On Friday evening we arrived at the Nelson’s delightful house tired and sodden. The rain that fell relentlessly managed to leak into every cranny. It’s amazing what a hot bath and a good meal can do and I have to say we were shown great hospitality. On Saturday we walked across the River Ribble …
Category: 2014 Walk
Jul 04
Day 5 – Manners Maketh Man
As soon as we set off a team of flies like paparazzi home in on me and zip about my head – not Jane’s – for the rest of the day, why not Jane? I edge towards her. In the hope a few will be attracted to her but no such luck. What do the …
Jul 03
Day 4 – No Offence!
We have just walked from Quernmore to Abbeystead. We climbed over high moorland and at the high point we could see Blackpool tower on the far left towards Barrow in Furness on the right. To our front was spread a magnificent view of Morecambe Bay. We squelched through acres of farmyard muck and up and …
Jul 02
Day 3 – Ozzies, Hacking and Horses
We had supper at the Wheatsheaf in Beetham and we were served by a delightful waitress called Jacqueline (Jax). Jax is the heroine of the day. She looks about 38 and she is a high class copper-bottomed grafter. To pay her way she works full time in a “Help the Aged” charity shop in Milnthorpe …
Jul 01
Day 2 – Gone with the Wind
Hunt the Slipper Each time we try and start to walk on time we are disadvantaged to find our shoes have been liberated by Dinah so we have to hunt the slipper all over the garden. Dinah thinks this a great game! She has also perfected the skill of tripping me up, which she …
Jun 30
Day 1 – Mad Dogs Beginnings, Sad Dog Endings
And so it begins…Recall if you will the ski jumps at the winter Olympics whereby the skier hurtles down what appears to be a cliff and then climbs precipitately up the other side. This is roughly what we have been negotiating as we leave Ambleside on the first leg of “Mad Dogs”. I have been …
Jun 30
The Day Before – A Breath of Fresh Eyre
Subaltern days I attended a regimental dinner the other day, it was memorable on a number of counts. The first is that I was breathalised on the way home by a couple of smirking cops who saw an old geezer in a dinner jacket. I knew I had had nothing to drink but one always …
Jun 29
Pre-Walk Check-Up
Never Too Young to Die It all began after the last walk. I decided it would be prudent to see my doctor before contemplating any further marathon treks, so I booked in for a check-up. I had spotted a few symptoms that I will not detail in a family commentary; suffice it to say, they …
Jun 26
Tom’s Walk Blog 2014: Ambleside to Oxford
Tom writes his blog at night with fat fingers on an iPad and it is then spell-checked and posted online each day. You will be able to read entries day-by-day as they are posted. A fully edited and illustrated version will be printed and sent to all donors after the walk, so if you are …