Competa Walking Festival

My sister lives in this beautiful corner of southern Spain - about an hour east, and slightly north, of Málaga. The scenery is stunning, the roads terrifying (hairpin bends like you wouldn't believe), and the walking challenging.

Knowing of my love of hiking, she flagged up to me the Walking Festival that takes place in the region each September. This was its 13th year, and as far as I can tell, there were at least a hundred of us in the various groups that spent four days trekking in the region. 

Now, then. When I booked, there were only places left on Level 3 - the toughest one. The Level 3 distances for the four days ranged between 15 and 19 km (9.3 and 11.9 miles). As a daily three-mile walker, a veteran of two marathons, and a frequent walker of 10-15 mile distances, I thought, well, it's four days on the trot - but I should be OK.

On day one, I discovered my mistake. Yes, I knew it was steep and with rough terrain - and I've met that too, in the beauties of the Peak and Lake districts back home. But this was in a league all of its own... The steepest climbs - of which there were at least three on day one - were beyond anything I'd ever met. Not quite scrambling, but two-pole assisted rocky slopes, and minor roads which at times (according to a fellow walker) were in the one-in-four category.

I managed Day #1 - by the skin of my teeth - by opting out of the final steep upward climb; I simply hadn't any power left. Happily, one of the other walkers, who knew the route well, was kind enough to offer to take me around the foot of the final peak - still stony and tough to walk, but much flatter. 

Much to my relief, the organisers are happy for folks to switch levels after the first day, and it was with relief that I joined the Level 1 set for the remainder of the Festival. These were much more in my line - still with their challenges (there is no such thing as a relaxing walk in this area!) and some steep ascents - but kinder and as a result more enjoyable. Interestingly, by day four my legs had just about started to become accustomed to the constant steepness. Not easy to keep this sort of training going in Norfolk, however!

I had a truly amazing four days. I met so many kind and friendly people - many of whom were my age and substantially older, and displaying an awesome level of fitness. The scenery was, of course, utterly spectacular, and the sense of achievement very empowering.

We concluded the Festival with a buffet meal, medal presentations for all who had walked (at whatever level) on all four days, and lots of mutual congratulations.

Below are links to photographs, short video route maps, and statistics.

***

Day One (Level Three)

Distance: 8.59 miles / Elevation: 1955 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vPOpkBZ3QRv

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/puQU6sBKDyZg4Fye7

Day Two (Level One)

Distance: 4.00 miles / Elevation: 831 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/v4OGr38xo5v

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BXxcbHB8HUGpcTFh7

Day Three (Level One)

Distance: 2.75 miles / Elevation: 804 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vdvmkxYN4N6

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h6awUfoq2gCTynTC8

Day Four (Level One)

Distance: 6.30 miles / Elevation: 1457 feet

Video map: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvExBoZBGq

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/arLBfvkG8XTFeyrS8

Overnight marathon

I was tremendously proud of my Marathon Walk achievement, supported by Karl and his gang, in June 2017. My walking activities continued, with an annual 1,000 mile target, achieved with mostly a daily 3 miles or so, and interspersed with the occasional (monthly-ish) hike in the double-figures of miles.

For some while, I'd wanted to follow the suggestion of my good friend James to complete a midsummer overnight marathon. Marriott's Way is a splendidly friendly local walk, being the site of redundant railway lines and which has been converted to a well-known walking and cycling route. I've walked various sections of it at different times of the day; it's an especial pleasure in hotter summer days, as much of it is through tree-lined shade.

Our plans to do a through-the-night walk were originally mooted some time before, but were thwarted by various circumstances - including Covid. However, finally, in June 2023 we finally got our act together. James has been my good friend and 'hiking big bruv' for many years, being originally a colleague from our local theatre group, and I can think of nobody I'd sooner have with me on such an outing: completely trustworthy, highly experienced with such 'expotitions', as Winnie-the-Pooh would put it, and always comes armed with first-rate coffee.

Marriott's Way is marketed as a marathon distance, with way-markers (decorated with metalwork from the original railway lines) at each mile. In fact, the way-markers are more like 0.9 miles apart, and the total distance is a little over 24 miles.

