Wainwright's Pennine Journey 2019 - Charity, Planning & Preparation
The following notes are pretty generic to most long distance walking therefore are similar in text to other long distance walks we have undertaken and have simply been altered as and when for each different walk.
Our Charity
As with our last few long distance walks we would once again be walking in aid of Spaniel Aid, trying to raise as much money as possible for this wonderful Charity. Spaniel Aid is run completely by volunteers who own Spaniels themselves. They aim to advise owners of the dangers with advertising dogs on internet selling sites and to take into their care any dogs whose welfare concerns them. They have become increasingly concerned by the number of these wonderful dogs being offered for sale – or worse. Spaniel Aid place dogs into foster care and then assess them for rehoming to suitable “forever” homes thus giving many dogs a second chance. They need every penny they can get in order to provide this wonderful service. To see how much we raised please see the page "Thoughts in Conclusion" at the end of the blog.
A link to Spaniel Aid's website is here
Our Charity
As with our last few long distance walks we would once again be walking in aid of Spaniel Aid, trying to raise as much money as possible for this wonderful Charity. Spaniel Aid is run completely by volunteers who own Spaniels themselves. They aim to advise owners of the dangers with advertising dogs on internet selling sites and to take into their care any dogs whose welfare concerns them. They have become increasingly concerned by the number of these wonderful dogs being offered for sale – or worse. Spaniel Aid place dogs into foster care and then assess them for rehoming to suitable “forever” homes thus giving many dogs a second chance. They need every penny they can get in order to provide this wonderful service. To see how much we raised please see the page "Thoughts in Conclusion" at the end of the blog.
A link to Spaniel Aid's website is here
Planning - Initial Thoughts
As usual the devil is in the detail! We first started planning this journey roughly a year before we started. Having planned long distance walks before we were keen to get our accommodation pretty much boxed off in fairly short order. In addition to this, the question was posed as to when to start. We did not want to walk in the busy months of July & August as the route and accommodation would be busy therefore we plumped for May.
Accommodation
To be fair it is getting easier to find dog friendly accommodation as long as where you are wanting to stay is not in the middle of nowhere. By and large we had no problems actually booking our accommodation. As explained in the introduction, the only real issues we had was finding suitably priced accommodation in Blanchland and dog friendly accommodation in Dufton. Suffice to say we utilised a local bus service to ferry us a few miles over to Edmundbyers and whilst the accommodation we had there was average at best, it provided a means to an end. Likewise, we contacted our B&B in Appleby to ask if they would kindly pick us up/drop us off in Kirkland and for a small charge agreed to do just that. Most B&Bs were happy to take a booking a year in advance and it was then just a question of keeping tabs on what we had and had not booked via a simple Excel Spreadsheet. On a general note, don't be afraid to ask B&Bs what else they are able to provide (for a charge of course) - they are generally ok with providing transport and doing the odd load of washing as long as you ask early enough.
Fitness
Anyone undertaking a long distance walk should not underestimate how hard it really is. To prepare it is recommended that in the preceding months you get used to walking with weight on your shoulders (particularly if wild camping or you are not using baggage transfer) and for a significant distance. We also made sure we did plenty of cardio vascular exercise in the lead up to the walk. Additionally, it does help to stretch out the hamstring, calf, groin and quads before, during and after each days walking.
Feet
The most important aspect of any long distance walk is how you look after your feet. We have a regime for any walk we do and that is on a daily basis tape up any areas of your feet which have suffered blisters/rubbing in the past. Use a micro porous tape to protect each area. Additionally, once taped up, smear vaseline around the sole of the feet and in between the toes - it really does make a difference. During the walk it is important to air your feet and let them breathe out of the boots - you may also wish to change your socks, particularly on the longer days. On the days we did this then we applied a soothing foot spray also. In the evening and after a bath/shower you can also apply some Peppermint Foot Lotion which will soothe aching feet.
Kit
As usual the devil is in the detail! We first started planning this journey roughly a year before we started. Having planned long distance walks before we were keen to get our accommodation pretty much boxed off in fairly short order. In addition to this, the question was posed as to when to start. We did not want to walk in the busy months of July & August as the route and accommodation would be busy therefore we plumped for May.
Accommodation
To be fair it is getting easier to find dog friendly accommodation as long as where you are wanting to stay is not in the middle of nowhere. By and large we had no problems actually booking our accommodation. As explained in the introduction, the only real issues we had was finding suitably priced accommodation in Blanchland and dog friendly accommodation in Dufton. Suffice to say we utilised a local bus service to ferry us a few miles over to Edmundbyers and whilst the accommodation we had there was average at best, it provided a means to an end. Likewise, we contacted our B&B in Appleby to ask if they would kindly pick us up/drop us off in Kirkland and for a small charge agreed to do just that. Most B&Bs were happy to take a booking a year in advance and it was then just a question of keeping tabs on what we had and had not booked via a simple Excel Spreadsheet. On a general note, don't be afraid to ask B&Bs what else they are able to provide (for a charge of course) - they are generally ok with providing transport and doing the odd load of washing as long as you ask early enough.
Fitness
Anyone undertaking a long distance walk should not underestimate how hard it really is. To prepare it is recommended that in the preceding months you get used to walking with weight on your shoulders (particularly if wild camping or you are not using baggage transfer) and for a significant distance. We also made sure we did plenty of cardio vascular exercise in the lead up to the walk. Additionally, it does help to stretch out the hamstring, calf, groin and quads before, during and after each days walking.
