Day 27 - Numbers

Still smiling after 18 miles - Ian, Keith and Ken.

Yesterday at the care home. Me with the Cymau Male Voice Choir and walk supporters.

400 miles up! If you look very carefully you can see Jodrell Bank to the right of the stand of trees.

Yesterday was something of a special day! Gill and Mario had arranged a celebration for my walk at one of their care homes. When I entered the Cymau Male Voice Choir was singing "You'll never walk alone" - which was a wonderful experience. After a few more songs there was a photo session with a professional photographer - I will put some of these on the blog once they are emailed to me and I have had the opportunity to censor them. Enough to say that one shows3 nurses tending to me! That certainly made me feel better! Thanks to all the staff at Pendine Park and Coxeys who joined in with the fun.

Today I reached just west of Northwich, Cheshire. Tomorrow I hope to reach Warrington - this doesn't sound too romantic especially as the forecast is for rain. Still, I have got Wigan to look forward to on Wednesday!

To celebrate reaching 400 miles today I thought that you might like some other numbers, mainly to do with the adventure so far:-

11 Counties

78 Bird species

6 Wild mammal species

10 Different beds slept in

9 People walked with me

401 Miles walked

42 Percentage of journey completed

4,265 Cash raised for the BHF so far

10 Number of support cars which have assisted

24 Ordnance Survey maps used

1,156 Miles travelled by our car

1 Penalties missed by England

1 New Coventry City FC manager

4 Other current end to enders that I have heard of

Today's KBW's -

Ian and Ken - Services to walking and map reading

Gill and Mario - For not doing anything by half

"Never criticise a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins." - Ancient Indian proverb

Cheers

Keith

Days 25 and 26 - Rain but no pain

I knew that the golf pro at Coventry Golf Club was from Staffs but I didn't know that there was a walk named after him!

Buttercups seem to be the most common crop in Staffs - there are meadows full of them.

The low cloud over the moors at the start of the day.

Saturday started with heavy rain which eventually subsided to a drizzle in the afternoon. This meant that I needed waterproofs all day. I was on the Staffs Way most of the day - navigation was fairly easy except for one place where a farmer luckily came to my rescue. He gave me a lift back to the place where I had gone wrong and explained the correct route. He couldn't understand my reluctance to accept a lift directly to the correct route.

Robina told me off on Friday for not mentioning that I was taking Ibuprofen as one of the reasons why my shins have improved. I now confess this! In any event the shins have continued to improve even though I was wearing heavier walking boots on Saturday rather than trainers. I must now try not to get too optimistic and return to the more intensive regime that caused the problem in the first place.

I have now walked a total of 383 miles. Tomorrow I walk through Congleton towards Warrington.

Today is a rest day - part of the new regime of a rest day every 6 days.

We stayed with Gill and Mario last night in Denbigh, which required a 1.75 hour drive from Rudyard where I finished the walk yesterday. I will not however be counting Denbighshire in my list of counties. Tonight we are staying in a pub in Northwich.

Today's KBW's are-

Gill and Mario - Services to food, accommodation and wonderful hospitality.

Hilary and Ceidiog - Services to communications (ie allowing me use of their wifi to send this blog)

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger which in Texas is called walking." - George W Bush.

Cheers

Keith

Days 23 and 24 - Happy Days

Adrian and Robina take time out to feed the horses.

The Friday squad Robina and Adrian and guess who set to depart.

Trying out walking poles for the first time.

Having reached Lichfield you have to have a photo taken outside the cathedral!

After thinking that the pain in my shins could possibly mean the end of my adventure I have had 2 really encouraging days walking. The pain has almost gone - due to a combination of a lower daily mileage and walking a little more slowly, and taking longer breaks. I have also used walking poles for the first time on Norman's advice.

Yesterday I had a pleasant surprise when support driver Shayne parked the car at Lichfield railway station and said that he would walk with me a short way. This turned out to be about 5 miles into the Staffordshire countryside, which meant that he then had to walk back to Lichfield as he couldn't find a taxi! Thanks very much Shayne it was a good start to the day. Whilst walking we met a farmer, Jim Holcom, who asked us how far we were walking, and bearing in mind that Shayne was wearing his civvies rather than walking gear, he could not believe it when Shayne told him that I was walking to J O'G. It was not until I gave him one of my business cards with the British Heart Foundation logo etc that he knew that we were serious.

