Sunday 1 August 2010

Welcome

Hello everybody and welcome to my blog!

In less than three weeks I shall be setting off on my epic walk. I'm fully prepared and can't wait to get going. I've been planning this walk for at least a year now. Although the milkround gives me a good foundation of fitness, I've been going out on regular practise walks for the last 5 months.

As I'm walking solo and unsupported I will be carrying a fairly weighty rucksack which contains all my essentials for the journey. This includes a one-man tent, sleeping bag, pillow, waterproofs, changes of clothes, toiletries, first aid kit, GPS device, mobile phone with charger and back-up battery, etc. etc. The total weight of my kit is around 15KG. All of my practise walks have been completed carrying the full load to get me used to the extra weight. I have carefully researched my kit and purchased high-tech lightweight items whenever possible.

My milkround is a Dairy Crest Milk & More franchise. The Milk & More team have given me very generous support without which my walk would not be possible. During my journey I will be dropping into around 15 Milk & More depots, including the Exeter depot where my own round is based. www.milkandmore.co.uk

Two things have motivated me to walk. Firstly to walk the famous John O'Groats to Lands End has always been an ambition of mine, I like a bit of adventure and I cannot think of a better way to see our beautiful country. Secondly it gives me a great opportunity to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support, a fantastic charity which do wonderful work in the community for cancer sufferers and their families. If you would like to help make my walk worthwhile please make a donation to Macmillan via my Just Giving page. All donations will passed to MacMillan in full, no deductions are being made for expenses. Click Here to make a donation.

The map below shows a rough outline of my intended route. I'm not going to be walking to a set schedule, my route is expected to total around 1000 miles. It is my intention to average 20 miles per day and complete my walk within 8 weeks. Each day I will record precise data about my route and the distance walked using a handheld GPS device.

Click here to see an article about my walk in the Express and Echo.


3 comments:

  1. Good luck Gary,will be thinking of you when it rains....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Gary.

    Great Blog

    We're looking to walk pretty much the same route as you did. Was wondering if you were free to have a quick chat, perhaps over the phone, so I can pick your brains?

    My email address is
    tawest79@hotmail.com

    I'd really appreciate any tips or advice you could give us, as we're not really sure what we're letting ourselves in for.

    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Regards

    Tim

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

About Me

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Exmouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Hi :) I'm a 49yo father of three from Exmouth, a lovely seaside town in Devon. In parts of Exeter I'm well known as the local milkman where I've been making traditional doorstep deliveries for 15 years.