Northumberland Coast Path - Thoughts in Conclusion​

Holy Trinity Church in Drewsteignton - the walk visits here on Day 4

As is customary, we thought we would put together a few comments that may help in the planning & execution of walking The Two Moors Way. Most of these points are pretty generic to long distance walking and are therefore much the same as in previous blogs we have written. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the advice given is not exhaustive. The best form of research is other people’s blogs, guide books and using plain old common sense. Some of the advice and thoughts below may be repeated from the Planning & Preparation page at the start of this blog - apologies for that!

The walk itself

​At 115 miles with an 8 day itinerary, The Two Moors Way is an ideal walk for anybody wishing to cut their teeth on a long distance path. Well signposted and with no climbing of note, it should be within most people's capabilities to complete with ease. That doesn't mean to say you should take this walk lightly - there are some long sections and as always an ability to navigate is a must. It is also worth mentioning that in addition to having a map & compass (and knowing how to use them) a back up navigation system should be a priority also. The walk is an absolute delight and we thoroughly enjoyed the variety of terrain and landscape.

The route itself is not very busy at all. We met absolutely nobody else who was undertaking the walk on a day to day basis. The route was quiet and extremely well way marked and as mentioned earlier, in poor visibility it would be necessary to be navigationally savvy, particularly on open moorland.

​Having now completed The Two Moors Way we would heartily recommend it to other walkers as it is has variety, historical interest and the scenery on the whole is fantastic.

Give it a go and see for yourself.​

Planning & Accommodation

We decided from the outset that following her knee replacement, Angie was not quite fit enough to undertake all of the walk. Therefore, instead of staying in a different B&B each night we would give ourselves a bit of flexibility and utilise cottages at either end of the route. Angie would then transfer Fudge and I to the start and collect us at the finish of that days walking. It also gave Angie the opportunity to dip in and out of the walk as and when she liked. This worked extremely well, particularly if the weather was poor - we could simply postpone that days walking and rest up instead.

Kit & Medical

Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters.  In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of Vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes.  It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning.  No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage.  When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary. 

After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads.  Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.

​It goes without saying that a basic first aid kit is a must. ​

Rucksacks

​Apart from your Boots this is the second most important piece of kit you have.  Make sure it is comfortable and fits your needs. As stated earlier, we used a couple of Osprey Daysacks (with rain hoods) and these were just the job.  One thing we would say is fill it up and test it out before you start - make sure it feels comfortable and get out and walk with the weight in it.  Additionally, make sure you have dry-bags in your kit for those rainy days.

Water

There is a link below to Refill - a website giving information with regard to water refill points etc.  Another thing you could do is just apply common sense - if you get the chance then top up. Cafes, pubs and shops you visit will more than likely help you out. ​

Mapping

We carried the relevant OS Maps, two Compasses, a GPS and the Two Moors Way Guide Book (see Useful links & Further Reading below for details). Suffice to say we did not get lost. Additionally, we have the OS Locate App on our phones and should the GPS have failed the App would give us a 6 figure Grid Reference which could then be plotted on the relevant paper map.  As mentioned above, it pays to have a navigation back up system.

Useful Links & Further Reading

The​ Two Moors Way by Sue Viccars - this is an extremely informative and well put together book published by Cicerone. It should be your "go to" guide book to plan your itinerary and ensure you do not miss anything of interest along the route. The book can be purchased online from Amazon and the link is here 

The Two Moors Way website - a must read for anybody thinking about undertaking this fabulous walk (and this blog of course!). Digital mapping is not available direct from the website however I can provide these for free therefore please get in contact if you would like them sent to you. The link to The Two Moors Way website is here
​
Accuweather - a very good weather update service.

www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather

Refill - a national, practical tap water campaign to aid you in topping up your supply on route.  Well worth "tapping in to" (nyuk, nyuk).

refill.org.uk

Charity

Last but not least, thanks to the generosity of friends, family and people we have never met, Fudge (and his Duck) managed to raise £4600 for Spaniel Aid. This amount of money will make a huge difference to this wonderful charity and therefore we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to those who donated. If you would like to read more about the wonderful work they do or after reading this blog you would like to make a donation then the link is below. 

spanielaid.co.uk/

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