Stewart's Thoughts

It's been two weeks now since Derrick and I stepped onto the beach at Banyuls and into the Mediterranean sea. 47 days and 10 hours after stepping out of the Atlantic Ocean, 500 miles and a whole world away. We had planned to be there the next day, to be welcomed home by family and friends who had travelled out to France to greet us. But the Pyrenees would not release their grasp on us and on a day when we had started walking in a fierce, cold wind, heralding the change into autumn, we found ourselves in 44 degree furnace at 4pm the same day. With no water to be found at our elected campsite due to the hot summer drying up springs and rivers alike, the thought of spending a night on water rations in the heat with the end in sight was just too unedifying to contemplate, so we continued.

We finished as we started really, just the two of us, on a beach. Stepping into the sea was the final act in seven weeks of effort and marked the end. No crowds of cheering well wishers, no champagne corks. Just the pounding sea. I felt a little numb, not overcome with emotion as I thought. I had finished, that was it. I didn't need to think about tomorrow's route, what the weather was going to do, where to find water, did we have enough food. I didn't have to think about where to pitch the tent, washing my clothes, cooking the food, or what kit needed fixing. I almost felt robbed. The Pyrenees were all I had to think about for nearly seven weeks and now I was through them I didn't know what to do next. Two weeks later they still haven't released their grip on me.

I've been asked a lot of questions about the trip, and some keep cropping up over and over. I thought that I might share some of them with you, and my answers. When reading these please remember these are only my thoughts and Derrick may have other ideas. If you want to know his views you will have to ask him.

Q Did you ever think you wouldn't make it?

No. The thought never entered my head. I was fully committed to this and was aware of what I was getting into. I was physically and mentally prepared before leaving and in fact felt stronger and fitter as we covered more and more miles. To me, failing was not an option. Some days were really tough but that's when you just have to dig deep and get on with it. To me, pushing myself gave me a buzz.

Q Did you ever feel homesick?

Before leaving I had discussed with my wife things that could go wrong at home and had made contingency plans for events like the death of a relative. I had her full support in this adventure, as well as my parents in Scotland. I knew my wife would receive support from her family and close friends. This meant that I had a clear conscience and could focus on the challenge whilst not worrying about home. It was always good to hear about what was happening at home via text or the occasional phone call but we were only going to be away for seven weeks, not a lifetime.

Q Were there any scary moments?

Some of the sections are very steep and have to be almost climbed, which isn't easy with 20kg on your back. Some sections even have safety rope to assist on the rock face but even these sections are all crossable. These sections are all on well marked routes, albeit they might only be 6 inches wide in places. If hundreds of other walkers can do them then why should they be a problem to me?

Q There must have been bad days when things went wrong, how did you cope?

I don't believe in bad days. There are some that are just a little worse than others. If it's raining, just be glad it's not snowing. If it snows then just be glad there isn't thick mist as well. There was one day that it was very misty, raining which turned to hail and to top it all a thunderstorm whilst trying to climb a col over 2500m high. I did stop at one point and shout at the mountain out loud, "Give me a chance" and then burst out laughing. You can't get mad at nature, it will always win, you just have to work with what it gives you. The mountains have been there a long time, and will still be there when I'm long gone. Just give hem a bit of respect. If I was to get mad every time it rained I would have given up in the first week!

Q Would you do it again?

Yes. I might not do it the same way, perhaps taking a little more time to savour some of the scenery and staying at refuges rather than a tent. But this was for charity and the deal was to do it in 50 days. This was for charity, not for myself, although I have had a tremendous time doing it and I'm glad I have.

Since coming back people have described us completing the HRP as "amazing" and "brave." To me amazing and brave are words that better describe the dignity with which cancer sufferers conduct their lives when faced with death. I can't imagine what it must be like to suffer weeks of painful treatment and think myself lucky that I haven't had to. We live in times where sensational expressions are plastered continually on our newspaper front pages and we use them almost without thinking. Save the praise and rhetoric for those who really deserve it.

I know it's only a few answers but I hope it helps. I am more than willing to answer any other questions that anyone might have, just drop me a line through the site.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the mountains and I feel quite proud of our small achievement. Has it changed me? I'm told I don't talk as loud anymore, and I certainly appreciate the simpler things in life we take for granted every day. Clean water to drink. An abundance and variety of food and clean clothes immediately spring to mind. I'm fitter than I have been for years and feel sharper as a result of losing 19kg or 42 lbs in weight.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the length of the project. I'm not going to name names as the list would be like an Oscar speech. I just hope that small amount of money we have raised will be of some use to Cancer Research Wales, it's just a drop in the ocean to the amount they really need.

Derricks Return Post

I have spent many hours over the past few weeks wondering about the post I would write on the blog on my return. I know folk will want to know about the mountains, lakes, fauna, flora, the challenge, weather, food, health etc. etc. There is one question I have never been asked “what about the people?”
I must start this post with the people: From the first penny that was donated to our cause (supporting Cancer Research Wales) to my return to Caerwent my faith in humanity has been restored. When you look at what lays ahead when you have many mountains to climb we tend to think “how?” What I found was that there are so many people in this world who are not evil, selfish and greedy, but friendly, willing, helpful with kindness & generosity beyond belief. Whatever the mountain you have to climb in life your challenge will never be faced alone. Stewart would say to me “you always look at your mug as being half empty” I now know he was right, my mug is now half full! When we were in the “High Pyrenees” or “Pyrenees Proper” we would wake up being surrounded by high mountains, thinking how on earth do we get out? There are routes, its finding them and working hard to battle your way across the terrain, through the elements and over the summit or col. Endure and your objective will be met. “If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to finish”. We have a thousand people to thank, from the folk that put a penny in one of our pots to the folk that donated a few hundred, from the friendly chat on the mountain side to the encouragement and advice. Family, friends and strangers alike!

THEY'VE DONE IT!

At 6.52pm I recieved a phone call from dad to say that he and mum and Jackie and Stewart had met. The guys cant be praised enough for what they have achieved and I know that families and friends cant wait to see them back home! We are all SO amazingly proud of them both! They are now going to enjoy a few days rest with close friends and hopefully pop some of the weight they have lost back on! Please feel free to leave your messages of congratulations etc, I know they will love to know they have had your support all the way! WELL DONE DERRICK AND STEWART, you are amazing people and the money you have raised will no doubt help loads of others, as always, always thinking of others!

