So, what did everyone think of the walk?

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We survived the walk, and lots has been written about the walk itself, so for more details on outstanding views, blisters and snoring, have a look at some of the posts that have been written by the various bloggers that took part on the walk and its aftermath. So, in a vaguely chronological order:

Hadrian’s Walk Seemed A Good Idea Eight Months Ago
Day 1 – We Walked On
Hadrian’s Crawl
Day 1: Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall
Day 2: Heddon-on-the-wall to Wallwick(ish)
You will want to see this. Honest.
Hadrian’s Walk #2: Archaeology
Hadrian’s Walk #3 “Injury Time”
Day 3 & Day 4: Walwick to Banks
Hadrian’s Walk #4: Friday Miscellany
Day 5 & Day 6: Banks to Bowness
Hadrian’s Walk 5: Basically…
Ouch Ouch Ouch
At What Price?
Walking the Walk

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In order to bring joy and amusement to everyone’s lives, Neil & I filmed a training diary as we went round on a training walk the other day:

And this was the route that we walked:

In the end, it turns out that this little practice walk came in at slightly over 5 miles. Not as long as we will be doing during the actual walk, but at least we weren’t dead at the end of that 5 miles, which is a good start considering I’ve done practically no exercise for about 5 years! But with now less than a month to go before the real thing, I think we need to give up buses and rely on our feet more.

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And so does pace, but I’ll leave that for another time.

Until recently, my training for this Death March we have been so happily referring to as Hadrian’s Walk has consisted primarily of eating large quantities of peanut butter and lying about on the couch. How has this helped to build my stamina, I hear you asking.

Absolutely none, I tell you. But should I get lost or worse, just have to stop somewhere in the God-forsaken middle of England unable to take another step, I figure I’ve got at least three comfortable days surviving on the body fat that I’ve accumulated. After that, it’s touch and go.

Unless it rains. Then I could last for weeks!

Unfortunately, I’ve got a non-refundable return flight to the states that leaves shortly after the scheduled completion of the walk. I’ve also got train fare back to London — departing from the scheduled end point of our walk. Seems I’m going to have to actually walk if I expect to make these connections.

And so I, like many of my fellow walkers, have been to the sporting goods store and purchased a shiny new pair of walking shoes. I know, most of you guys are opting for the sturdier boots, it’s just that I don’t really do that much hiking and would rather spend the coins on a shoe I’ll probably be wearing for quite some time after the walk. Please do not interpret this to mean I’d like to be buried in my new Merrell Intercept Mochas with the Vibram Sole should I happen to perish along the way.

The shoes are nice, but they ain’t that nice!

I’m also an insert kind of a guy so with the purchase of my new shoes came the purchase of a set of Spenco inserts. I fell in love with Spencos back during my nursing days when I was working 12 and 16 hour shifts. In my opinion, they provide enough cushion and support that they can make even the most poorly designed shoe feel comfortable.

I set off one morning to test my new purchases and as expected, everything felt fantastic. For two miles. That was when I began to feel a most horrible burn just above the ball of my foot but below the toe. An odd place, I thought, for there to be friction so I kept on. After one more mile I stopped, completely flabbergasted and now fully aware that I had worn a blister in my very first walk in just under three miles.

My shoes felt great, I had the proper socks. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

I began searching for answers and it didn’t take long. The inserts I had purchased were about 1/8 of an inch too small. There was just enough of a slip with each step that in a matter of only a few minutes I had rubbed myself a blister.

1/8 of a freaking inch!!!

The problem has since been rectified and I’ve had no further issues. But it happened so quickly even with proper socks and a nice pair of shoes that I felt it was worth sharing.

If you, like me appreciate the added support from a good insert — check the fit.

Size does matter!

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Over the past couple of months or so there has been some plotting going on. Bloggers from all over the UK have been huddled in corners secretly whispering and cackling to each other, slowly chiselling away at their cunning scheme.

But now the plans have reached fruition. The curtain can be drawn. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you:

We have some pretty amazing prizes on offer, including a holiday in Europe for up to two adults and four kids. It doesn’t get much better than that people.

Here’s the list in full:

• 1st prize – Three night Family Keycamp Break in Europe
• 2nd prize – Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS62 Digital Camera
• 3rd prize – HP Photosmart Premium fax all-in-one printer
• 4th prize – Fortnum and Mason Hamper
• Six runner-up prizes – SimpleHuman electronic sensor soap dispenser

Tickets are £1 each and are in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust. And you can buy them here:

http://www.justgiving.com/hadriansraffle

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!! Because you can help the raffle in another way too. By writing about the raffle, the walk, and the Joseph Salmon Trust (along with appropriate links) you can spread the word and hopefully prompt others to donate to the trust.

