Day 28 Milnthorpe to Garstang 25.1 miles, 28 August

No Mel for company today, instead, really pushed the pace to ensure I was fit enough for the full restart.

Today's route was almost entirely down the A6, how on earth did this road serve as the main road North, its choca block now. The scenery has changed, more towns and villages, but practical villages not the quaint, gift shop filled villages of the Lake District. But thankfully more paths to walk on which reduces the intensity of trying to keep safe and dodge traffic, but also helps you to stride out because you can rely on the surface..... no pot holes!

Leave the family at Milnthorpe and plan to meet up in Lancaster where they are going shopping for the day. The walk to Carnforth is enjoyable alongside a lovely river for a couple of miles and with occasional glimpses of Morecombe Bay which looked beautiful in the sun.

Carnforth came and went, the 4 to 5 miles to Lancaster was fairly uninspiring and my thoughts dropped away into dates for the full restart and bloody hell Spurs are still top of the premiership.

Soon such thoughts were overtaken by the beauty of the river that runs through Lancaster, the stunning Cathedral and hopes that the mob hadn't spent too much shopping and that they had found a Costa or Starbucks! Whilst they had found a Starbucks they had also spent a fortune, but had SAVED far more!

We had a celebratory coffee and cake as Lancaster marked the half way point. With some pride the way home now seemed a little easier.

Leaving Lancaster and passing the stunning university and playing fields which appeared to go on for about 2 miles, thoughts moved to the next milestone, the 500 miles. I worked out this would be just after Galgate, which after 1 hour and 20 minutes appeared on the horizon. As I left the town I allowed myself to celebrate the 500 mile barrier. Quite a good 2 hours for milestones.

As if to celebrate a thunder storm, which had been threatening for a few hours, strikes. The first lightening seemed to be overhead the thunder followed seconds after. Before I could get the waterproofs out, I was soaked. Lucy passed me, having done more shopping about 300 yards from my finish point, I said to meet me at the campsite, in that 300 yards the skies opened and I got drowned again.

Somehow it didnt matter, these 2 days restored my confidence that I could finish, saw Mel do amazingly well and saw 2 more milestones fall. I rewarded myself in the pub that night with sausage, chips, bacon, eggs and beans, wholly unhealthy but who cares!

Day 27 Ambleside to Milnthorpe 24.8 miles. 24 August

Against medical advice I decided to do some of the walk whilst in the lakes on holiday. I decided to walk only 2 days in the week. At all times Lucy would be local should I need help.

Mel, who is doing a 25 mile walk as part of her fundraising for Amigos and her trip to Uganda is joining me today. She hasn't trained at all so I feel she is going to find it tough.

Beautiful weather as we leave Ambleside and walk along the side of Windermere to Bowness on Windermere. After 5 miles we meet up with Lucy and Becki in Costa Coffee (old habits die hard!)Mel is coping well.

We both stop for photos in Bowness Bay, Mel wants pictures near some signets feeding on the bay. After three miles I realise I have done the unforgivable and admit I have missed our turning. This adds 2 to 3 miles to the trip, whilst Mel says its ok, the face said a little differently.

I try to buy her off in a lovely old pub in Winster, I think the crisps may have achieved forgivness. We are now at 11 miles and Mel is looking shattered.

I text Lucy to ask her to stay close as I genuinely doubt if Mel will make it

Miles 11-14 go through big hills, very little flat, Mel is resting every mile and begins to start lying down for longer and longer.

Thankfully mile 14-21 completely flatten out. Sadly it also gets very warm and we lose the shade provided by the trees. Amazing, Mel just plods on but all the colour has sapped from her face. We chat continually in an attempt to distract her from the difficulties. Stretching now happens every stop and her calves feel solid, yet giving up is now off her agenda

As we walk up the long hill to Levens Village I begin to feel that its been a while since I walked this distance, fortunately Lucy and Becki are in the village with drinks and Ice Creams. This is the biggest test for Mel, the car is here and she could just get in. This rest stretches to 30 mins and when I asked if she was finishing I would have bet £100 the answer was no, it was a very good job I didnt place that bet.

We are now down to 2 miles per hour, poor Mel looks totally shattered and is stopping even more regularly. Then we pick up the 3 miles to go sign, then 2. As a Dad I simply want to stop her, but she will not allow that. At 6.35 pm having started at 9.30 am we walk into the pretty village of Milnthorpe

I really learnt something about my eldest daughter today. Under the lazy facade she has real guts. I realised that the Uganda trip is really important to her and she doesnt just see it as a school trip. She was willing to push herself really hard to raise the money.

I was really proud of Mel and delighted to have shared the achievement with her.

Back to Ambleside

Hi Everyone,


Well the leg has completely healed, in fact its better than ever, so thanks to everyone at 12 Springfield who ran around after me for the 5 weeks I did very little in the way of movement.


I started a few short walks and all went well, then the Charity Dinner needed some serious attention so the last week of July was spent pulling that together, with the hotel arrangements, pulling the prizes together and making sure the evening went with a bang.

I hope everyone who attended found it a great evening, certainly the feedback has been great, but above all we managed to raise a fantastic £4700. That amount will make a serious impact at the Children's Hospice...Many thanks to everyone.