FIRST TO SEE THE SEA

Well I am sure as children you all played that game as you were nearing your holiday destination,who is first to see the sea. Well its very close for the boys now. Day 44 climbed Roc de Frausa, also called Roc de France. Day 45 headed for Las Illas and spent the night in the bar/restaurant dels Trabucayres. Have decided to take advantage of a more comfortable bed for the last few nights and eat in restaurants so not needing to carry so much food with them.The weather much improved 34 degrees at the weekend and the high 20's today. Unfortunately have been experiencing bad stomachs and requiring lots of toilet stops last few days. Not sure if this due to eating proper meals again. They say they are OK and craving food so can't be too serious. Hope this improves before the party begins on Thursday.
Day 46 passed through Le Perthus, the border village between France and Spain.They didn't mention if they had bought us any duty free goods. Tonight at gite d'etape on the Col de l'Ouillat.
Tomorrow they head off on the very last leg of this amazing journey. The plan is to leave just a short trek on Thursday morning to meet us at Banyuls-sur Mer. We all can't wait now. We are truly proud of their achievements and the fantastic sum of money that has been raised and the money is still coming in which is great.
This blog site is open until the 1st Oct so please continue to log on as I am sure Stewart and Derrick will want to write and tell you all about their adventures in their own words.

NEARLY THERE!

WEEK 6 CONQUERED CANIGOU HOMEWARD BOUND

Day 34 Today started great feeling fresh in their lovely clean clothes but it wasn't long until the heavens opened and they were soaked through again as it rained all day. Somebody sent us a comment this week who has done HRP and is off again soon and said boys have been very unfortunate with all this wet weather for the time of year.
Day 35Today they climbed Pic Carlit (2921m). They even managed to stop off for a beer before heading to a lake to pitch the tent for the night in the area of Font Romeu. The sun finally shining this evening as they sit down for another evening meal of pasta and soup. They were joined for dinner by a couple of friendly horses!!
Day 36 as they now have time to play with are taking it easy today. They were trying to relax in the tent in the morning but had yet another thunderstorm so they decided to go into Font Romeu to the shops. It is nice to hear familiar place names now so I know it wont be long till they finish but can also picture where they are as Stewart and I skied in Font Romeu two years ago. There is a fabulous coffee shop that sells great cakes and crepes and apparently that is their first port of call.They were discussing finishing the walk today and said they can't wait to come around the final bend and see Liz, myself ,Mr V, Val and Stu G on the beach waiting for them. What they don't know is that there should be a much bigger crowd waiting to welcome them back and hear all the stories and share a few beers. The sun shone again this evening.
Day 37 A hot one today 39 degrees. Fortunately they had only planned a very short walk They walked through Eyne village and headed for Cabane de l'Orri Baix (2040m) where they pitched the tent for the night.
Day 38 and 39 no info other than they are now heading towards Pic de Canigou(2784m) the last high obstacle before the Mediterranean. Today they had to walk an extra 5 hours to find water not sure why this happened. They have a new motto it was said to them by a lady in the mountains "Don't stop now until you get your feet wet"
Day 40 started to climb Canigou today but the barometer plummeted and they could see the storm coming so they pitched the tent for the day for safety.
Day 41 reached the top of Canigou as you can see from photo looks like a lovely day Tonight at Mines de Batere. Unfortunately the solar charger is not functioning properly now and Stewart does not have much charge left on his phone so is saving it for emergencies but said they would try to ring from villages if they can so we may not be able to update progress any further until they come home.
The plan is to go to Amelie-le Bain tomorrow and rest up there for 48hours and then head for Roc de Frausa on Sunday day 44. Only a couple of days walking from there but we are making them stay in mountains till Thursday day 48 so we can form a welcoming party. Sounds cruel as I am sure they will be ready for soak in the bath and chill but after all they have been through its only right we are there to give them a heroes welcome.

WEEK 5

Day 31 decided to take a well earned rest today. Only walked for one hour from El Serrat to the Refuge de Sorteny. They met a lovely French couple Marie and Michel, who have emailed us and kindly sent us the pictures that you can see on the blog.
Day 32 walked through the north of Andorra. Climbed to the Collada dels Meners (2713m). Weather poor again. Had snow,rain,mist and hail. Didn't quite finish the day where they had planned instead pitched the tent at Camping d'Incles.
Day 33 passed numerous lakes in Andorra and then back into France today at Port de l'Albe (2539m). Arrived in L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre village this evening and booked into the gite d'etape. This evening they are able to wash their clothes in a washing machine the first proper wash since leaving home. They usually use a river. Hopefully the fresh clothes will make them feel more comfortable tomorrow and spur them on.
They are now moving into the final section of the walk.This is described as a long walk, the longest section of them all. They have to encounter Pic Carlit (2921m) the highest summit of the eastern Pyrenees. They have plenty of time though as their goal was to complete this challenge in 50 days and at present are well on target and can afford to take some time out to rest.

SOME PICCIES

GOING WELL

Not alot of information this week had difficulty getting a signal. They are still managing to stay on track. Have been camping out all week but last night slept in a shepherd's hut near Port de Boet (2509m) on the French-Spanish border. Quite cosy but Stewart said the rats kept him awake. Had an early start today left at 7am walked through the Vallee de Soulcem and climbed the Port de Rat (2540m), which gives access to Andorra. The weather not good and visibility poor. Went to La Coma restaurant for lunch It was full of clean tourists. Had a hearty lunch of steak and chips and also bought some ham baguettes, pringle and chocolate for the bag. Stewart said nice to have fresh bread as one loaf they have been eating has lasted 7 days! The weather turned really nasty after lunch, rain and hail.
Have decided to stop at El Serrat tonight as soaking wet and book in a hotel for a freshen up and clean their clothes. This will also give them chance to plan the next week.

STILL SMILING

Today received this lovely photo both smiling and looking good. The view in the background is what they are seeing from their "bedroom" tonight.
This message I received made me laugh so I thought I would share it.
"On Saturday we met a Spaniard who spoke to us. No comprendez Espangol parlez vous Fancais. He did. He told us he was Catalan from just outside Barcelona and was visiting the Lakes. I told him Derrick and I are from Wales but Derrick actually English and I am a Scot. He said he had studied business in Dundee university. I told him I was born in Dundee still all in French. He paused and in broad Dundee accent said so. Why the .... are we speaking French?"