And as a thank you for doing this we’ll give you two extra fee tickets. Because we’re nice like that.

About the cause

The Joseph Salmon Trust provides financial support to families who have lost a child. This might be to help with the cost of a funeral, or to enable the self employed to take a little time off work in order to grieve.

Losing a child is the single worst possible thing to happen to a family. There is nothing we can do to make things any better, but we can do something to stop it getting worse. Many families spiral into debt after a child’s death, and this can heap even more stress and trauma onto an already devastating situation.

In July of this year 60 people from all over the world will be coming together to walk the 84 mile long Hadrian’s Wall footpath in support of the Joseph Salmon Trust. Among the walkers are bloggers from All That Comes With It, Single Parent Dad, Insomniac Mummy, Jo Beaufoix, Dad Who Writes, and many other bloggers. This raffle is to support their fundraising.

Remember to use a valid email address when buying the tickets as within 7 days a representative of the raffle will contact you to get your name and address in order to post your tickets out to you.

In addition, if you’d like to get a few additional books of tickets in order to sell them to your friends and family then just drop us a line at raffle@hadrianswalk.org

Here’s some more details about those prizes:

Three night Family Keycamp Break in Europe

Keycamp Holidays has provided a three-night break at one of its 100 plus parcs in Europe or one of ten UK Escapes locations.

Whether you’re seeking action and adventure in the countryside, watersports galore at fabulous beaches or sight-seeing in some of Europe’s best destinations – you’ll find all the ingredients for an action-packed family holiday at one of Keycamp’s fantastic parcs.

In Europe, you’ll be staying in a stylish mobile home with access to an array of facilities and activities. Keycamp’s free Fun Station kids clubs are also available at selected parcs and a return Dover to Calais ferry crossing would be included.

In the UK, you could enjoy a back-to-nature break, staying in a fully-equipped Supertent at a choice of stunning locations from the Lake District to Snowdonia and Scotland.

For more information about Keycamp, visit www.keycamp.co.uk or call 0844 406 0319.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS62

A 10.1 megapixel point and shoot digital camera with a 4x optical zoom lense. It’s the What Digital Camera magazine’s Gold Award winner in Febuary 2010. The camera currently retails at around £100

HP Premium All-In-One Printer

A complete print, scan, and copy solution that allows you to wirelessly print photos, web content, and every day documents with ease. The fact that it’s wireless means that you can place it anywhere in the home and it is still able to connect with your computer, removing the need for it to clutter up your computer space. The printer is currently retailing at around £130.

Fornum and Mason Hamper

Containing a selection of Fortnum and Mason’s finest food presented in a wicker hamper of their finest foods. Currently retailing at £40. Donated by Jo Beaufoix.

The Simplehuman Electronic Sensor Soap Dispenser

Quick, easy, and touch free to help prevent the spread of germs. Just place your hand under the sensor to dispense soap automatically. The soap pump is currently retailing at £29.99 and we have three to give away. Donated by Simplehuman

Raffle Terms and Condition

• Tickets are £1 each.
• One ticket equals one entry into the draw.
• In order to buy a ticket, make a donation at http://justgiving.com/hadriansraffle. Use a valid email address and within 7 days a representative of the raffle will contact you and ask your name and address. The tickets will then be posted out to you.
• If you blog about the raffle, adding a link to your post on this post, you will be given 2 free raffle tickets as a thank you. Please email raffle@hadrianswalk.org to let us know about your post. Maximum 2 free tickets per individual.
• Online entries to the raffle will close on the 17th of July. The raffle will be drawn on the 24th July
• The raffle is open to UK residents only.
• Promoter – Neil Salmon, The Joseph Salmon Trust, PO Box 1538, Huddersfield.
• Registered with Kirklees M.C. in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005
• Registered as a Charity in England & Wales 1123322
• Full terms and conditions available here: http://www.thejosephsalmontrust.org.uk/?page_id=353

Keycamp terms and conditions

The prize is a three night self-catering holiday. If in Europe, accommodation will be a mobile home (chosen by Keycamp), sleeping up to a maximum of 2 adults and 4 children under 18 at a Keycamp parc, excluding group B parcs, Greece, Denmark and subject to availability. A return midweek Dover to Calais ferry crossing is also included. If in the UK, accommodation will be a tent sleeping two adults and up to four children. Brochure terms and conditions apply, and Keycamp reserves the right to exclude certain parcs. Travel insurance, car, petrol, meals and spending money are not included. Extra nights/ upgrades as per brochure prices. Alternative travel options are available at a supplement. The holiday can be taken on or after 31 August 2010 and completed before 9 July 2011 (including May half-term), subject to availability. Prize is non-transferable.

