WEEKLY BLOG EPISODE 115 | COTSWOLD WAY COMPLETE

I’m writing this episode of my weekly blog sat in my garden watching my firepit flicker away. I admit that I’m doing so very tired indeed, and a little bit stressed. And I think the fire knows, because it’s also struggling; the wood is a little damp and I didn’t have any kindling, but the little flames are persevering. There is probably a lesson in that.

I’m not entirely sure why I’m sat starting to write my weekly blog outside in my garden at 8.45pm, to be honest. It just seemed like a pretty nice way to spend my bank holiday Monday evening, before I return to work tomorrow after a rather wonderful 10 days off. That and I really fancied a toasted marshmallow this evening. Why not?!

Post-Adventure Blues

It seems that the post-adventure blues I’ve talked about before (such as in my coast to coast day 15 post) have well and truly taken hold over the last day or two. I feel lethargic and a bit deflated. Nothing major or worrying, just, you know, a bit flat. I have been so excited about hiking the Cotswold Way for months, that now it’s done, I feel a bit sad.

That feeling hasn’t been helped today by the small matter of an unexpectedly defrosted freezer to deal with. Thankfully there wasn’t a huge amount lost, but spending my morning batch cooking – albeit very handy for future busy Zoe – wasn’t exactly what I had planned for May Day.

I’ll leave the rest of my May Day antics to next week’s weekly blog episode, I’m going to dedicate this one to a few notes on the Cotswold Way, and use it to encourage you to take part in National Walking Month.

The Perils of Stopping

Still, even with today’s derailment, I’ve had a lovely weekend at home. We finished hiking on Thursday evening, got back home on Friday afternoon, my friend continued her journey home on Saturday morning, and so there has been a decent chunk of time to get sorted since then.

With that, my kit is clean and put away, I’ve had two long soaks in the bath, and have done plenty of feet-up resting. I’ve even sorted, edited, and captioned all the photos I took – get ready for photo spam over the coming weeks!

I guess I’ve always found “stopping” to be a bit of a problem. The immediate aftermath of any adventure is always one of elation and happiness; but when I leave time to stop and think about it, the overwhelm kicks in.

I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t completely broken at the end of six long days of hiking, my muscles and feet feeling remarkably good throughout. But now I’ve been at home for a couple of days and have wound down from all the excitement, I am feeling incredibly sleepy. Stopping really isn’t good for me!

Of course, it’s no wonder I’m tired, really. I walked 102-miles last week – and then some. It was something around 108-miles in total, plus a few extras to get dinner and such, I’ll work it out properly before I start writing my adventure journal series. I did that in six days, which is an average of 18-miles a day. Not too shabby.

The Cotswold Way

The Cotswold Way really is a fantastic National Trail. Beautiful countryside, varied surroundings, nice footpaths (in the main…), excellent signposting, some hard bits, some cruisy bits, some history to learn, and some really big and fantastic views. I absolutely loved being out on the trail. There is something so freeing about having no responsibilities other than walking for a week – get up, get dressed, walk, stop for the views and snacks as the mood takes you, shower, eat a hearty dinner, sleep, and repeat.

Weather wise, we were incredibly fortunate given that we did this in British springtime. Four out of six days were completely dry (during walking hours), which is an absolute result, really. We had heavy vertical rain for the majority of our walking hours on Monday, and then Thursday afternoon was equally as wet. My waterproof jacket wetted through on both days, which gives you an idea of the persistence of the rain. I’m still calling it a weather-win, though, it could have been much worse.

Joining the Dots

The thing I enjoyed the most, and the reason I wanted to walk it in the first place, was joining the dots between places I already knew well. I can see part of the route from my home and office, and have hiked other parts of it many times. I highly recommend walking your local National Trail if you get the chance, it will help you see where you live in a much more in-depth way. You’ll be surprised at the history, geology, and other features you’ll come across.

I did this hike with my friend Fiona (of Red Pike in winter fame), who was having something of a rematch with this trail after needing to bail on her first attempt a couple of years ago due to injury. It was such a joy to be out on the trail together, concerned only by hiking related stuff – I definitely wish I could have continued this week.

As I mentioned a little further up, I am planning an adventure journal series for the Cotswold Way in the same way as I did for the UK coast to coast. If you have any questions about this trail, do feel free to ask them, and I’ll do my best to cover them when I write that in the coming weeks.

National Walking Month

Which brings me on to National Walking Month…

Walking is by far is my favourite way to spend time outside, and so the fact that May is Living Streets’ National Walking Month, sounds pretty good to me. Created to celebrate the health and happiness benefits of walking more, they are asking us to make simple swaps to walk a little bit each day this month – and beyond.

Living Streets is the UK’s charity for everyday walking. Did you know that A generation ago, 70% of us walked to school – now it’s less than half? Living Streets run campaigns to reverse this – and tackle other similarly worrying stats.

Walking is an easy and accessible way to improve physical and mental health. A 20-minute walk can reduce the risk of a number of preventable health conditions, including certain cancers, depression, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. And by swapping a short drive for a short walk, you can also help reduce air pollution, congestion, and road danger – and save yourself some money in the process.

Living Streets have put together 20 tips to help you fit 20-minutes of walking into your day. From inviting friends and family for a walk to taking a post-work stroll, these are ideas which are very much in keeping with my One Hour Outside project. I’m definitely in!

See you Next Tuesday!

The fact that this weekly blog didn’t go live early this morning means you know I didn’t get this finished sat outside by the fire. Happily, my fire won, and I enjoyed an hour relaxing as the sun set on the first day of May, toasting marshmallows and taking far too many photos of flames.

Today my alarm pierced the silence at 6.25am for the first time in over a week. It’s not like I got up late at all during the hike, not in the slightest, but alarms are always louder on work days! I did the all-important Tesco order before I headed into the office, had a productive day back at my standing desk, and made sure I got a couple of 20-minute walks in – and not just because it’s National Walking Month. This evening I have the very adult task of sorting out my mortgage, and will be eating tacos for dinner.

What I’m trying to say is that life is very much back to normal. Which isn’t all that bad, it’s just a shame normal can’t be about hiking adventures more often.

I’ll see you again next Tuesday for another weekly blog. Here’s to a good week all round.   

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