As I sit and write theses words, it's exactly a week since our departure from Lenham, the little village in Kent that will now forever be one of my favourite places in the country, on the final stage of our week long trundle along the Pilgrim’s Way to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.
I had intended to write and complete this résumé, earlier in the week but on my return home from Canterbury, life and circumstance intervened, as it often does. Along with the usual household chore catch up and being transfixed on the twists and turns of the cricket at Edgbaston, my dad’s (who is and always has been my hero) health condition has taken a downturn which has understandably been my priority over recent days.
Notwithstanding this fact, I remain keen to articulate further about our amazing adventure and get something down on paper (or into cyberspace - which is probably more appropriate nowadays), as it was a unique, enjoyable and tough experience, that touched on being genuinely cathartic at times.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
I can’t speak for Phil, but I’m pretty certain he would agree that the overriding feeling looking back at the week is positive. Not a day passed that we didn’t encounter stunning views, meet friendly people or enjoy a lot of laughs. However, if I had to select just two of my favourite moments then they would be these.
PD Mama
Day 1 was tough! The temperatures exceeded 30 C on that Saturday and we predominantly walked through the hottest part of the day. Neither Phil or I said it out loud, but at the start of day 2 we were having second thoughts and wondering what we’d got ourselves into. Enter Ellen and her friend Eeva!
Ellen or PD Mama, as she is better known across social media, was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 29 and for the last 6 years has been writing a blog about her experiences. I came across Ellen on Facebook earlier this year, as she is undertaking the remarkable challenge of walking 400km over 40 weeks before she turns 40. After some correspondence it became clear that our route would be taking us near Ellen’s normal stomping ground, so we agreed to walk a section together.
We met Ellen and her walking partner Eeva in Alton and proceeded to walk 22km with them to Farnham and beyond. They were both amazing amiable company to walk with and entertained us throughout with tales of the local area and their walks. Ellen was a true inspiration as she strode tirelessly along the trail, whilst telling us about the ups and downs of her diagnosis and the challenges she faces day to day.
We both felt refreshed and mentally re energised (Phil got his first blister so I can’t say he was physically refreshed!) at the end of the walk and they even took us to a pub in the middle of a roundabout, strictly for rehydration purposes, before we parted company.
Ellen was also kind enough to give me one of her head scarves, which went on to serve as my neck sun protector for the remaining 5 days of the walk and was undoubtedly a key part of me making it to the end without suffering from severe sunburn or sunstroke. I could return it, Ellen, but it got rather sweaty over the rest of the week!
Surprise Morris Dancing
As I have alluded to in my opening paragraph, Lenham was a big hit for me. The moment we walked into the picturesque village square, I felt relaxed and comfortable. Maybe it was the stark contrast from our previous night's resting point, the Medway Valley Leisure Park, or the fact that the villagers smiled at us as we passed, but it definitely had something different.
The positivity was increased by the warm welcome we received at The Dog & Bear Hotel which is on the market square in Lenham. It's a well kept establishment and they do a very good job of balancing a traditional locals pub with a more formal, gourmet food/wine offering.
It was while we were enjoying a meal in the D&B, next to a window overlooking the square, that we began to notice small groups of men, women and children arriving in the square wearing traditional dress, carrying sticks and instruments as well being adorned with green painted faces. Curious, with a side of "what the ..?", we decided to investigate and we learnt that it was an impromptu meeting of two traditional Morris dancing groups who were enjoying the local ale and intended to treat the village to a surprise performance.
They sang, we sang, they danced, Phil danced!
Sadly I cannot recall the name of the two groups as I did not note it down after they helpfully gave me a leaflet. The leaflet has since been mislaid! If anyone reading this knows the groups' names, then please comment and I will update with the details.
Maybe the couple of pints we had already enjoyed helped, but it was huge fun and it also led to some amiable conversations with locals and other travellers undertaking the Pilgrim's Way. We stayed up late discussing our experiences so far and the road ahead. I couldn't help but be jealous of three particular American pilgrims, who informed us that the following day consisted of them getting the train to Boughton Lees and then spending the day at Eastwell Manor spa - pilgrimming in style (I was even more jealous the next day, when we walked passed said spa after a good 2 hours rapid walking)!
Lenham was great and the Morris dancers were the cherry on top of the cake!
THE STRUGGLES
We both had done a good amount of training for this challenge, including walks for 30km plus, but little prepared us for the reality of walking near marathon distances for 7 days on the trot. The biggest factor for me was the heat. Carrying a heavy pack in temperatures reaching between 25 and 30 degrees centigrade with blazing sun is not something my body is used too. I had a wobble on day one as I felt quite dizzy at one point and it was after this that we cemented the plan to set off early each morning to try and get a good distance in before it got to hot.
The second factor was the hills. The North Downs Way is considered a moderate trail by hiking experts but their are some stretches (Surrey downs especially) that contain some challenging ascents. With hindsight, I think we would have tweaked the stages a little to ensure a wider spread of the hills. Day 4 from Westhumble to Westerham was particularly challenging as it felt like 40 kilometers of constant ups and downs.
