30 mile training walk

Distance: 46.5 km (28.9 mi)
Time: 9 hours 51
Average speed: 4.72 km/h (2.93 mph)

I should really have done this walk today, when it's overcast, rather than yesterday when it was sunny and hot. I also wouldn't have truncated it to meet a deadline...

I set off a little before 8am with the first waypoint being Beacon Hill. Despite the sun beating down I could barely see Stafford Castle due to the smog already building. The sun was beating down and there was no wind. I was carrying a litre and a half of water and expecting to use all of it before the end.

I headed downhill, past the county showground where there were a lot of folks turning up for the Motorbike show, across Hopton Heath and down to Salt where I joined the Trent and Mersey canal. I headed east, passing Weston where I could see even more folks queueing for the county showground, and walking on towards Haywood Junction.

I left the canal to go through the Shugborough estate (lots of visitors) to get to Cannock Chase at the Punch Bowl. The Chase was the busiest I've seen this year with hordes of folks, mainly cyclists, all along the Sherbrooke valley. They seemed to have run out of parking at the visitor centre.

At the visitor centre I bought two small bottles of something fruity and cold to supplement my dwindling water supply and downed them quickly, which would turn out to be a mistake. I was planning to have my sandwiches there but in the end I could barely manage half a banana. The showers that had been forecast were plainly not going to turn up so I put on another layer of sun block and rethought my route.

Instead of heading up towards Castle Ring, I decided to just head up Kitbag Hill, then turn left and go down towards the Stony Brook Pools. Although the sun wasn't going away at least a breeze had arrived to cool me down. Walking down towards them I passed a man who asked if he was heading towards Marquis Drive. "Just up to the top there, then a little way past." Then a couple of minutes later a cyclist came up behind me and asked the way back to the car park.

"Which car park?" His face fell. "Was it the visitor centre?" "There was a building." "In which case it's back up there, then turn right." It was only after he'd disappeared from sight that I thought he might have meant Birches Valley (which hires out bikes) instead. In the unlikely event you're reading this, sorry.

With the water dwindling I headed up past Fairoak Lodge heading for the Tackeroo caravan site. However the liquids I'd already drunk to stave off the heat were backing up in the stomach. Just after I'd crossed the road and was about to reach the caravan site I had to stop and let them escape. Orange flavoured water has a better taste when coming up than many other things, if that's anything you want to take into consideration.

At the caravan site I refilled the water and resolved to be more sparing with it. Then a little retrace of the steps back to the Sherbrook valley before heading up to Anson's Bank and Brocton Field. Here I decided on another change of route, instead of heading down to Brocton Lodge and across the fields to Walton-on-the-Hill, I stayed on the route of the old railway line and down to Milford Common. Partially this was for a little variety as I hadn't been that way in ages but it was also because I knew it would be downhill all the way.

At Milford Common I treated myself to an ice cream before joining the Staffs and Worcester canal. From there it was just the standard canal side route back to Stafford and home. I also got my second wind on this stretch, at least until the final half-mile.

In the end the route was a little over a mile short of the intended, but I made that very important 6pm deadline.

I've also decided on the footware for the actual walk, the walking shoes rather than the boots. I used the shoes yesterday as it was all good paths and although I got a couple of blisters, no more than I'd expect if I was using boots and they are a lot lighter.

Two Walks

Friday 15th: Rugeley to Stafford
Distance: 19.8 km (12.3 mi)
Time: 3 hours 42
Average speed: 5.25 km/h (3.33 mph)

Another canal side walk.

Sunday 17: Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe
Distance: 12.4 km (7.7 mi)
Time: 3 hours 6
Average speed: 4 km/h (2.5 mph)

A busy day in the Peak District. Sunny and warm, probably too much so.

Saturday - the Long Mynd

Looking south from Pole Bank

Distance: 31.2 km (19.39 mi)
Time: 8 hours 3
Average speed: 3.88 km/h (2.41 mph)

This was the second 20 mile training walk (so a little short) but with some ascent/descent built in. The Long Mynd certainly delivered that as the route went from the foot to the top, about 300 m, twice.

First order of the day was to find a chemists in Church Stretton and buy some sunblock, as the forecast was for much sun. Accurately as it turned out.

The route was much the same as last year, along Carding Mill valley up to the top, north a bit then loop back around to go past Pole Bank and the Gliding Club before descending down towards Plowden and looping around eastwards before climbing back up. There I made my mistake.

I started following a wide track which I thought would lead me back up, but it didn't so I left it a just headed uphill. The route I picked turned out to be far too steep and I think I might have trespassed a little bit before I rejoined the Shropshire Way path. That cost me time as I slowed right down climbing up. I also realized I'd been drinking too much water as I could feel it sloshing around inside me. That meant an extended break while I recovered, both from the climb and the unpleasant feelings in the gut.

When I finally set off again I was rewarded with cramps in the legs. Fortunately they went away once I'd got back into my stride and I got to Cross Dyke without incident. There I ended up sharing the narrow path with steep sides with a dozen mountain bikers. Twice. I overtook them when they'd stopped for a rest, so why the lead biker had to suddenly brake and swear when he caught up with me a second time I don't know. That aside they were considerate.

The final descent down to Little Stretton is very steep, so I slowed down again. By that point I had been promising myself a pint of shandy in the pub for the last two hours. It was shut! Still that motivated me to do the last mile back to where I'd parked the car so I could get something soft to drink from the Co-op. It seems 1.5l isn't quite enough water for 20 miles, not in yesterday's weather.