Some quick but special thank you's from me for the night. Andrew, for calming me down in the final 36 hrs and helping get the final structure sorted, Simon for all your help and that great auction.

The Children, Brad, Mel and Becki who tolerated the months of prep, helped throughout the months and worked so hard on the night, I was really proud of you. Finally to Lucy, who has supported the walk, the meal and my stress levels with unwavering support and encouraging words. As I almost was able to say on the night I know whenever I turn in need of love you're there, I love you.


So back into the Gym and all was fantastic up until around 25 mins. when suddenly my chest tightened and it was really hard to breathe, I stopped and 20 minutes later tried again, after 15 minutes the same thing happened again. Ann at Highbullen who has been a real support throughout my training quietly insisted a trip to the G.P.


All the blood tests were fine as was the E.C.G, but the Doctor wanted a treadmill test as well, so because getting an appointment has been tricky I had to call off the walk again. To those of you who have asked "do you not think there may be a message in these delays?" the answer is simple. If there is I am not listening to it!!!!!!


After a long chat with Lucy and a totally uneventful 25 miles to Torrington and back I have decided to mix our holiday in the Lake District, near Ambleside (ring any bells) with two more days of the walk.


What it will do is get me going again, get me past half way and past the 500 mile barrier. I will then return home attend the appointment and all being well still be able to complete the walk before the end of September. This hopefully avoids snow, ice and driving sleet, although I found all three in Scotland in June!

Day 26 Gutted beyond belief.

• Wake up and to my horror instead of feeling ready to walk the leg feels worse



• Head to breakfast and Al immediately picks up that I am struggling to put my weight down on the leg and the swelling is worse.



• Later Al informs me (although I am relieved) that he has got the address of a Dr's Surgery in Ambleside and an appointment.



• The G.P is'nt completely convinced that the lump on my leg isn't a break, so off to Kendal Hospital for an X-Ray



• The X-Ray shows no break, but the lady asks me to go to A&E to see a Dr.



• There the problems are explained to me. The Shin bone base is seriously bruised and the joints at the base of the shin and ankle extremely badly inflamed. Also both joints apparently show wear and tear well above that expected for someone of my age. In addition I have blood poisoning around the lump and they fear skin tissue poisoning.



• Suddenly having thought it would only be emotional issues that might make me want to stop a cold reality is hitting me



• The Dr has to go to an emergency, in that time I decide to ask her advice when she returns to me and accept it whatever it is. Unusual for me, because I normally listen then still try to do what I want!



• She returns and is dreadfully blunt. She say I need 2 weeks complete rest with the leg elavated and to be near a gp or hospital in case the infections spread. Then 2 weeks being very gentle to allow the internal injuries to completely heal. Only then can I start walking and only then a very slow build otherwise the thing will just re-occur.



• So faced with 6 weeks sat in a tent, on my own, doing nothing and not being able to travel easily to a G.P or hospital I take the most difficult decision of the entire walk. I will need to suspend the walk and return home. It feels devastating, actually it feels a bit worse than that, it feels like its all been pointless.



• After a lecture from Al who points out that around £10,000 for the Hospice and having achieved 456 miles is actually not a bad effort, the red mist slowly breaks.



• To those who rang yesterday when I was too upset to speak, really sorry, just raw emotions



• Thankfully David and Jane were waiting at the Hotel so they offered to bring me home. Many thanks to them for their support over the three days, guys you were fantastic



• Al you were blinding, as ever, thank you so much.



• SO NOW THE GOOD NEWS



• As long as my G.P, when he sees the X-Rays is happy, Phase 2 of the walk will begin late summer. It would be inappropriate to fix a date until we really know the extent of the damage and recovery times.



• What I can assure everyone is that whatever happens THE WALK WILL BE COMPLETED. I hope to start again late summer. Dates are fluid, a bit like my ankle! but once everything has healed and the G.P is happy I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED.



• Hopefully we can still make a massive success of the "not quite" post walk meal for the sake of the Charity on the 31st July, then just have an old fashioned piss up when I eventually finish.



• Will temporarily close the blog at this point and will let everyone know when we are starting again.



• To all who offered to join me on the second half of the walk, really sorry, maybe we can still tie up when the phase 2 dates are sorted



• To all who have supported me so fantastically, thank you. But remember this is a medical adjournment not the end of the journey

Day 25 Resting Day 2 The Langdale

• Another good nights sleep, but must not get used to such comfort



• All meet for breakfast, then David and Jane go on their tougher walk. Basically up a hill we can see from the hotel, its almost vertical. At the top there is a beautiful Tarn and then a precarious climb/slide back down. They showed us the pictures from the top which look totally amazing.



• The shin is far less angry, but my foot is now heavily swollen, but definitely better than yesterday, although not walk able comfortably yet. Plan to start walking again Thursday, so spent much of the morning on computer and phone trying to re-organise sites.