QUICK UPDATE

Spoke to the boys today. Back on track. They only walked until 5pm today and they call that a half day. Liz and I concerned that they haven't taken a rest day yet. We told that everybody who does this trek walks everyday as it is very easy to get behind especially if they have more bad weather. We would rather them be a little late and in one piece.Tonight they are in a refuge in Salardu. They have been out buying food supplies for the next eight days as they have another tough stretch ahead with little opportunity to buy food. Weather today sunny and 36 degrees.
Stewart has broken a finger from a fall which doesn't surprise me as he he has two left feet. He doesn't seem to worried about it. Derrick has an infected toe.The tent is working very well and keeping them dry. Stewart says his sleeping bag ok but he does wake at 4am and has to put an extra layer on. I expect Derrick is snug in his as he more sensible than Stewart and bought a slightly warmer one. I think Stewart was relying on his own insulation though from what I can gather he is losing some of this. His shorts are starting to hang on him. I have asked again for a photo of them so we can see how they are but I think they don't want us to see them.
They did let slip that they have managed the odd bottle of wine or three along the way, medicinal purposes only of course.
They have told us not to expect much contact again for the next week I will update when we have news.

WEEK 3 BAD WEATHER

This section is said to be the most difficult part of the Pyrenean Haute Route. They have to face steep slopes full of scree and rocks, large snowfields and some remains of former glaciers, as well as lots of sections without paths and a number of high passes. The Col Inferieur de Literole (2983m) and the Coll de Mulleres(2924m) are the two highest passes of the entire route. The book recommends crampons and ice axes (which the boys don't have) for this part in early summer and even late summer can be difficult.
DAY 17 They left Gavarnie and headed for Heas. They were hindered today by heavy storms which caused massive landslides but they managed to keep going and reach Heas. Day 18 the rains continued and the fog came in and it became too difficult to continue and they had to go back towards Heas for safety. They pitched their tent at Barroude. According to the book this point over looks the two Lacs de Barroude but I don't suppose the boys were able to enjoy that pleasure. They lost half a day today. They said there were landslides everywhere with paths washed away and 1000s of tons of rock on the mountainside.
Day 19 its still raining and visibility is down to 30m. Having difficulty keeping dry. Apparently 1 hour on the Spanish side it is sunny although cold. This afternoon they had to stop and have dried sausage and mash to replenish some enery and said it worked a treat! Camped tonight just short of Paso de los Cabalos.
Day 20 and 21 they are using one of the variant routes described in the book and following the GR11. Stewart says he is looking forward to a game of golf with me when we meet in France maybe I should book a buggy!
Day 22 back on track again. At Hospital de Vielha. Its ok this refuge has a very unfortunate name, they are both fit and well as far as we know and not requiring medical attention. They are booked into a dormitory tonight which Stewart describes as very rough and ready but after the week they have had it feels luxurious. They plan to wash their clothes and sort their gear out tonight and hopefully get a good nights sleep after being in the tent for a week.
It probably sounds like we have had lots of contact this week but actually we didn't hear from them between last Sunday and this Friday was the first text. Stewart rang last night and unfortunately I missed his call but he left me all the info to keep blog updated.

Arial View of Progress!

Keeping track of Dad and Stewart couldn't be easier, i'll be updating this map so you can see how far they have walked so far and how far they have left to go. It's not the best map but it gives you a fair idea of their progress.

Flag 1 - Starting Point
Flag 2 - Current Position
Flag 3 - Finishing Point

HURRAY FOR CONTACT

Just had a 10 minute phone call from Stewart. He sounded a little tired but he said they still very upbeat although it is tough going. They have not been able to purchase any food in the last week so have been eating from supplies and at the mountain refuges. They are in the village of Gavarnie tonight so still on track. They have booked into a hotel for a well earned rest and good nights sleep. They haven't had a day off yet but have managed a couple of afternoon rests.
They have managed to purchase an altimeter today just in case parcel does not arrive in post office tomorrow.
At present they are walking with a French couple who are also heading for the Med but have to be there a week before the boys so may not stay together. Stewart says they are communicating in "Fronglais" Its going well and he feels his French is definitely improving.
The next few days are tough they have alot of height to gain tomorrow so its up up up!!
The picture he sent is a view of a mountain they had to cross yesterday, Vignemale mountain (3298m,highest summit on the border). Looks fantastic but rather them than me.
Glad they are doing fine I can now inform Mr V who has put a map up in the Coach and Horses, our local, and is updating it with the boys progress. It is great to know lots of you are following them.

WEEK 2 TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

This is the second section of the Pyrenean Haute Route and they will be spending most of their time on the French side and only a few brief visits to Spain. They will be walking in the Parc National des Pyrenees Occidentales the only national park in the Pyrenees and is about 100km in length.
Day 9 was a long slog of 12 hours walking and their first time to climb over 2000 metres. They have decided at present to keep going and not take a day off to rest.
Day 11 still going strong but last 2 days have been very difficult. They have now reached Ibon de Escalor. Today they met an American family at a refuge who have been following this blog site since January and were amazed to have actually met the boys. Apparently they were running around the refuge telling everybody. I am sure it made the boys feel like real celebrities.
Unfortunately disaster struck today. The GPS and Derrick's altimeter have broken. Derrick's mobile phone wont charge from the solar charger and his battery is almost flat now. Stewart is managing to charge his phone so they are reliant on one let's hope that keeps going. Liz has had to make an emergency dash to the post office and send another GPS to a post office address that they hope to reach in 4 days.
Day 12 arrived at Pombie by lunchtime. According to the book should have been there last night so only slightly behind. They climbed to 2320 metres today and say they feel they are going well but are in huge mountains now. Have decided to rest this afternoon as they have a few difficult days to come. I would say a well earned rest now. They met Ludo and Arrie today. Stewart mentions the names like I know them but Hi anyway.
That was wednesday and we have not heard anything since. I am sure as soon as they can they will be in touch. According to the book Thursday they may have had to encounter snowfields,steep slopes with rocks and scree and a traverse of a rock face which is secured with steel cables obviously not for the faint hearted . The book describes it as an exciting day! Friday Day 13 also tough reaching height of 2706 metres at Col de Cambales and possibility of more snow.Good Luck lads you are in our thoughts all the time and cant wait to hear from you keep checking my mobile.

