How are we all? Enjoying this reprieve from the insane temperatures of late, I hope!
This is just a quick post, really; I've accomplished very little in the last two weeks as work has been all-encompassing, and in all fairness, I'm not going to top the last post for a while, so I won't even try. (Perhaps when I turn fifty.)
What I will share is a few photographs from Jo's and my epic training walk last weekend.
To give some context, two weeks today, we will be on our way home from Ross-on-Wye/Chepstow after having completed the 55k half-stretch of the Wye Valley Challenge the day before.
I say this with great confidence as quitting isn't an option when you're a Hardcore Harwood.
And if any of you lovely readers would like to sponsor us, you still can: here's our team page. Pick a Harwood and get sponsoring, you lovely humans. Thankseverso!
Anyway, last Saturday Jo and I had booked in time to clock up our longest training walk to date: all 30k of it! And we felt every last k.
The fact we were in London meant that a) tourists and youths walked three abreast on a pavement and gave zero tosses about the fact someone might actually need to pass them on said pavement; b) it was hotter than a hot thing in Hotsville, combined with the usual London pollution. Lovely.
We chalked these distractions up as "fake hills".
Nevertheless, we overcame, and here's a few visual stimuli to prove it.
Our route, once yomped, looked like this:
We met, and started, at Victoria Station, walked a neat counter-clockwise route around the city and ended at the now notorious (for Harwood Walks) Bag O' Nails pub around the corner of Victoria. Nifty planning there, Jo.
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| {Kickstarting our walk with a brief diversion to Fake Greece} |
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| {The Buxton Memorial} |
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| {The Houses of Parliament, artfully framed ...} |
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| {St Paul's Cathedral – heading into the financial district now} |
We stopped off for lunch at LEON in Spitalfields Market, for a tasty wrap to replenish us before starting the next leg of the yomp ...
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| {Having a Harwood Moment with the architecture} |
Notes to Strangers, spotted on Old Street!
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| {I do like a whimsical shop sign!} |
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| {There are two houses under there, somewhere ... |
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| {On top of Primrose Hill, with a gazillion others ..} |
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| {Regent's Park Ladies'. Also home to the acclaimed Cyclops/Minion soap dispenser} |
At this point I'd like to apologise to Jo for the shrieks and excitement that ensued around the back of London Zoo (in Regent's Park) when she, and thus I, spotted these Bactrian beauties strolling round their enclosure.
I go a little batty for a camel the way Her Majesty goes ape for cows. (Wow, two animal idioms in one sentence; who'd have thunk it possible?)
This more than made up for the upset caused when I dropped the flake from my 99 Flake right outside the zoo.
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| {Ermahgerd, Merble Erch!} |
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| {Pond life in Hyde Park} |
At this point, as we circled the pond, it became apparent we were both really rather achy and were about ready for a rest, so no further photos were taken.
But we made it to the pub by half six, as planned, and were ready for a glass of water, a glass of velly nice Malbec, and two enormous bowls of vegan nachos.
Which came with the world's least appetising "nacho sauce". Which looked a little too much like baby food.
Sudden loss of appetite and waves of horrid sweaty nausea ensued.
Epic fail. (Although to be fair heat exhaustion definitely played a part. Also, water first, then wine; must remember that.)
Still.
We're ready for the challenge ahead. We have checklists of things to remember between us, a strategy of stopping at every rest stop available, a momentous playlist, a willing support driver who will be trailing us with cool boxes and spare sockses, and the promise of a) wine and b) a shiny medal at the end of it all.
Next time you hear from me (around 13th/14th August, FYI), the walk will be Done with a side order of Dusted, Jo and I will be feeling very pleased with ourselves, and I'll be blissed out after a well-earned full body massage.
I might try to sneak in a final training walk next weekend, and will see if I can make it as far as Edenbridge from Tonbridge this time: the route is a reasonable 21k which is entirely do-able.
As long as I don't get lost in a random, badly marked field in Chiddingstone again.
qb xx
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