It seems as though everyone is walking LE to J O'G - in the pub last night the landlord said that I was the 4th person doing the walk in the last 3 weeks to have had a drink in the pub. You may remember the farmer who a few days ago said that an End to Ender had passed through his farm.

Today I walked with our latest hosts Adrian and Robina Seabridge - covering 15 to 16 miles to Alton (yes where the theme park is). Adrian in particular was a great help as he loves navigating and as we were using paths a lot of the day he undoubtedly saved me getting lost. Him carrying the map also gave me chance to master the art of walking with the poles.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants yesterday emailed a link to this blog to all members in the West Midlands. I may therefore have a new readership. Welcome to anyone who is new to the blog - I hope that you enjoy it.

I have now done 367 miles which means that I now have less than 600 to do! You may think this is still a lot but 578 sounds a lot less than 600 to me. Tomorrow I am walking on my own for the first time for a week. I am heading towards Congleton and hope to get about 7 miles south of it tomorrow.

Unexpectedly I chalked up another county today. I had not realised that I would enter Derbyshire which I did for a few miles today. That makes a total of 10 counties now ( try and count them up - there will be a test at the end!).

The KBW's for the last 2 days (for any newcomers KBW which stands for Keiths Big Walk is like an honours system or the oscars) are:-

Shayne - For transport services and walking beyond the call of duty

Peter and Sue - Great hosts at the meal last night

Adrian - Special award as Pathfinder General as well as walking services

Robina - Walking services and shielding me from electric fences to the extent of receiving an electric shock herself.

Adrian and Robina - Wonderful hosts for 2 nights

"Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking distance" - Author unknown

Cheers

Keith

Cheers
Keith

Day 22 - Canal and fields

The intrepid squad set off Martin, me (with shins on display) and Shayne today's support driver.

Having a rest at the junction of the Coventry and Birmingham and Fazeley canals.

Another day another city! It is certainly the biggest town/city sign yet. I didn't meet Dr Johnson - perhaps I will see him tomorrow.

As mentioned yesterday Martin again joined me - this time in walking from Kingsbury Water Park to Lichfield. I was very pleasantly surprised that the walk was one of the best days so far. The day started by walking about 5 miles along the Birmingham and Fazeley canal towpath with the Water Park on one side. After a few miles on yet another Roman road (Watling Street) we walked on paths through pleasant fields until reaching Lichfield.

We had lunch in what we thought was a quiet part of a farm field on the Heart of England Way. Our peace was however broken by the farmer arriving on a tractor, stopping for a chat. It turned out that he was in fact waiting for a delivery of a lorry load of fertiliser, which duly arrived whilst we were eating lunch! In an amazing coincidence the farmer said that a chap had walked through the farm yesterday who was also walking from Lands End to John O'Groats. The farmer said that he was a younger chap (cheek!) who was walking 20 miles a day and was backpacking - some effort!

The shins are still sore but I took some pain killers/anti inflammatories this afternoon and this seemed to make things easier. I had a consultation with Norman and he was pleased with how my shins are progressing. I really do hope that he is correct and that the shins behave themselves from now on.

Tomorrow I leave Lichfield and head towards Uttoxeter. From now on I will not be returning home until the walk ends. I hope that the communication gremlins that I suffered from, before I returned home, have been rectified so that I will be able to update the blog together with photos.

Today's KBW's are -

Martin - Gold award for walking and photography.

Shayne - Most qualified support driver.

Martin and Shayne - Knowledge of the cast of Crossroads!

Norman - Comfort to my growing concerns

"Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticise them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes." - Jack Handey

Cheers

Keith

Day 21 - Golf and nature

I couldn't resist the photo of cows drinking in the river.

As well as claiming to be the centre of England Meriden can now claim to be the place where I completed one-third of the End to End walk.