BINGO BONANZA

On behalf of Stewart and Derrick I want to give a huge thanks to the Ladies of Lochee Bowling club Dundee, Scotland who last week held a bingo and raffle evening and raised a fantastic sum of £515.Well done to everybody who helped in the organisation and the taking part. It was an idea of Stewart's mum, Martha who is a keen bowler and member of the club. Thanks also to Elaine, Stewart.s sister for donating the prizes. We hope you all had a great night. I've informed the boys they were truly grateful and knowing the money is still flooding in while they are away is spurring them on.

The rest of us back home have not been idle either and are continuing with our fund raising efforts. As you can see from the web site the target of £10000 is coming closer and closer.

Week 1

Well after all the planning Saturday 21st July saw the boys start this mammoth task The information that we are getting is minimal because we are having to rely on text messages and they are not getting a signal everyday so we just have to be patient. For those of you who want to follow there progress myself Jackie (stewart's wife) and Ian will do our best. I have asked Stewart to send me better texts than normal as he is very good at one word messages and then I usually have to mind read so he has excelled himself this week I expect his fingers hurt as well as his feet!
Day 1 saw them start in a thunderstorm and the weather wasn't great the first 3 days. They managed to stay in a hotel day 2 and an auberge day 4 which enabled them to dry their clothes, have a good meal and a decent nights sleep. Day 4 it rained until 230pm and it was misty and cold but then sun came out that afternoon.
Day 6 and although they still on target they feel the timings in the book are a joke as they are walking 10 hour days and feel if they are to finish on time will have to walk on planned days off.
Derrick spoke to his family today and they said he is in good spirits but obviously missing his family.
Day 7 mist is closing in today. It had been scorching hot and they were drinking 5 litres of water each filling their camel backs from rivers, animal troughs and wells. Eating pasta and soup but managed a lunch in a restaurant. Day 8 the weather really bad today and they had to turn back and use a variant route described in book( their bible). Very tough going and walked for 11 hours. They met Bernard who has taken them to a refuge for the night with a few other walkers and they will all try again in the morning to reach Lescun.

First Sighting

Being away for such a long time we expected Dad and Stew to meet people on their trek, and here is a message from a very kind couple who they met on their very first day. 'Hello, We met Stewart and Derrick on Saturday evening when they arrived at Col de Lizuniaga from Hendaye at the end of their first day. They were tired but in good spirits after a hard 1360m of ascent and 1130m of descent with heavy packs which made for a tough first day! We were just finishing the penultimate day of our walk from Perpignan and had seen the blog before we left the UK on 6th June. We have a picture of them breaking camp in preparation for the walk to Arizkun on Sunday morning which will send on. Good luck to them.' It's absolutely amazing to hear from someone who has seen them since we have. Many thanks to David and Carole Whitten.

Departure Day

Well, here it is, Friday 20th July. As Derrick (my dad) and Stewart have started their awesome trek I will be regularly updating their blog to keep you all up to date. We were up early to make sure everything was in order and when we were certain we left for Newport train station. The 11.40am to London Paddington, platform 3! Stewart had a job to walk the steps to platform 3, by the time he had got there he was huffing and puffing! lol. Here we had a small fairwell gathering of family and friends. Liz and Jackie (the wives) Ian and Scott (two of derricks sons, Liam his other son is in Auz but i know he was there in spirit wishing our dad the very of luck!) Sheryl our neighbour also turned up with Naomi and Cassie and so did Mr V and his wife Val. We of derricks sons, we were also joined by Coleen and Liz from Cancer Research Wales. After a few photos, the train arrived and this was the time to say our farewells and good lucks. It was a bit emotional to say the least, lots of hugs and kisses. They will both be missed, but when the guys got on the train you could see they just couldn't wait to meet the Pyrenees and start walking, they were in their element. Hanging out of the train window like a couple of kids as it pulled out of the station they waved their last goodbyes as we waved back.

Getting Close!

No I'm not talking about Derrick and I. The date for departure looms. It's only a week to go and we still have so much to do. Our second dance is on Saturday 14th July 2007, with music from the Attic Band. We have sold all 120 tickets so the night promises to be a humdinger. Watch out next week for pics and a report.

I've starting getting my gear together and things like a first aid kit. There is no panic, just a lot to do. Seven weeks is a long time and we would like to think that we won't be forgotten whilst on the trek and that some money was still rolling in.

Monday 16th July 2007 sees us live on BBC Radio Wales being interviewed by Jamie Owen if you care to tune in or go online to http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/radiowales/sites/jamieowen/

We will update this site ourselves before we go and then during the trek we hope to find a volunteer to keep you all posted as to how we are doing.

Take care all.

What A Weekend!

Friday 15th June saw Derrick and myself, all spruced up in Suits and ties and off to the Hilton hotel. Why I hear you cry. We were to be presented a cheque supporting our little walk from the Gwent Police Sports Association. little did we know however that we were top table material, sitting with the dignitaries who included Gwent Police own Chief Constable, Mike Tonge, who presented us with the cheque. We were looked after in fine style and would like to thank Gwent Police for their generosity. When Derrick and I are having a down day on the trek I'm sure that it will be the thought of all the money that has been given in support of us that will keep us going. We really do not want to let anyone down.

Saturday both us were at it again, this time we were baking all day for the Open Garden we were helping with in Tutshill, Chepstow. A friend of ours, Angie, who has the most special garden was opening it to the public, with the proceeded going to our charity cause Cancer Research Wales. The kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it by the time we had finished, but, we still managed to produce some goodies for the Sunday. Exhausted by my efforts, I persuaded Jackie, my wife, to go for a curry along with Mr "V" whom we introduced earlier in the blog series. The Indian Empire at Parkwall, near St Pierre was the venue. Half way through our meal the next table of four ladies were settling their bill. "Would you like to donate £1 to support the Trans Pyrenees Expedition who are raising funds for Cancer research Wales He stated." Looking slightly bemused the waiter then nodded my direction and said, "That's one of them over there". The Indian Empire has pictures of us both on every single table of the restaurant, with a small piece about the trek. The four ladies could hardly believe it and questioned wether or not it was me in the photograph. The next minute £15 was slipped into my hand by one of them. A very gracious gesture, just one of many I have now witnessed, which is helping our total grow. I must admit I did feel I was being watched for the rest of my meal, as other customers scrutinised the photograph on their own table. Maybe I'm just paranoid, I don't think we are quite that famous.

