strong sensation that I've got no cartilage left.

I shall mainly be staying in B&Bs and pubs along the way until I get near home, but special thanks to Jo who is offering me a bed for the night in Oxford.

I've got 30 miles to do this week and so far have only managed a rather pitiful 3.8 so tomorrow I'm planning to do one of the Time Out Walking Club mid week walks and on Saturday I hope to catch up with them again in Surrey walking from Milford to Haslemere. If I squeeze in a quick hike before the WC Final on Sunday I should just about have managed it.

I'm not sure how many internet cafes exist along the Thames Path so who knows how much blogging I'll get to do when I'm on the challenge. But I promise to take pictures to prove that I was really there. Perhaps a close up of the state of my feet?