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This is a sticky post. To see the most recent entry on the blog please scroll down

In July of this year 60 people from all over the world are coming together to walk the 84 mile length of the Hadrian’s Wall Footpath. They are doing this in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust, a charity founded by our friends in memorial to their son Joseph who died aged 3 in April of 2005.

The Joseph Salmon Trust supports parents who have lost a child by providing financial assistance to those who need it most. This may be to help with funeral costs, or maybe to enable the self employed some time off work in order to grieve.

Due to the exceptionally kind generosity of Buff and Acorn Printing we are very excited to be able to offer two pieces of Hadrian’s Walk Merchandise for sale – as exhibited by our two glamorous models below:

The T-shirt costs £6 (including P&P) and is available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. Buy one HERE.

The Buff perhaps warrants a little more explanation. If there is one disadvantage to a Buff it’s that they are so hard to describe. The easiest route would probably to call them a bandanna – that’s certainly what I use mine for. But the truth is they are a lot more versatile than that.

Here then are the many faces of a Buff:

Buff’s are £13 each (including P&P) and are one size fits all. Buy one HERE.

It is important to point out that 100% of the £13 charged for the Buff will go to the Joseph Salmon Trust (minus postage costs) as will all but 80p of the T-shirts. Again, we’d like to thank Buff and Acorn Printing for their generosity.

So basically, if you were planning on making a donation to the Walk you might as well make it £13 or £6 and get a Buff or a t-shirt out of the deal (or even donate £19 and get both!).

As you will see if you click on the purchase links above we’re using a justgiving page to handle payments. After you’ve paid then email archie@hadrianswalk.org and tell him your name and address. Then sit back and wait for your Buff to arrive through the post. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Also

We have some pretty amazing prizes on offer, including a holiday in Europe for up to two adults and four kids. It doesn’t get much better than that people.

Here’s the list in full:

• 1st prize – Three night Family Keycamp Break in Europe
• 2nd prize – Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS62 Digital Camera
• 3rd prize – HP Photosmart Premium fax all-in-one printer
• 4th prize – Fortnum and Mason Hamper
• Six runner-up prizes – SimpleHuman electronic sensor soap dispenser

Tickets are £1 each and are in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust. And you can buy them here:

http://www.justgiving.com/hadriansraffle

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!! Because you can help the raffle in another way too. By writing about the raffle, the walk, and the Joseph Salmon Trust (along with appropriate links) you can spread the word and hopefully prompt others to donate to the trust.

And as a thank you for doing this we’ll give you two extra fee tickets. Because we’re nice like that.

About the cause

The Joseph Salmon Trust provides financial support to families who have lost a child. This might be to help with the cost of a funeral, or to enable the self employed to take a little time off work in order to grieve.

Losing a child is the single worst possible thing to happen to a family. There is nothing we can do to make things any better, but we can do something to stop it getting worse. Many families spiral into debt after a child’s death, and this can heap even more stress and trauma onto an already devastating situation.

In July of this year 60 people from all over the world will be coming together to walk the 84 mile long Hadrian’s Wall footpath in support of the Joseph Salmon Trust. Among the walkers are bloggers from All That Comes With It, Single Parent Dad, Insomniac Mummy, Jo Beaufoix, Dad Who Writes, and many other bloggers. This raffle is to support their fundraising.

Remember to use a valid email address when buying the tickets as within 7 days a representative of the raffle will contact you to get your name and address in order to post your tickets out to you.

In addition, if you’d like to get a few additional books of tickets in order to sell them to your friends and family then just drop us a line at raffle@hadrianswalk.org

Here’s some more details about those prizes:

Three night Family Keycamp Break in Europe

Keycamp Holidays has provided a three-night break at one of its 100 plus parcs in Europe or one of ten UK Escapes locations.

Whether you’re seeking action and adventure in the countryside, watersports galore at fabulous beaches or sight-seeing in some of Europe’s best destinations – you’ll find all the ingredients for an action-packed family holiday at one of Keycamp’s fantastic parcs.

In Europe, you’ll be staying in a stylish mobile home with access to an array of facilities and activities. Keycamp’s free Fun Station kids clubs are also available at selected parcs and a return Dover to Calais ferry crossing would be included.

In the UK, you could enjoy a back-to-nature break, staying in a fully-equipped Supertent at a choice of stunning locations from the Lake District to Snowdonia and Scotland.

For more information about Keycamp, visit www.keycamp.co.uk or call 0844 406 0319.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS62

A 10.1 megapixel point and shoot digital camera with a 4x optical zoom lense. It’s the What Digital Camera magazine’s Gold Award winner in Febuary 2010. The camera currently retails at around £100

HP Premium All-In-One Printer

A complete print, scan, and copy solution that allows you to wirelessly print photos, web content, and every day documents with ease. The fact that it’s wireless means that you can place it anywhere in the home and it is still able to connect with your computer, removing the need for it to clutter up your computer space. The printer is currently retailing at around £130.