Anyway, Sunday dawned and Derrick and I, shorts and hats on, with our expedition t shirts, set out for Chepstow and actually crossed the border. This would be a raiding party of the finest order. For those who don't know, Chepstow is the border between Wales and England. Although not patrolled by border guards we definitely felt it was a little clandestine to be collecting money for a Welsh charity in England.

At Angies house we were warmly welcomed and amazed at all the buns and cakes on offer. Chocolate brownies, macadamia nut flapjacks and fruity drizzle cake, were rubbing shoulders with passion fruit cheesecake, Dundee cake and sausage rolls with sun dried tomatoes on her dining table. All home made, everything, including Derricks first ever attempt at baking!

At the end of the afternoon Angie went around her neighbours harranging them to come and buy the last of our goodies. The weather had hels, not a drop of rain until we were collecting our tables and chairs at about 6pm. I don't know about walking in the Pyrenees but I was shattered after an afternoon of serving buns and Assam tea! This was a brilliant day and our thanks must go to Angie and Andy who raise £150 from the venture. Thanks to everyone who came.

All in all this has been the busiest weekend of all for fundraising so far. It's nor long now, only 4 weeks to go.

Where are the Pyrenees?

A weekend amble!

Liz dropped us off at Caldicot Halt to catch the early morning train to Cardiff, changing here for Llandeilo. The challenge started at Cardiff station: Stews task; get pasties from shop that opens at 08:00 & run to train that leaves at 08:09. My task get the coffee, this ended up being the greater of the two. Next: which platform? We did end up at Llandeilo. Next challenge, Llandeilo is not on the 1:25000 west beacons map – prior preparation? Nice lady in the library pointed us in the right direction for Carreg Cennan Castle – that’s on the map. We traipsed across the Black Mountain over Garreg Lwyd, Foel Fraith and pitched camp along side Afon Twrch. This was after 22.5 km, and ascending 988 metres. We set camp in about 15 minuets; the Hex 3 is highly recommended. Pasta & French onion soup for supper, boiled in Afon Twrch’s finest on the MSR Superfly. What a brilliant day!
Day 2: Got up bright and early after a pretty good night. Brew and breakfast sorted - muesli and dried fruit. Personal admin complete, broke camp. Heading east to Banwen Gwyn & on to Dan-yr-Ogof. Replenishing our water supply and guzzling litres. Walking north east along the A4067 for 4.6 km so that we can “bag” the HEWETT Fan Gyhirch being 725 metres above sea level. Part way along this road “STEWART! Where’s the map? 1.5 km back down the road there it was”. Finally reaching the base of Fan Gyhirch we commenced the climb, this blew a few cobwebs out. Sorry Stew a HEWETT is a HEWETT that has to be climbed. Continuing east to Maen Lila, taking on water from a waterfall on the Roman road, with the final ascent of the day being up to Rhos Dringarth. The heavens opened! This made our minds up for us, we pitched for the night. What a day! 28.77 km, 1316 metres of ascent. What a night! gale force winds and rain, if the Black Mountain Terrain is relentless when sodden this night takes the biscuit. I was pretty reluctant to get out of my Softie Chrysalis sleeping bag, how ever the call of nature prevailed. What a morning! Mist, high winds, rain. We broke camp and were away within 10 minuets, good team work Stew! Descending Craig Cerrig gleisiad proved quite difficult due to the high winds along with the very steep quagmire of a track – 625 to 350 metres in 750 metres - along side the shear north face. 2.74 km later drenched, we arrived at Storey Arms car park to be greeted by Liz and Scott who had just arrived to take us home after a bacon, sausage & egg roll washed down with hot cuppa tea. Pretty cool weekend eh? I wonder if they will take my new boots back?

The Devil you know?

I have had my old Reichel walking boots for the past few years. They have taken me over the Pyrenees France into Spain, across Dartmoor, numerous jaunts in the Welsh mountains and have never failed to give me tremendous toe pain after 2 hours walking on every occasion. Therefore I felt it was time to take the plunge and fork out for a new pair for the expedition. Have I done the right thing “the devil you know”? Boots either suit you or they don’t. You must not wear them outside to check them out, because you cant take them back to the shop. However the only way you can tell if they suit you is to give them a rough ride outdoors. After hours checking boots out in the shop and boring everyone in range to death, it had to be the La Sportiva Glacier Evo. Other kit consideration being: Bergen: OMM-55-15RL-mountain-mover – 70 litre 1150 grammes, Montane Superfly Event Waterproof-Jacket – 425 grammes, Montane Verso Jacket - 440 grammes & more versatile than a fleece. Of course I have to consider the Tilley hat as per Stewarts recommendation, I believe this would be a wise move. Best be nice to the boss!

What a curry on!

We have had an excellent response from one of our local restaurants. The Indian Empire, surely one of the finest Indian restaurants in the county will be asking every customer to donate £1 by putting it on their bills between now and us starting our trek. A big thanks to them and the Empire Group to which they belong. Go on, if you fancy a curry why not hep us by having one at the Indian Empire, near Crick in Monmouthshire.

The Hills Are Alive

Things have appeared pretty quiet on the blog like Stewart has said, however route planning, kit inventory and weight consideration has been rife. The donation gauge has been moving up slowly but surely. Then bang out of the blue we heard that there was to be an event on our behalf.

Many thanks to the folks of Llanvair Discoed; they came out in force to the magical Sound of Music flowing out of the Woodlands Tavern. Singing away late into the night with Maria and the Von Trap children, raising £690 for Cancer Research Wales. What an incredible event how can we ever thank Mark Isaac – friend and local businessman – along with Sue and Keith Gibbs the proprietors, for the organisation and hospitality on the evening. Sue need not have worried and pondered through those sleepless nights, the house was full.

The training is still abundant, mind numbing hours in the gym, walking – albeit local – as ever on the weekends. Shin splints sorted, thanks to physio, got to up the fitness level gradually at my age apparently, must not jump from 12 kph on tread mill to 14 kph in one go! Just felt good that night and bang, tendons / ligaments twang! Subscapularis on the mend.
Never mind there was still the blessed concept 2. I hate the thing even more; I detest the machine with a vengeance. Blew one up a month ago going for my personal best,
But failed on that occasion. Friday last eventually broke the 1 min 45 sec barrier. Oh yes! 1 min 42.6 secs! My wife – Liz - who was on the machine next to me thought I was going to die. Just look at the machine who would ever think such a thing could be despised so much.