Finally blisters, every walker's best friend! I was lucky not to suffer until pretty much the final two days but Phil got his first on day 2 and I was very impressed with how he pushed on regardless, intent on finishing the challenge we had set ourselves.
My advice to anyone doing the walk is to give yourself plenty of time and wriggle room should you need a break and plan for every eventually whether it be heavy rain or a heatwave. I'm also not a fan of the blister plasters you buy from shops and chemists because although they give protection, they move around when your walking and can cause other sore spots not to mention that you pull your skin apart trying to get them off at the end of the day. Just wrapping the area with surgical tape is the way forward as I see it.
Parkinson’s community
We shouldn’t forget one of the main reasons we undertook this walk was to raise funds for the amazing work Parkinson’s UK does but also to raise awareness of Parkinson’s, it’s affect on people and understanding what sufferers go through.
From the very start, we have been humbled by the support of the Parkinson’s community on social media, especially the way our stories, appeals and anecdotes were supported and shared despite the sometimes questionable quality.
What was even more remarkable was the number of people who approached us during the walk and shared stories of how there friends and relatives had been affected by the condition (one particular person pulled over his car on a busy road in order to give us encouragement and talk about his father who had sadly recently passed away after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s several years earlier).
A huge thanks goes out to Ellen (PDMama - who I’ve mentioned above and I won’t repeat again as she’ll likely become embarrassed), Parkinson’s UK and Parkinson’s Europe (who wrote daily messages of support and encouragement as well as helping to publicise our fundraising efforts).
A special mention must go to the esteemed Mr Rory Cellan-Jones. I had of course heard of Mr Cellan-Jones prior to the walk - he was the man from the television who used to explain things I didn’t understand as the BBC’s technology correspondent for many years. I am also an avid listener of the Movers and Shakers podcast, of which he is one of the driving forces. However, that was as far as it went and it was with little optimism that I took to Twitter on the advice of a friend (and Parkinson’s sufferer) and tweeted (I believe that’s the right vernacular) our blog at Mr Cellan-Jones hoping he might spread the word a little. Imagine my surprise when the following morning I discovered a surge in donations and on further checking the blog stats, realised the number of views had increased tenfold all thanks to his retweet (a task he repeated on subsequent days). I relay this story not to encourage others to send Mr Cellan-Jones messages hoping for intervention (he’s a busy man) but to offer our sincere thanks, we got lucky!
Fundraising
The generosity of friends, family and complete strangers has been amazing and we smashed our original target of £2,000 (we hoped to hit £1000 before we set off and £2000 by the end of the walk).
As I write the total sits at an amazing, £3,305 which when you add the gift aid that has been pledged rises to £3961.25. Much more than we ever dreamed we could raise for this charity, that means so much to both myself and Phil.
If you want to help us raise even more, the JustGiving page is still live and can be found by CLICKING HERE
A word on accommodation/refreshments
We planned our accommodation in advance and aimed for mid range practical lodgings near each days finishing point. I have no real complaints about anywhere we stayed (Canterbury Cathedral Lodge has some service issues but I'll put that down to my pickiness and history in hospitality, as overall it's an awesome spot) but special mention, in addition to the Dog & Bear in Lenham which I have eulogised about above, must go to Denbies Vineyard Hotel, which is situated at the foot of Box Hill in Surrey.
It is well worth a visit and although more expensive than other places we stayed at it, it is definitely a treat worth trying. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the rooms are immaculate with beautiful views over the vine covered valley and hills. We were lucky enough to find a package that included a wine tasting tour, two course dinner and accomodation, all for a very reasonable price. So check their website regularly for offers.
Our mid walking stops, became visits to inns and public houses for a spot of lunch and non-alcoholic rehydration. I am pleased to report that, despite doom and gloom in the industry, the country pub is still alive and well and doing what it was designed to do - acting as a community hub for locals and a resting point for weary travellers. Please keep supporting these establishments, so they do not become just another part of history. I know what I would choose if given the option between a friendly inn or a characterless Costa, Starbucks or other multinational chain. The George and Dragon in Wrotham gets a special mention for the warm welcome offered by the landlady and its 80's background music that really hit the spot!
The final Stats
Over the 7 days we walked a total of 261.4 KM in 56 hours and 55 minutes.
According to my watch, I did just over 336,000 steps over the seven days.
What now?
The intention is to keep going with the Unlikely Pilgrims website and social platforms to continue raising awareness of Parkinson's (we hope to have some more guest blogs soon) as well the odd story about walking and other related matters.
As for challenges/walks, who knows? When Phil and I parted company last Saturday we didn't want to walk to the shops let alone think of another hike and he might well be done with long distance multi day hiking. As for me, I am already planning to walk the Seven Sisters later in the summer which will be my first proper foray onto the South Downs Way. Hadrians wall looks good.... Any suggestions anyone or should we just put our feet up?
Best wishes all,
Matt
PS You might have noticed no mention of churches or cathedrals. I will circle back to that at some point but didn't want this blog to become overly long. You will have to wait for the E-book!!!!!
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