• Then sat chatting with Al for ages, cant believe he is going on Thursday after nearly three weeks. He has been amazingly supportive. Its been great to have Al's unique style of advice, whilst at total variance to mine 99% of the time, we still manage to respect each others views and maintain the incredible friendship which now spans nearly 30 years



• Al goes for afternoon nap, (the Dubai Influence). Dave and Jane return looking tired but delighted they made it to the top.



• Spent much of the afternoon watching Wimbledon and The Lions match and being moaned at to put my leg up to help reduce the swelling.



• My last dinner with David and Jane who leave tomorrow. I am so grateful they came up, its been great to sit and chat for ages, especially with me being restricted movement wise. I also need to thank them for their amazing financial backing of me and the Charity, having sorted 2 days of my bill here, donated money back in the autumn from their copying / fax service, repeating that for the duration of the walk and supporting the meal with a table of 10. Its made a real difference you being here thanks so much for coming up. x (not for you Roomy)



• So off to bed, no telly channels 1-4 here tonight as they are changing to digital tomorrow.



• Brad how did the interview go?



• Tim, just checked missed calls, cant believe how many of yours I have missed..sorry



• Good night one and all

Day 24 The Langdale Hotel Resting

• Slept really well, hotel very pleasant, great breakfast with award winning bacon, I do so hate Bacon!


• Sadly it is now very difficult to get my foot in a shoe as the the Shin inflammation has spread down into my foot.


• All the guys here are giving me a tough time about looking after it, elevating it and doing everything necessary to effect repairs.


• Dave takes us into Ambleside so I can get an Ice Pack from Boots and some swimming shorts so I can laze in the pool this afternoon.


• We have to vegetate back to the worlds most obscurely decorated coffee shop in Ambleside, Al found it yesterday and it does killer Fudge Cake, so two hours after cooked breakfast he is eating some more.


• Back at hotel Ice Pack leg, then cover in Ibuprofen Gel, then into the Spa for 30 minutes in the Solarium heating it back up again. Spent the rest of the afternoon reading with the leg elevated.


• Whilst this is a very pleasant way to rest, I have to admit its tainted by the fact that I know I am now behind schedule. I would much prefer to be back here with the family having finished the walk so I just let go and chill.


• David and Jane headed out late afternoon for a walk around a local lake and returned having thoroughly enjoyed it. They are now planning a tougher walk tomorrow


• Had a pleasant dinner on the Terrace this evening, cant help but keep looking down at the ankle, hoping it will suddenly have shrunk to normal size. Sadly it isn't happening.


• For those who know me well, frustration is now striking hard, the daily plan of stops is out of sink and because I am not certain when the healing will be complete I don't know when I will walk again, therefore a new plan can't be formulated. Uncertainty does not sit well with me!!!!!!!


• I swear, even when I know he is absolutely correct, that if Alistair tells me just to take one day at a time once more, he might be returning to Malta having been assaulted with a tent peg. Waiting and patience....two more things I DO VERY BADLY


• Nearly forgot, lunchtime bacon roll 8/10 in toasted Ciabatta Roll (Tim you should have been here) with more award winning bacon, the best so far. It was bought for me, so I hate to think of the price!


• A few really nice texts yesterday from people saying don't get down about the injury and having to stop for a few days, thank you, they really helped.


• Margaret thanks for your fantastic offer in Cheddar I would love to stay. Hopefully there will be no more delays.


• If this entry looks different to all the others its because its the first one not to go through my very sexy ASSISTANT IN DEVON

Day 23 Penruddock - Ambleside

• Woke early, shin calmer so again decided to go.
  Left site at 7.00 and walked through Matterdale and other villages, the scenery is stunning with grey and blue skies adding to the drama. Thanks to the guy in Dockray who made me tea despite being 2 hours before they opened
• Arrived at Glenridding, really nice community on Ulswater. Viewed the lake from the hill coming into Glenridding its truly amazing, with lots of sports activities on the water. The town is a mixture of outdoor shops, boating shops, coffee bars and trendy hotels. Very busy so moved on to a quieter Patterdale before stopping for lunch
• Everything then heads to Kirkstone Pass, 1500ft up in under 2 miles, bloody steep and it took an hour.....but I got up.
  Al had returned but because of the hills both of our phone had no signal so he had driven miles trying to trace me. Eventually we caught up at Kirkstone
• Dropped down in Ambleside one of my favourite Lake towns. Stopped for more tea and then on to the Youth Hostel . Six in a room the size of the average lounge, devastated. Al picked up and paid for me to stay in his hotel, the same one David and Jane had paid for on Monday and Tuesday. To all you guy genuine thanks for this additional support to me, you will honestly not appreciate just how grateful I am.
• Lucy had sent some smarter clothes for whilst I was in the hotel, it was so nice to get into Chinos and shirt instead of shorts and Hospice T shirt, which has been normal wear for the last 3 weeks
  Think we passed 450 today, Lucy will correct this if wrong. No correction required 456 miles down now
• The 4 of us met for dinner, really great to see David and Jane, its only when you see friends that you realise how you miss what you normally take for granted
  Lets hope the next 3 days sorts the shin and we can move on, without further delay.
• Keith, thanks for the blunt kicking yesterday. I really needed to here some honesty it really helped.
• Best wishes to everyone reading this