Bovine Quadraped

Well you may have thought that April was a bit quiet, but May has started with a bang. Jackie, my wife decided I needed a bit of exercise, now that the sciatica has subsided. So off we trotted on a 5 mile country run. After about 2 miles we sere heading uphill through a field of cattle. Jackie was in front, as usual, and was nearly at the top of the hill when one of the cows made a dash for her. Gasping and puffing as I was I couldn't make the ground up to intervene and had to watch as Jackie ran backwards with the cow getting closer. A wildly aimed kick and a scream were all that she could manage before falling backwards into a thorn hedge, and the cow backing off.

What provoked this attack from the normally docile cows of our parish? As she was running I could see that Jackie had inadvertently outflanked the grass muncher and had got between it and it's calf. Mothers and their children, how often we have heard it. Cows are no different, and fearing that Jackie had intentions of turning her youngest into a nice juicy steak to be served with onion rings and chips she made her move.

Mother and calf are doing well, with only mild shock. As for Jackie, she has badly bruised her thigh muscle and deeply scratched both legs. A lesson well learned though about how quick a cow can move, or should it be moo-ve, when provoked. I think she wants me to go back to the indoor treadmill next week.

Train-ing

Not about running or going down the gym but how we intend to get to our start point in Hendaye on the 21st July 2007. This week we booked out trains to get us there. Not flying I hear you cry? Well. apart from it being a bit tiring on the old arms, we decided that it would be better to go direct, and arrive first thing in the morning so we could start the trek immediately without losing a day. First Great Western have offered us two tickets to London, thank you very much, so we booked ourselves on Eurostar and then have a connection in Paris before traveling overnight on a French "couchette" to Hendaye. As the prices are so low in France for rail travel we decided to splash out and are traveling first class, at a cost of only £40 each! So come the 20th July we will be rolling along to our adventure.

Knees Up

I've never known a year like it for niggling little injuries. The first six weeks of the year was spent coughing like a sheep with a chest infection or "man flu" as Jackie my wife refered to it as. Then when I started running my knee swelled up like a Montgolfier balloon. At the start of this month I thought I had a twinge in my back which now it seems has morphed into sciatica. It's not just me. Derrick has had problems with his ankles, and at the moment is suffering from shin splints, very painfull. I can only hope this list of injuries and ailments means that we will have a trouble free, easy 7 weeks of trekking, otherwise we will be carrying a small hospitals worth of drugs and appliances to get us over the mountains!

As well as raising money we have been tentatively planning the trip itself. Derrick has been plotting the route onto daily route cards and been cross referencing them to the maps we will have to carry. All the maps we need are listed on the right. If you pile them all togther they weigh nearly 6lb or nearly 3 kg for you youngsters. Our equipment list is getting longer, which means the red pen will have to come out and start whittling it down. Derrick thinks a phonograph would be nice, so we can listen to some music in the evenings . He also seems to have forgotten that the porters are not accompanying us on this trip and the iPod has been invented. With only 109 days to go we both seem to be experiencing what pilots call ground rush. The feeling when coming in to land that everything is fine, slowly descending, when all of a sudden, whoosh you hit the ground. At the end of this month we will be shopping for our train tickets to get us to our start point at Hendaye, on the Atlantic caost of France. So, like the swan, majestically gliding along the waters surface, you can now see that underneath we are paddling like mad to get this trip sorted.

Let Me Entertain You

Caerwent was buzzing to the sound of live music last Saturday night. Our musical extravaganza certainly went down well with the hundred or so who turned up to hear and see Mid Life Crisis. They rocked through the night with barely a stop for a cheese and onion sandwich. Their enthusiasm sweeping up the crowd into a frenzy of dancing feet. We had all worked hard, both friends and family to bring the night together so I was a little nervous when the clock ticked past 8.15pm and we still only had 50 people in the village hall. Panic over, by 8.30pm we had nearly 90 and the show was well and truly on the road. The girls selling raffle tickets were nearly overwhelmed as ten pound notes were waved frantically in an attempt to get sticky hands on our prizes. Our top prize of two flights to any of their destinations, care of Easy Jet was just too good to pass up and tickets were being sold quicker than we could tear up the stubs for the draw. An expectant hush fell as the winner, Karen Rogers was anounced and stepped up to claim her prize from Ian Williams, Derrick's son, who works for the company. If people were dissapointed at not winning then it didn't show as the joviality continued into the night. Just for something different a visiting Pot Noodle Miner was asked to give a rendition with the band. Ears were as he crucified "falling in love" although he, nor anyone seemed to care. Having been bribed with a ham sandwich he left the stage and the professionals continued. And the band played on, and on. Formalities out of the way the atmosphere and alcohol took effect and the dance floor was swamped with eager feet. Everyone from 14 to 80 years old were either laughing dancing or singing, some even tried all of them at once. This event certainly took the village hall by storm. Tickets were sold out within a week. Over 100 people came to enjoy Mid Life Crisis and had a whale of a time. By the end of the night, when we counted up the cash we had made £986 from the night to benefit Cancer Research Wales. We are extremely grateful for all the support given to us on our first event of this kind. We are now a little more confident that we can pull off our next one which will be on the 14th July 2007. Our leaving party!

Erections

Well it finally arrived, all the way from the good ol' USA. It may not be dayglo pink but it certainly is bright! Had it not been for the failing light when we put it up then I'm sure that sunglasses would have been required. Just to capture the moment we had the pic opposite taken, please notice that Derrick has tea and I don't. For those who like to know it's a GOLITE HEX3, where on earth the third "man" is supposed to go is a mystery, as you can clearly see there is no room to swing a cat. It weighs in at under six pounds, complete which is something to grin about. I suppose the next thing will be testing it out. I can feel a weekend jaunt coming on. On the subject of jaunts, I've just returned from France where I went skiing with Huw, my brother in law and his family, as well as a large group of others. Huw, if you can remember, was the catalyst for this adventure and is currently in remmission from cancer. it was a great way to celebrate his 40th birthday and was also a bit of a rest from the normal training routine. Ahhh the joy of skiing on the pistes of the French alps in Avoriaz, much better gliding down a hill than running up one I can say. Huw insisted that I had to keep up with some form of excercise, so we both decided on this particular form of weight training which we ended up doing nearly every day, well Ok, every day.

Our first dance is this Saturday which is a sell out, all 120 tickets are gone and I can't wait to see how the night goes with our ageing rockers "Mid Life Crisis" blazing the way with their live music. be sure to see the pics from that soon.