We started from the Norwich end of the trail shortly before 8.30pm, with a little while to go before sunset. We took photographs of each other at alternate way-markers, stopped for the aforesaid excellent coffee (freshly brewed on small camping stove) and pork pies at Whitwell Station, roughly halfway along, and emerged blinking like owls into a summer morning at Aylsham just after 7.30am.

The experience was a really special one. The sounds and atmosphere of a summer night are quite remarkable; the occasional glimpses of sheep, deer and confused pigeons; watching the progress of the sun and stars as we emerged between trees and open land. Plenty of time for chat and for silence, and to feel the land beneath our feet. 

We took the bus back from Aylsham to Norwich, where my husband collected us; James picked up his car from our house and went back home to sleep, while I went with my husband to enjoy a full English breakfast, and then crashed out for the rest of the day!

Photographs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cs48i1Gx5gBu9tL49

Video route: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvrV324Nxv

LEJOG: did it!

Triumphant to have managed the whole 1,083.8 miles with one week to go (final miles achieved on Christmas Eve). This is the last of the 'virtual postcards' that appeared along the way in my inbox!

Doing some serious walking around / through / across the UK for real would be a truly wonderful thing to do - except that my other [very enjoyable] commitments (theatre / church / decluttering clients / friends / family / husband) would probably go somewhat askew if I did... Any chance of cloning myself?!

LEJOG: 90% there

 In January 2021, I knew that I badly need a new target. I'd slipped back on many of my health and fitness goals, and I know from past experience that a specific aim is helpful to my motivation.

It was Kim who pointed me in the direction of LEJOG: the Land's End to John O'Groats challenge, via the Conqueror Challenge. This is one of a selection of virtual distances all over the world: you clock the real distances you've walked, but they are logged on a map showing where you would be along that route had you been walking in that location for real. I chose LEJOG as being an achievable target based on previous years: this particular route covers 1,083 miles, which across a year equates to just over 90 miles per month. Having managed 80 miles per month consistently for eighteen months back in 2017/2018, I reckoned I could aim a little higher.

The year started pretty well, and for the first four months of the year I actually exceeded 100 miles per month. The summer months went into decline; as we all struggled with the uncertainties of the lifting of lockdown but the continuing dangers of COVID-19, I suffered like so many others with uncertainty and a lack of motivation, and my weight rose again as my mileage decreased. However, I gave myself a metaphorical shake in August, my monthly mileage exceeded 100 miles again, and now - mid November - I have just over 100 miles to walk in order to 'reach' John O'Groats in the next six weeks.

During 2021 I've enjoyed some wonderful hikes - some (the shorter ones!) with my husband, some with friends, but mostly I have enjoyed solitary excursions, between five and fourteen miles. When we've managed some lovely holidays in the UK, my patient husband has been happy for me to take a day out alone to explore new territory. In April I walked over 14 miles along the Cranborne Loop in Wiltshire, and in September nearly 13 miles between Blanchland and Hexham in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. 

On average, I'm investing one hour per day in my walking activities. Time for me and for my health. And as I approach my 59th birthday, it becomes more than ever vital to my wellbeing that I continue to do so.

Running... and not running

Reading back over this blog, I see that at New Year 2020 I was five weeks into my umpteenth attempt at Couch25K. I thought it was worth recording that I did, in fact, complete the course in late February 2021. And there I stopped.

So what happened? There were no ParkRuns at the time (pandemic lockdown) to keep me motivated to continue; and in fact, I started to find that I truly wasn't enjoying the activity as much as before. The recurrence of my old plague, plantar fasciitis, didn't help; my additional injuries incurred with a severe sprain in the right foot (2013) have never really gone away, and with age I'm finding that the lower-impact activity of walking and hiking (even for long distances) causes me much less discomfort, as well as being easier on the back.

I do miss the time efficiency of running, the occasional exhilaration when the fitness is good enough; but my hiking activities are, I believe, best for me going forward. I'm proud of the few times that I achieved 5K continuous running (OK, plodding), but now - I'm walking onwards.

More of the 2021 walking achievements elsewhere, especially under the tag #LEJOG.

