A walk to remember
Stretches of extreme weather and hours of being on your toes may seem like a daunting task, but dotted with scenic landscape and landmarks, a walk across the english coast is one you don’t want to miss
Nothing can be as exhilarating as a 137 mile, 12 day walk from one coast of England to the other. I didn’t think that I would ever experience three types of weather in one day — one minute I was wearing a short-sleeve shirt to beat the heat and the next I was scrambling to pull on my warm fleece, and then my rain gear. But then what would you expect when you’re on one of the top 10 long-distance hikes in the world — the Alfred Wainwright’s England Coast to Coast walk.
This year in July-August, my husband Xavier Augustin and I decided to go on this walk. We had chosen the luxury adventure version with National Geographic, where we hiked 137 miles in 12 days. We basically crossed England on foot and I’ll tell you this — no amount of gymming (I try to do cardio five days a week) can prepare you for a walk like this.
As part of our trip we took a train from London to Pennith, where our guide picked us up and we proceeded to this beautiful English Country House hotel in the middle of nowhere. It was a typical English place, with an old English pub. We socialised with the group that was going to travel with us, and our trip started the next morning.
Our first walk was to St. Bees Head, but before we set off, tradition demanded that we dip our toes in the Irish Sea and pick a pebble to be carried in our pockets before taking on the hike for 12 days. At the end of the hike, once one reaches the North Sea, you dip your toe again and throw the pebble in.
With that, off we went. We crossed bridges, three national parks, a monastery, ridges and lakes. So much of walking was bound to take its toll, and while I did lose four kilos, I also ended up busting my knees. For the next two days, I was on painkillers, because I wanted to complete the walk.
Our day would start as early as 6.30 am and we would get done with breakfast and start the walk by 8.30 am. The walk would go on for eight hours and sometimes we would also walk to our next hotel and by the time we got there, our luggage would be waiting for us.
This kind of an adventure trip was a first for me and I’m glad I did it. We got to visit William Wordsworth’s home where he wrote some of his most famous works, we trekked across a limestone plateau dotted with prehistoric settlements, stone circles, and burial mounds. In the charming village of Orton, we stopped for lunch and visited the chocolate shop too. But some of the best moments felt surreal... like the time we walked right through the clouds. The trip was hectic, but also an enriching experience that I’ve learnt a lot from. Needless to say, highly recommended!
Writer is the COO, Y-Axis, bitten by the travel bug