Day Glo Pink & Two Blokes? Oh No Del Boy!

It’s been pretty busy; things are starting to build up a pace. We had another team meeting over Mr “V’s”. Cuppa of Mrs “V’s” best tea, lack of the regular cheap (75p buy one get one free) pizza was conspicuous by its absence. It was brilliant in the main because Huw turned up, his input had an impact on the progress that was made.
Del (Derek Saunders) my neighbour and our good friend was also in attendance as he was at the last meeting. Due to Dels generosity we have a tent on order, it’s a Go Lite Hex 3 on its way over from America as I type. I’m not sure if the “Day Glo Pink” colour along with two blokes trekking in France will go down well with the hardy locals. We may end up covering the distance quicker than anticipated. Cheers Del for your assistance in the planning and organisation it is appreciated.
We have a dance organised for the 24th March, with a live band (Mid Life Crisis). We were taken aback by the quick sale of the 120 tickets available to fill Caerwent Village Hall. Two weeks all gone! These sales were down to the hard work of Liz and Jackie. Well-done girls. The support we have from our friends and locals is absolutely incredible. Another 41 quid from the raffle at the Coach and Horses as Wales played France on Saturday. Well the curry at half time was good, never mind boys next time.
My eldest son Ian has acquired two off free tickets to be raffled off from the company he works for “Easy Jet” the prize is for two off return flights to any of their destinations in Europe. Not bad eh! He has also distributed a number of collection boxes in Caldicot and Chepstow, along with buckets sat at the end of the tills in the local supermarket. Stewart is back in training, getting back up to speed. We have a trek planned for the 31st March, Abergavenny – Sugar Loaf – Blorange – Abergavenny. What is pretty cool about this walk is that Huw and one of his neighbours are onboard. It will be great to have their company.

Off to the gym for a good chat!

Stewart and myself have been taking every opportunity to slog out our training regime. We train together very in frequent due to our different working patterns, availability and commitments. The only true form of training is to actually get into the mountains covering distance, ascent along with different terrain. We are fortunate to be on the doorstep of the Brecon Beacons, Black Mountains and the Wye Valley. These areas of outstanding beauty are taken advantage of when possible. A long distance trek prior to the Pyrenees has been discussed, this being the crossing of all of the major summits of the Brecon Beacons -West to East. We are aware of the “Beacons Way” however we feel our route will achieve greater ascent / descent, which will blow a few cobwebs out.
Again we are fortunate enough to have a small hill –Grey Hill- bang smack on our doorstep. This little devil is more than enough to get one into trim. Oh yes it must not be sniffed at! Different routes, with challenging times being achieved.
Core fitness is being built by battling out mind numbing hours in the gym. Poor ole Stewart to date has strived to attain greater fitness only to be knocked back by a blessed bad chest and colds. Determination will prevail, once he has overcome this bad patch fully.
My personal gym performance is by no means record breaking, however I can assure you I am achieving greater targets than I have since my hernia operation just over twelve months ago.
When I come home from France my first objective is to take a sledgehammer to the Concept 2 rowing machine, I hate the thing. I started off just before Christmas with a time of 1min 59.1 secs / 500m, I was chuffed with this for starters. After much huffing and puffing along with some choice words I am down to 1 min 45.2 secs / 500m. Well I’m pleased with it! Best to date on the treadmill being 33.5 min / 6 k. & 60 min / 7 kph / 15% incline. Like I say not World best stuff but I’m pleased. The one thing that has made the hours in the gym more bearable is having my wife Liz’s company. Her enthusiasm and own personal targets have given me encouragement. On occasions I have to admit when I come home from work and cant be bothered, off I’m dragged and away to go……….hello Concept 2. We are both very fortunate to have wives who are also committed to our objective. Well we will tell them what all the exercise is for closer to the date!

Dolgoch

Off we trundled last Friday evening around 18:30 on another one of our weekend ventures. This time we were to visit one of the most barren regions of mid Wales the Cambrian Mountains. We stopped off at Builth Wells for what has become the mandatory fish and chips on the outward-bound journey. This is one of the treats we afford ourselves. The other treat is the odd shed full of barley or hop pop! Of which we did sample one and a half buckets of, in the Coach & Horses, after the Welsh defeat against the Irish on Sunday.
We arrived at Dolgoch YHA pretty late in the evening after making our way along the Abergwesyn to Dolgoch road up Devils Staircase and eventually along the rough track to the cottage. What a brilliant cottage, no electricity or hot water. This place is pretty luxurious compared to some of the rocks we have slept under or bog ridden trench and tarp. Coal fire and bunks wow. Stewart, Scott and myself were looking forward to a good weekend.
Porridge & raisins “gloop n bunny poop” was on the breakfast menu. Water was boiled for the camel backs, boots laced, gaiters bound and off we tramp. This trip was to take us up the Tywi valley, a sixteen mile round trip. Once again the tree felling that covers the footpaths fooled us. The forest tracks that have been hidden, gateways replaced by fencing. These obstructions do make the walking in this area an additional challenge; with out a map and compass we would find ourselves in trouble. Of course we fought our way across the quagmire we have become accustomed too, finding ourselves at the source of Afon Tywi.
Our thoughts were with Mr “V” who was unable to accompany us due to his bronchitis; he had been looking forward to checking out his new sleeping bag.
Stew for supper after our sponge bath in front of the coal fire, stood in a washing up bowl - luxury (what a sight for sore eyes).
Part way through the Saturday evening a couple of families from London turned up with an army of little ones. Nice people, good company. The little ones were amazed by the fact that the moon was so big and bright, “you don’t need a torch to see the fields at night”, “why don’t you need to lock the doors?” The coal fire mesmerized them! On the Sunday morning whilst I was making the fire for the next visitors to warm themselves, one of the lads asked me “can I switch it on please?” On leaving and saying our good byes we were given a kind donation for the cause.
It was decided to drive home along the western most edge of the Brecon Beacon National Park. This would allow us to bag another Hewitt Garreg Lwyd 616m, only a five-mile trek but the 360’panoramic view from the summit has to be the most prolific of the Brecon Beacons, absolutely amazing.