Today's squad. Grace (Martin's mum) who accompanied support driver Gina to today's pick up point, Martin, Gina and me.

Today I started a less intense regime of 15 miles a day with a rest day every 6 days. I am also planning to walk slightly slower in an attempt to put less stress on the shins. The walk was from Knowle to Kingsbury Water Park. Martin was a great help especially in keeping my mind on things other than the process of walking. I was not however sure about the merits of his singing when he was explaining that I should have some Morrisey music on my ipod!

We made steady progress through some pleasant Warwickshire countryside, but which lacks the grandeur of many of the counties that I have already walked through. The theme of the day was golf courses as we passed next to a total of four (fore?) - North Warwickshire, Stonebridge, Forest of Arden and Maxstoke. I think that this is a record for one day on the walk.

In terms of wildlife- I have now seen a total of 75 bird species with Gadwall being added today. The wildlife highlight today was however seeing what I believe are Small Copper butterflies on some of the meadows that we crossed. They are really pretty little things. On a somewhat more morbid thought I saw the first dead hedgehog today - do you remember when you would see squashed hedgehogs on the roads all the time?

Tomorrow I hope to walk to Lichfield in Staffordshire, which will make a total of 9 counties if we include the imposter that I consider the West Midlands to be. Martin passed his own fitness test today and I am delighted that he will be joining me again tomorrow.

The KBW's for today are :-

Martin - For services to walking and conversation

Gina - For services to transport, coffee buying and owning a furry toy ginger cat (it can just be seen on my right shoulder in the team photo!).

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Edmund Hillary

Cheers Keith

Day 20 - More photos

As specially requested I show below some of the more scenic photos from my walk so far.

Glastonbury Tor from several miles away.

Broadway Tower

Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester

A rhea and strange coloured turkeys.

Two pictures of St Michael's Mount.

The old bridge at Postbridge, Dartmoor

A scene over the Somerset levels.

I am back on the road again tomorrow. I am walking with Martin Freeman for 15 miles from Knowle to Kingsbury Water Park. I will tell you all about it tomorrow night!

Cheers

Keith

Day 19 - Another catch up on photos

Graffitti at Taunton railway station. I hate such graffitti - it is almost criminal!

Steve and Terry of Luckmans Duckett Parker find the village sign at Luckett amusing.

The intrepid hiker and support driver Adrian plan where to meet at the end of the day's walk. However all the best plans go wrong. Adrian rang me to say he was waiting for me in the Trout Inn. When I got there it was closed! He had meant to say he was in the Fishermans Cot which was not too far away. The smell of a pint of cider mean't that it didn't take me too long to find him.

Following doctor's orders to stretch before the day's walk.

The wonderful people at Coxey's who all wore red, held British Heart Foundation ballons and copies of Taxation magazine in support of my efforts. Thanks, your support is really appreciated.

Clive, me and another pint of cider in the Globe Inn, Stampford Peverell. The photo below shows the barman (Roger) who organised a collection for the BHF.

Celebrating reaching the 300 mile total since leaving Lands End, at the village of Norton Lindsey, Warwickshire. I think that the cider must have been airbrushed out!

Andy and Phil helping me to enjoy a drink on a very hot Saturday walk along the Grand Union canal

Cheers

Keith

Days 17 and 18 - At Home

Support driver brother in law John who did the honours on Friday 21st.

The squad for Saturday's walk - Phil, Neil, Karen, Keith, support driver Graham and Andy.

Apologies for not making a post on the blog yesterday. By the time that I had finished the walk I did not find time as Norman came round to check on my health and then Adrian and Heather came round for a meal (a takeaway Indian which was very good!).

Yesterday I travelled through Stratford to Snitterfield a total of about 18 miles. Today I managed a further 13 miles to Knowle. the walk today was certainly different as my son Neil, 2 of his friends (Phil and Andy), and Karen from LDP joined me. Having a number of fellow walkers certainly helped me as the chat took my mind of the unmentionable s..... Nine miles of the walk was along the Grand Union canal which made for reasonably easy walking. There were also a number of pubs on the route and we took the opportunity to visit everyone of them. This resulted in the walk taking a fair time but the alcohol made sure that I didn't particularly mind!

