A good day. A slightly longer day than expected, but a good day.
First of all, I went slightly wrong attempting to leave Bosworth Country Park. We always say that the most difficult part of navigation is getting out of the campsite, well, today, the most difficult part was getting out of the park. So many paths to choose from. But I got there in the end, using a combination of map, compass and my existing knowledge of the park.
I was glad to meet up with Helen at the Bosworth Field visitor centre for a cup of tea and a chat, and I met a number of other walkers on the way through Ambion Wood and along the Ashby Canal who I chatted with about what I was doing. It all really gave me a big boost – as ever, it took my mind off my aches and pains and reminded me why I was doing what I’m doing.
I did have to take a bit of a diversion along an alternative, permissive path where there wasn’t an obvious path through a crop, but that wasn’t too arduous. Shortly afterwards, I was in the wonderfully urban outskirts of Barwell for lunch. I made the mistake of sitting on a patch of grass, using a tree as a back support – getting back up again was something of a challenge. As with all breaks, starting again afterwards was slow and painful. I always used to go with the principle that I’d never sit down when out walking, that I’d remain standing until I finished for the day, because of the problem with legs stiffening up. But I’ve rejected that over the last couple of weeks – it may take a while to get going again, but I just wouldn’t have the energy to stay on my feet all day.
I really am looking forward to the end now. Not just because it’s tiring, walking every day, but because I’m looking forward to meeting up with people to celebrate. I enjoy walking alone, but I do appreciate then sharing the experience with friends. I hope that makes some kind of sense.
