After volunteering on the checkpoints for the 2011 Louise Smalley Challenge Walk I decided to bite the bullet and take part in the walk myself.
I will be updating my blog regularly over the course of the year to chart my progress while I train.
Darren has offered (insisted) on helping me get fitter for the walk and also to help me prepare for the the demands I wasn't expecting!
I hope you enjoy following me and if you feel inclined to sponsor the details will be up later in the year.

I hope this blog will inspire some of you to take part in the walk or just to get out there and enjoy our green and pleasant land.

Don't forget to check out the official website www.louisesmalleywalk.co.uk

Thank you.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Other ways.........

Off to play squash tonight to try and improve my general fitness.

I went to play for the first time last friday and enjoyed it loads. I have also joined the gym at Cresswell so I can try and get some basic fitness when I can't get out to do any walking. I've been a few times since moving to the village and have been doing between 30 and 40 minutes on the bike or treadmill before doing a few weights. Generally feeling good at the minute about my fitness levels.
Let's hope it keeps improving.

Charlotte.

Monday 24 October 2011

Kinder Scout

Length - 5.1 miles Height ascended -  353 metres Start time Midday Finish time 15:05 Duration 3hr 05 mins

This one was so much fun!! Just a quick note though to say don't attempt this route up Kinder Scout if you are not experienced/confident on rocks and scrambling up them! It was slippy in places and I was with a qualified mountain leader.

I did this route with Darren Ellis and Tony Draper (both previous LSW walkers). We started at Upper Booth and made our way up the relatively gentle start up towards Crowden Clough. The fun started when we began a gorge scramble up the river towards the top. This was a mixture of picking my way through rocks and climbing small sections of waterfalls! This was loads of fun and also distracted me from how far I had gone and how high I had climbed. After walking, climbing and scrambling for quite some time we reached a small pool of water with a waterfall coming down into it which was very beautiful. After having some lunch and Tony and Darren had finished messing around on the closest rock face we tackled the final longer scramble to finish our route.

   I was nervous at first as I am not great with heights but I had come a long way up to that point and there was no way I was going back!! In the end it was much easier than it looked and I shot up it leaving Tony (who was behind me to make sure I was safe) far behind me. We could have left the river at this point and continued on to the summit of Kinder but Tony insisted we follow the river all the way up. This lead to a spot of weaselling - I did choose the easiest gap to get through but it was still quite hard work as the rocks to push yourself out with were quite high (sore arms!)

  At this point we had reached the plateau of Kinder and it was extremely windy! So much so some of the waterfalls were going upwards. Walking along the top in that wind would have been hard work if it hadn't been pushing me along in the right direction. Must have been a sign!
  The worst part of this walk was tackling the peat bogs. Walking through them was tough. Just like walking through snow or sand, but much dirtier! There was a treat on the plateau though. There is a group of rocks which have formed very strange shapes up there, including one which resembles a giant mushroom. The largest concentration of these rocks is called The Woolpacks and is really quite something to see. We paused for a couple of minutes to have a bit of a play on them and have a bit of a climb.
  Then came the long trudge to the trig point. It was a little disheartening as I could see the trig point for ages before I got to it and there was a large area of peat to walk through just has I got to it. But it was worth it.

There were a lot of people up on the top and we had a quick chat to a couple who were doing the Edale Skyline, which Darren has told me I'll be doing in the spring as one of my last training walks. We wished them luck and started our walk down. We followed part of the skyline route and then broke off towards Jacob's Ladder. This was a long steep staircase type path which made my knees ache going down it. I turned round about half way down to take a look back up and it made me glad we didn't go up that way. At the bottom of the ladder it was a simple flat ramble back to the start point.

I thoroughly enjoyed this walk and, combined with the inspiration I got from the presentation night, I feel more motivated then ever! I even agreed to tackle Snowdon some time soon.
I'm feeling really positive about my training at the minute and can't wait for my next walk. I'm planning on taking on more distance next time as the walks I have done so far have been relatively short.

Charlotte.

Sunday 23 October 2011

LSW Presentation night.

I'm back!! All moved in and settled in the village.

Last night was the presentation night for the 2011 Louise Smalley walk. All the support teams were thanked and given badges for helping the walkers. I was in support team 1 so I got my very own badge (proud!!) I was amazed how much thanks is given to the support teams. I didn't really think twice about volunteering this year for it but I was made to feel so valued and appreciated.

The walkers all received certificates and well deserved they all were! And most importantly a cheque for £10,000 was handed over to Landmarks in Cresswell which will go a massive way to help them out. They were thrilled to receive that amount of money and there were even tears!!

It was good to be reminded about why I am doing this walk. Joe and Trev both spoke about how much they appreciate how many people do the walk and how much help is given. Trev also spoke about Louise and how this walk keeps her memory alive. I was moved by the emotions shown by both of them and clearly I wasn't the only one as Trev's son made a speech (apparently the first time he has) and took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend!! Making everyone in the Smalley family even more emotional!!

It was a great evening and I felt inspired by the attitudes of all those who have been involved in this walk from the start. There is so much emotion and pride in this event and hearing these conveyed last night only spurred me on and motivated me even more.
I am still a bit of an outsider in Whitwell but I have loved this event ever since I first heard about it. It makes a wonderful contribution to local charities in the name of a very brave little girl. What better way to honour her memory? I can't wait to be a part of this event next year. I know it will hurt and no doubt they'll be tears but I am now more determined than ever to finish it!

Hopefully I'll do Louise proud!!

Charlotte