On the 16th of March I will have been alive for 40 years. I'm keen to join in with the tradition of marking this in some way so a few months ago set about thinking of some event befitting this land mark.
I've always wanted to walk the entire South Downs Way so figured this is as good a time as any to tick that one off the bucket list.
Our "blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed Downs" have always been a dominant visual reference point for me and most days I crisscross them at some point. I'm also fascinated by their link back to our neolithic ancestors as well as the unique sense of peace and escape I've found when walking “the great hills of the South Country”.
I've walked sections of 'the way' and even stayed a night up there in a tent and carried on the next day. Great as this is I'm hoping for a fuller, deeper and more rewarding experience in walking the full 100 miles in 6 days.
An average of 16.6 miles per day, five over night stays and everything I need strapped to my back... or at least that's the plan!
16.6 miles a day is pretty ambitious! Respect. We walked the Downs Link last year and made the mistake on day one of walking 26 miles. Big time error. Curtailing our average now to half of that. Makes the beerage at the end much more enjoyable!
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