A walk in the snow with an inspiration

I don't write about many of my walks these days; it's become such an integral part of my life that it would get pretty boring for the reader (especially those which are regularly around the same local routes). However, there are some special times that are worth recording - such as my marathon walk, or the different sections of the Norfolk Coastal Path - that mean something special to me.

I'm writing this on a fairly warm, drizzly day in early March. It's hard to realise that just a week ago we were facing several inches of snow coupled with 50 mph winds: the media called it 'The Beast from the East'.

It so happened that two days before it hit severely, I'd spotted on social media a posting about a young lass called Frances Mills, who was walking the whole coast of these islands. Having started in October 2017 at Bristol, she was at this point making her way up from Suffolk. Check out her website here.

The lady making the posting mentioned that Frances was happy to meet and walk with people, and although she was camping most of the time, was always happy to be offered a bed for the night. Living just half-a-mile from the beach, and happily having a couple of days free, I got in touch. She replied with enthusiasm, and I arranged to pick her up from our coastline on Tuesday evening, to give her a meal and a bed for the night, and to walk with her the following day to her next planned stop, just beyond Happisburgh - about 15 miles north of here.

In the event, I was lucky to get home. I'd been working with a client in Thetford that day, and mercifully got back before the snow became too deep. My husband picked Frances up from near Hemsby, and I arrived back shortly afterwards. We shared a meal and chat, and planned the following day. We realised that the snow (by now falling thickly) and (more importantly) the increasing winds meant that camping on Wednesday night, as she'd planned to do, would be more than 'wild camping' - so we insisted that she spend that night with us, too. Selwyn would pick us up from Happisburgh and bring us back.

We set off in reasonable conditions from the Rectory the following morning:

- but within a very short time it turned into a blizzard along the beach as we headed north towards Hemsby...

The wind was behind us, which helped! And as we continued, the weather did improve, with even some sun coming through. After a couple of hours we paused for a snack, sheltering in the dunes from the still strong wind.

However, at this point my husband sent me a text explaining that he'd tried to get out of the village in the car, only to find roads blocked in all directions; so we had no option but to make the route a circular one. We walked the 7.5 miles to Sea Palling, mostly along the beach, and stopped for a very agreeable lunch in the pub next to the lifeboat station. We then retraced our steps on the other side of the dunes to minimise the windchill (now in our faces). We met drifts of snow of impressive depth:

We arrived back after 15.5 miles of walking in a bit over 5.5 hours. We'd had a brilliant day, chatting most of the way, seeing the seals at Horsey, pointing out birdlife, and getting to know each other.

Click here to see our route.

The following day (Thursday) proved to be so awful, with such high winds, ice and snow, that Frances decided to take the day off and to chill out with us. We went out for a very short two-mile walk up to the beach and back, but otherwise stayed in the warm.

As she'd lost a couple of days' progress, and was aiming to reach Hunstanton (the end of this phase of her walk) on Sunday, we knew she had to reach Sheringham by the end of Friday. We were planning which roads would be best to get her there, when she calmly announced that she'd leave Winterton at 6am on Friday and walk it. That's thirty miles. And, of course, she made it with no trouble.

This young lass is a true inspiration and a delight. She's cheerful, delightful company, intelligent, determined and undaunted. I am completely awed by her and honoured to have shared that couple of days with her. I'll be watching her progress over the next two winters, as she works towards completing the whole 4,500 mile circuit (this bit was 1,300 miles or thereabouts).

Dream the dream and make it happen.

Walk 1000 miles: my medal

As my monthly mileage targets have increased (60 miles from March 2015, 70 from March 2016 and 80 from March 2017) so, of course, has my twelve-month total. I was especially pleased recently to realise that this meant that in the twelve months starting on 1 December 2016, I'd finally exceeded 1,000 miles in 12 months.

I'm a member of the Facebook group that exists to celebrate and encourage exactly this goal. I have to say, when I started, I couldn't imagine myself managing 1,000 miles in a year!

So when I published this achievement to the group, it was lovely to have this posted to the comments...

Thank you to Walk 1000 Miles and Country Walking Magazine for such a fabulous initiative. Changing the world, and our health and well-being, one step at a time.

Ambulo ergo sum, indeed.