I reached another milestone today - a total of 300 miles (now 311) which is almost one-third of the total journey. Just think, all that I need to do is to repeat what I have done - twice! The 300 came up in the almost appropriately named Norton Lindsey - I will contact the council to point out that Lindsay should be spelt with an A and not an E.

I have mixed news for those of you who have been awaiting news about the benefits of the extreme Lands End to John O'Groats diet. The bad news is that my weight is exactly the same as it was 311 miles ago. The good news is therefore that if you are looking to lose weight there is no need to feel guilty about not planning to walk the length of Britain. I feel as though I have eaten huge amounts since 5 May and so there could be hope for anyone who would like to eat as much as possible and not put weight on - just walk 20 miles a day!

Thanks to everyone who has posted comments on the blog, on facebook or sent me emails of support. Your good wishes certainly help me in my crazy quest. you may have noticed that there is now a counter on the blog which records the number of visits to the blog. This has been in place only since Wednesday and has almost reached 400 - this is fantastic and it is great that there are so many people out there who are interested in my exploits.

The KBW's for the last 2 days;-

John, Graham and Jean for transport services.
Neil, Phil, Andy and Karen for services to drinking and walking.

In view of the state of my s... and the very high temperatures forecast for tomorrow I plan to have the day off. I will make the decision whether to walk on Monday tomorrow in consultation with Norman. Despite the current difficulties rest assured that I am still fully committed to finishing the walk.

"Walking is good for solving problems - it's like the feet are little psychiatrists." - Edward Weston

Cheers
Keith

Days 15 and 16 - 250 mile service

This is me on my rest day. I am sure that you can come up with some interesting theories about what I am doing! The sad truth is that I am using ice packs with my feet up in an attempt to cure my shin problems.

Norman Pilgrim with the patient.

After a rest day my shins felt slightly better. I therefore set out intending to reach Chipping Campden - a walk of just over 18 miles. I managed this in reasonable time although by the end my shins were fairly painful. Norman has very kindly been checking on my condition every day, and he still does not seem overly concerned about the prognosis. It may however be necessary to scale down the daily mileage and build in more rest days. Any of you who are planning to join me later in the adventure please contact me so that we can discuss when I might reach the various locations.

Tomorrow I plan to reach just north of Stratford on Avon. This is in Warwickshire which I regard as my home county , even though some bureaucrats think that Coventry is in the West Midlands. This has made me think of the number of counties that I have already walked in during the last 2 weeks. This is not such an easy task as it may seem at first thought. For instance does Avon still exist? Is South Gloucestershire a separate county or is it simply part of Gloucestershire? My research on Google suggest that the answer to both questions is no. The list of counties that I have visited so far is therefore Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire (6 in all). Sounds a long way doesn't it!

Further use of google has helped me identify the deer that I saw on Dartmoor - they were Roe Deer. I was inspired to research this as I saw another Roe Deer in the Cotswolds today. The scenery was again stunning - I am running out of adjectives to describe the wonderful English countryside!

After spending even more time on old Roman roads today I am able to report the breaking news that 'Adrian's Wall has been finished! You may think that this news is 2000 years or so out of date - however Adrian (remember the superb support driver for a week in the south west) has confirmed to me today that their new extension has just been finished. By the way He also tells me that the correct spelling of the old Roman is Adrian and not Hadrian - any comments?

Today's KBW's are:-
Graham and Judith - Services to Transport and moral support
Norman - For expertise and friendship

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." - Albert Camus

Cheers
Keith

Catch up on support group photos

I thought that I would use my rest day to catch up on some of the photos of the support group that I have previously been unable to upload. The pictures in order are:-

Pat and Bryan Cooper with their support vehicle.

Cousin Dawn Cooper and her husband Dave (it is not a requirement that you must be a Cooper to be in the support team!).

Susie and Clive Walters together with their support car.

The view from the Lodge in Looe, kindly provided by David Russell.

The "Looe Squad" preparing for the walk - Adrian, Steve , me and Terry.

I will perhaps try to catch up on some of the other photos another day.

Cheers

Keith