100K for 100 years– a challenge for the Guiding Centenary

 

No, forget the walk to the bus stop in the morning or the hours on the treadmill. This has been put together in consultation with my personal trainer, so you can be sure each walk is a real challenge. I start with 3 walks of at least 10K on consecutive days on Skye, beginning on April 6^th. In late April and early May I have two 25K training walks along the Sefton coast. The climax will be the Wirral Walk on 23^rd May 2010 – for details see

  http://www.wirralcoastalwalk.org.uk

I first got to know the Wirral commuting to Clatterbridge one May for radiotherapy, so returning fit and well is a special goal for me.

 

Bigger even than any Centenary challenge is equipping Guiding to embark on its second century and the launch of the Centenary fund is one of the year’s most significant initiatives. We encourage girls with their whole lives ahead of them to embrace challenge, risk failure even, to find out what they’re made of, to try new things to find out where their talents lie and to use those talents to help others. But sometimes money is a barrier which can prevent a girl taking up an opportunity which could be the making of her. This is where the Centenary Fund can help.

  http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/get_involved/donate/centenary_fund

  £35 could enable a Brownie to join her Pack for her first weekend away. It would cost considerably more to help a Guide go to an international camp or a young adult to take part in the tall ships race.  However, all are encouraged to do their own fundraising and work to make their dreams a reality, and most opportunities are provided by volunteers who give their time and expertise generously, so you can be assured that anything you can give will go a long way.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you  for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Please come back to it and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

 

Update

2010 is here already. Christmas and New Year saw crisp days and bright sunshine for many a short walk, but training began in earnest with an 8 mile brisk walk along the Sefton Coast on my half day. A light covering of snow on last week's frozen slush meant walking with care, but I survived unscathed. Now I've done half of the route, I have a clearer idea of what I'm aiming for. I'm not sure I could do anywhere near twice the distance as yet, but with the days lengthening and a few lessons learned, I'm looking forward to the next walk.                           

  13 Jan 2010

 

Keith joined me this time for a walk along the Wyre estuary. Our Skye walks are only six weeks away, and he hasn't been training like I have, but he and our new boots passed the test. We had blue skies and bright sunshine most of the afternoon, though there was still ice to be seen in the shadows.  It's a varied walk with lots to see, so it passed by very quickly. Having a guide meant no stops to read a map, so were  able to keep up a good pace. Hilary has adopted the path as part of her volunteer rangering, so she and Ian know it well. The full circle is 16 miles, but can only be done in the summer when the ferry is running. Our half walk from Knott End to the Wyre visitor centre was reduced to 7 miles by a cunning plan with 3 cars (having grown up children has its advantages). With a high tide approaching, the section along the foreshore would have been under water, with stones and debris invisible, so caution dictated the longer way round by road. We don't want any injuries at this stage!                                                                

  20 Feb 2010

 

A short trip to the Isle of Man for the Tertis festival has given us a chance to prepare for Skye. First challenge was to get to grips with GPS so I can get proof of what I've done. I've sort of got the hang of it - a bit more practice and I should be there. Harder were the hills, but worth the climb. With half a day free on Sunday we headed  south from our base in Port Erin on a circular walk, and the views over Port St Mary were stunning. We had a full day on Monday and set off along the coastal path towards the Sound cafe for lunch, to warnings there would be no walking for us that day. Keen to test our waterproofs, we took no notice. The rain stopped and the sun came out before we reached the end of the promenade - such is island weather. The wind got quite gusty later, so we thought better of the path that goes close to the edge of the cliffs, and made for a more sheltered walk a bit further inland. Hardest was staying awake during the concerts afterwards, but some superb playing and the occasional dig in the ribs did the trick. Skye will present no such problems. It's less than a fortnight away now, and 3 consecutive days instead of 2, but we did similar distances this time so hopefully we'll cope!

24th March 2010

Our trip to Skye passed by very quicky. We covered a total of 40KM over the three days, though if the only objective had been covering the distance, we would have been mad to go where our guide took us! The walks were varied and interesting, so no chance of getting bored. Day 1 took us inland to Loch Sneosdal, Day 2 around the coast  to Ben Volovaig and beyond and the third day up the Quiraing and, further south to see the Old Man of Storr. The easiest walking was along the road on the way home, but much was off the beaten track, around peat bogs left exceptionally wet and muddy by the recent heavy rain. Fortunately it only rained for an hour or so, though it was very windy at times. Wednesday was the best day; still a bit hazy, but fine enough for good views over the islands. It's encouraging to think I was walking for about as many hours each day as I'll need to do on my longer walks, and on three consecutive days at that.  I've been left with no aches or blisters and, thanks to our expert guide, no injuries. Hopefully walking the Sefton coast will seem straightforward in comparison.

13th April 2010

 

Second walk done and half way there. We had a sunny day with a bit of breeze, perfect for a walk. The Sefton path was dry and easy going, even a bit boring in places compared to Skye, but a lovely day to see the iron men and walk through the pinewoods. Hilary came along and brought her pedometer - 33, 404 steps in all. Taking nearly 7 hours, the pace was leisurely, too leisurely no doubt but for a first attempt at the full distance, I was glad to finish and have enough left to speed up a bit towards the end. With  no more than a single blister I should be fit for a rerun in two weeks. I certainly felt better than I did after half the distance in January, so progress is certainly  being made.

27th April 2010

 

Two weeks 'recovery time' and I was ready for the next stage. With a cooler day  and Mark to set the pace this time, the Sefton path was done in  five and a half hours. The forecast cloud didn't appear until the afternoon, so a sunny morning. Not wanting to share our lunch with hordes of insects, we pressed on to Ainsdale so I was on home ground by the afternoon. Two weeks to go to the grand finale and looking forward to having 3 members of the Division team walking with me - hopefully we'll cross the finishing line together.

9th May 2010

 

A scorching hot day for the grand finale. I can't believe I've gone from thermals and snow-capped peaks to sunblock and sun-drenched beaches in less than seven weeks. The walk was pleasant, mostly along promenade but taking in the beach and the Wirral Country Park towards the end. With four companions  to chat to this time, the miles just disappeared and with 6000 others doing the walk, it felt like a really good way to be spending a Sunday. I really enjoyed the day. All the months of preparation were well worth it, and your  good will  buoyed me up, so thanks everybody for your support - we did it!

 23rd May 2010

 

And now the final part of the challenge, which is to make sure the Centenary Fund gets the full benefits of our efforts.Thanks to my fellow Guiders from Blundell Division, not only for supporting me along the way but also for chipping in their sponsorship. Along with a Division fundraiser, this gives us a total beyond what I dreamt of achieving on my own. There's nothing like teamwork! The web page remains open until the end of August, so if you've not got round to sponsoring me yet, it's not too late. There's no limit to the dreams girls have in Guiding.

10th June 2010