Fornum and Mason Hamper

Containing a selection of Fortnum and Mason’s finest food presented in a wicker hamper of their finest foods. Currently retailing at £40. Donated by Jo Beaufoix.

The Simplehuman Electronic Sensor Soap Dispenser

Quick, easy, and touch free to help prevent the spread of germs. Just place your hand under the sensor to dispense soap automatically. The soap pump is currently retailing at £29.99 and we have six to give away. Donated by Simplehuman

Raffle Terms and Condition

• Tickets are £1 each.
• One ticket equals one entry into the draw.
• In order to buy a ticket, make a donation at http://justgiving.com/hadriansraffle. Use a valid email address and within 7 days a representative of the raffle will contact you and ask your name and address. The tickets will then be posted out to you.
• If you blog about the raffle, adding a link to your post on this post, you will be given 2 free raffle tickets as a thank you. Please email raffle@hadrianswalk.org to let us know about your post. Maximum 2 free tickets per individual.
• Online entries to the raffle will close on the 17th of July. The raffle will be drawn on the 24th July
• The raffle is open to UK residents only.
• Promoter – Neil Salmon, The Joseph Salmon Trust, PO Box 1538, Huddersfield.
• Registered with Kirklees M.C. in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005
• Registered as a Charity in England & Wales 1123322
• Full terms and conditions available here: http://www.thejosephsalmontrust.org.uk/?page_id=353

Keycamp terms and conditions

The prize is a three night self-catering holiday. If in Europe, accommodation will be a mobile home (chosen by Keycamp), sleeping up to a maximum of 2 adults and 4 children under 18 at a Keycamp parc, excluding group B parcs, Greece, Denmark and subject to availability. A return midweek Dover to Calais ferry crossing is also included. If in the UK, accommodation will be a tent sleeping two adults and up to four children. Brochure terms and conditions apply, and Keycamp reserves the right to exclude certain parcs. Travel insurance, car, petrol, meals and spending money are not included. Extra nights/ upgrades as per brochure prices. Alternative travel options are available at a supplement. The holiday can be taken on or after 31 August 2010 and completed before 9 July 2011 (including May half-term), subject to availability. Prize is non-transferable.

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After our sucessful photoshoot on Monday the walk has now been featured in today’s Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Hopefully this will help raise the profile of the Trust, the walk, and maybe even get us a few donations.

Here’s a extract from the piece:

Blogger drums up international support for Marsh charity Joseph Salmon Trust

A Blogger has drummed up international support for a Huddersfield charity.

Dan Hughes, from Slaithwaite, used the power of the web to support the Joseph Salmon Trust.

The Marsh charity was started in 2008 by dan’s friends Rachael and Neil Salmon, who lost their three-year-old son to pneumonia in 2005.

It provides financial help for parents who have lost children to cover funeral and related costs.

Dad-of-two Dan, 34, invited readers of his blog www.allthatcomeswithit.com – his thoughts on family life – to join him for an 84-mile walk along Hadrian’s Wall in aid of the trust.

But the positive response he got took him by surprise…

You can read the whole article in full here

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After the great day out we all had walking around Malham on May Day, i’ve been asked to plan another training walk. Though this time not to include any surprises!

So this time i’m going to base it around the Wharfe Valley and part of the Dales way. As before anyone is invited to join me. Now all you need are the details.

It’s going to take place on Monday the 31st of May, which is the next bank holiday. I suggest we meet up at the Cavendish Pavilion on the Bolton Abbey Estate at 10am. There is a car park just next to the pavilion.

Looking back towards Simon's Seat, no climbing required!

Then we will walk up to Simon’s Seat and down to Trollers Gill, after that we have a choice of walking to Grassington or doing a circular walk back to the cars. There is a bus from Grassington at 17.25 that passes Bolton Abbey if we decide on the linear walk.

Entering Trollers Gill

I suggest bringing your own lunch, although you will be able to eat at Parcevall Hall just before we reach Trollers Gill.
To give you an idea what i have in mind click on the link below:

http://www.walkingenglishman.com/dales28.htm

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Thanks to everyone who came on the 14 mile practice walk round Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really enjoyed myself. Even if Dave neglected to tell us about the big bloody cliff face we’d have to climb up (the photo below isn’t mine, but we did climb it)

We had a great time and were rather pleased that none of us seemed to struggle with the distance. It was also great to meet up with Les and Bill, two Hadrian’s Walkers who I’ve not met before (although Les did inform me that he had actually been at my wedding – but in my defense I was rather drunk at the time).

I’m going to soak my legs in a hot bath, so here are a couple of photos:

Group photo from left to right: Les, Rich Brook, Dave, Dan, Bill, Craig, Elise

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