In the pic on the left you can see Pen-Y-Fan 886m on the left, with Corn Dhu to the right. I took this on Thursday 25th Jan 2007 after Derrick and I had clambered to the top from the north side. Yes, that means we have been training again. No matter what you do in the gym it will not replicate getting out in the cold and scurrying up a mountain. Apart from that it was a gorgeous day and too much of an opportunity too miss.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Tuesday saw Mr V and myself off down to Cancer Research Wales HQ which is based in Velindre Hospital, Cardiff Wales. Met by Maggie and Coleen who are two nice, more mature ladies with quick smiles and even quicker minds which flash with ideas almost constantly. They were charting our progress and, as ever, being constructive on where we should be applying our efforts on the fund raising front. Whilst there I also spoke to their media experts who have compiled a press release for us which should hopefully be out by now. GWR trains have chipped in our fares to London for the first part of the journey. We are hoping to travel by overnight train from Paris so we can start first thing on the 21st July 2007.

My wife, Jackie , has stuck her oar in regarding my training with the idea that I should run in the Chedworth 10 mile cross country run at the beginning of April. This means she has put me on a 10 week training programme with three runs a week. I'll let you look at the first week, no laughing now.

Tempo run 4.8km 27 minutes
Speed session 4x400metres @ 12km/h 1min recovery plus warm up/down
X country 5.5 miles 52 minutes

By now you will probably realise that I need the training, but at a sprightly 16.5 stones of weight I'm happy with the first weeks run, even if Jackie pooh poohs it.

Back to the mountains. When we got out of the car it was -2 degrees! Slipping on our boots I decided against the fleece as I know from experience that being a large chappy I do tend to heat up a bit. Sweat buckets if you want to put it that way. There has been a huge amount of rain in the area lately and the surface water had frozen on the lower lopes which hardly ever see the sun. This meant that Derricks stick like legs were quite often thrashing about with him going nowhere, a bit like Bambi on ice. After a couple of 100 metres we hit the snow line and a stiff breeze was with us. Stopping meant freezing, so we continued ever upwards without another soul in sight. A bit of sun and we all feel better, and this was certainly true last week. Short of the summit the ridge becomes quite steep and is usually a bit of a clamber. Today though we were enveloped in a bit of cloud and everything was covered in snow, the slippery kind! A bit of huffing and puffing and we were there, for a very short snack, Derrick thinks I've gone a bit soft, trading my usual meat pastie for dried fruit and nuts, a quick pic and then onto Corn Dhu. Like I said, the weather was great but if we stopped any longer then my ass would become welded to the rocks I was sitting on due to the cold. In fact, it was cold enough to freeze the water in Derrick's drinking tube!

So a tough week on the training front and this week will be no different. This weekend we are off with Mr V and Derrick's yougest lad to the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales for two days walking. Staying in an old farmhouse at Dolgoch which is owned by the Youth Hostel Association. Youth! Between the four of us the average age will be 40 and Derrick's boy is 17 to help pull the average down a little! On top of this I will still be running and still popping into St Pierre gym for some weight training. Oh, and I'll have to go to work sometime this week as well. Enjoy the pics.

Mr "V"

We have to introduce another villager who is heavily involved in the preparatory work. He is our very good friend (well we tell him he is!) the one and only Mr “V”. Ian Venables, one of life’s characters, who always brings a spark to a party. Due to the fact that he has the biggest heart in the world, where his mates are concerned, he wishes to keep track of our progress and well being, during the leisurely jaunt we are going to embark. To be fair bless him, it’s not a bad idea is it? So onboard he is, being referred to as the “mission controller” as well as other things.
Ian has played a major part in our liaison with Cancer Research Wales & chairs our expedition / planning meetings. Being very officious organised and meticulous he is just the chap to keep us in tow.
He has accompanied us on many of our wanders over Dartmoor, Cambrian Mountains, Brecon Beacons, and Wye Valley etc. etc. Just thinking of some of the antics whilst being in his company brings a smile to my face. One being sleeping in a barn on Dartmoor at minus seven, Stewart, my son Scott and myself being “snug as a bug in a rug” sweating our socks off, in our comfy, warm sleeping bags, Ian was freezing his reproductive bits off in his “Thomas the Tank” sleeping bag, official comfort rating plus 5 ours being down to minus 10.
The idea is that Ian will be our main contact whilst we are away, he will be keeping track of our progress, as we relay co-ordinates home. In our absence he will continue to promote our objective for Cancer Research Wales.

Stuff Your Turkey!!

Ok, that's the last time I will use a hackneyed Christmas title I promise. Between Christmas and New Year, Derrick and myself decided to blow a few cobwebs out by popping up to the Brecon Beacons for a bit of a jaunt.We set out in the dark from sleepy Caerwent with Bob, our personal trainer who just happens to be Derrick's collie dog (see pic). We were one of the first to arrive at the storey Arms, we new it was early, not even the burger bar was open. The weather was, just as we expected, with the mist down and the rain pouring, just perfect.

Off we went, up towards the summit of Corn Dhu, coughing and spluttering as I went, still haven't managed to shake off a bit of flu, and feeling as week as a kitten. The weather was surprisingly cold and soon and I could feel my fingers being nipped. The soil erosion on this part of the Brecon beacons is particularly bad, and most of it is now to some extent paved, making a lot of it a bit of a "towny" walk. My new boots soon a bit of mud on them and I felt better that I had managed to prise them out of the box that morning and finally use them. With one peak out of the way and only half of my supply of turkey sandwiches gone we descended by a different route (just in case of ambush) and were met along the way by various groups and individuals making the climb upwards. A lot of new clothing seemed to abound on the walkers, Christmas no doubt, and I couldn't help wondering if this might be the only outing some of it might get, best intentions towards the New Year and all that. The garish coloured fleeces were most likely to be used between the car and the supermarket for the rest of their lives.

Fan Fawr then, across the road and away from the madding crowd. Just a few sheep and for a few seconds, sunshine. Derrick decided we should pop a "bit of a slope" which had me expelling phlegm from my lungs every 50m in lumps as big as bars of soap. Bob meanwhile was employed as a kind of drag lift for Derrick, worth his weight in dog food, however he is apparently unavailable for our trip to the Pyrenees due to a previously arranged appointment.

On the way down, Derrick did balk at the idea of going down a section he did say was too steep and dangerous for him and Bob, although Bob's opinion was not asked that I remember. It was then I had to inform him that it was the way he had made me come up!

So, two small hills and a jolly day out, thanks to the couple who took our pic for us, and I'm sure you will be glad to know, my boots look as though they will be a good fit.