Feet
The most important aspect of any long distance walk is how you look after your feet. We have a regime for any walk we do and that is on a daily basis tape up any areas of your feet which have suffered blisters/rubbing in the past. Use a micro porous tape to protect each area. Additionally, once taped up, smear vaseline around the sole of the feet and in between the toes - it really does make a difference. During the walk it is important to air your feet and let them breathe out of the boots - you may also wish to change your socks, particularly on the longer days. On the days we did this then we applied a soothing foot spray also. In the evening and after a bath/shower you can also apply some Peppermint Foot Lotion which will soothe aching feet.
Kit
A bit less kit than the South West Coast Path last year - but not much!
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Rucksacks On this walk we would be using a Baggage Transfer service (see below). Suffice to say we utilised our Osprey Stratos 36L Rucksacks - an excellent piece of kit which we use for everyday hiking. Plenty of room in the main compartment with a separate area for foul weather/dirty kit and zipped pockets on the waist strap. The rucksack is also fitted with a rain hood. |
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Boots
We both have Scarpa boots and there is no doubt that whilst they may be slightly heavier, what they lose in weight they more than make up for in comfort and reliability. We had these well worn in before we commenced the walk. Depending upon space in your rucksack, you may wish to consider taking a pair of trail shoes for the flatter sections of the route.
We both have Scarpa boots and there is no doubt that whilst they may be slightly heavier, what they lose in weight they more than make up for in comfort and reliability. We had these well worn in before we commenced the walk. Depending upon space in your rucksack, you may wish to consider taking a pair of trail shoes for the flatter sections of the route.
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Daily Wear
We were lucky with the weather for the most part therefore hardly wore a fleece. We both wore Ron Hill light leggings and a cool max t-shirt although when the wind did blow and on the occasions we had a bit of light rain then we wore our featherlite pull on jackets. The one opposite is the Montane version - we had the Rab (Dave) and a Paramo (Angie) version. The jacket rolls up to nothing and weighs virtually the same. A fantastic piece of kit. |
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Did you accidentally forget to fill my bowl up??
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Food & Water
As always, one of the main issues we had in the planning stage was what to do about our dog Fudge's food. The weight allowance of our bag with our baggage transfer company was 20kg therefore we dropped off a box of food at Keld, Hexham & Appleby and the remainder we carried. This worked very well and enabled us to keep our daily weight to a manageable level. |
As far as feeding ourselves then it was just a matter of getting as much calories inside us each day as we could. We tried to vary our breakfast intake as much as possible - lots of cereal & fruit plus the odd bit of fried food but not much. Lunch was normally snack bars, cake etc with a big meal in the evening.
Water is vitally important on a walk such as this. We did ensure that we had places to top up on a daily basis and also made sure we got as much fluid into our system when needed. We had some pretty humid days during the walk therefore it was vital that our water intake was sustainable. Additionally, it was vitally important not to forget Fudge - he drank a lot on a daily basis and also took every opportunity to swim and prat around in the water.
Therefore, before leaving for the day we had a 2 Litre Camelbak each plus 2 x 1 litre water bottles for Fudge. Every opportunity was taken to top up whenever we needed to.
Therefore, before leaving for the day we had a 2 Litre Camelbak each plus 2 x 1 litre water bottles for Fudge. Every opportunity was taken to top up whenever we needed to.
Baggage Transfer
After a couple of years of carrying all our gear, this year we decided to use the services of a Baggage Transfer Service. There are several companies that provide this service for The Pennine Journey and after much research we plumped for a company we had never used before. Trail Magic appeared to be extremely competitive and at £9 per bag, per day was an offer too good to miss. We did not know much about them and to be honest had never heard of them until a friend mentioned the company to us one day. Therefore Trail Magic was the company we plumped for and hopefully would provide us with a good service.
After a couple of years of carrying all our gear, this year we decided to use the services of a Baggage Transfer Service. There are several companies that provide this service for The Pennine Journey and after much research we plumped for a company we had never used before. Trail Magic appeared to be extremely competitive and at £9 per bag, per day was an offer too good to miss. We did not know much about them and to be honest had never heard of them until a friend mentioned the company to us one day. Therefore Trail Magic was the company we plumped for and hopefully would provide us with a good service.
Mapping
We utilised a combination of 4 methods of navigation during this walk. Firstly the relevant OS Maps & our compass and secondly referring to the illustrated maps in David Pitt's "A Pennine Journey" book. Thirdly we used our own pre planned routes downloaded to our trusty Satmap Active 20 GPS and lastly the well appointed Pennine Journey way marks. We had no navigational mishaps and the signs are plentiful - just remember to add common sense into your navigation, know how to use a map & compass and ensure you have a back up power supply. Common sense is not rocket science!
We utilised a combination of 4 methods of navigation during this walk. Firstly the relevant OS Maps & our compass and secondly referring to the illustrated maps in David Pitt's "A Pennine Journey" book. Thirdly we used our own pre planned routes downloaded to our trusty Satmap Active 20 GPS and lastly the well appointed Pennine Journey way marks. We had no navigational mishaps and the signs are plentiful - just remember to add common sense into your navigation, know how to use a map & compass and ensure you have a back up power supply. Common sense is not rocket science!
Finally, a fantastic resource to aid your planning can be found on the official website - the link is here