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We completed the South Downs Way at lunchtime yesterday (Saturday 30th). But it's not too late to make a donation if you haven't already. I imagine some people will have wanted to wait to see if we would do it.
I can hardly believe we did it. When we started out it seemed like such a huge challenge ahead of us, and the first two days were really tough. On the first day Callum skinned his knee and we were mobbed by curious cows so badly that I was shaking when we finally made it out of their field!! We were exhausted when we got "home" that day.
But we soon got into the swing of getting up early and heading out walking, having got everything ready for the day the night before. And we started seeing the chunks of walk fall behind us. Passing the half way point was particularly inspiring.
Callum seemed to have huge reserves of energy. Even after each days walking, he spent much of his "down time" running around and being crazy. Not even later than usual nights and earlier than usual starts got the better of him!
He was amazing! I am so proud of my little boy! He's six years old and he walked 100 miles! And even when it POURED with rain with a lashing wind, and his hiking boots were, in his words, "lakes", he still sang as he walked along. He truly has an indomitable spirit.
Unfortunately Bentley was not able to finish the walk with us. Poor old dog. At the very end of our third day he was near to collapse and I had to carry him part of the way. Then a hero came along, going the other way, walking the SDW in 4 days!! and changed his direction to carry Bentley down the rest of the hill for me. I could not thank him enough! And I don't even know his name!
We gave Bentley a rest day after that and he seemed good again. We started out really early each day, and pushed through with very little stopping, to be finished before the heat got too much, but halfway through the 7th day I had to ask a very kind farmer if I could leave Bentley in his shady garden and go back for him later. I think his back legs were hurting. I was in tears, having to walk on without him, hearing him crying for us as we left.
So, on our 8th and final day, we left Bentley and Willow (for company) in the camper, watched over by our hostess, and completed the walk without them. I felt very sad about that, but I'm sure Bentley didn't mind. As it turned out it was such a hot day, and a particularly long hike, that he certainly wouldn't have made it.
Willow really got the hang of walking. On the second day I think she walked at least two thirds of the way. Not bad for a cat! And she was the cause of a lot of happy chats along the way. She even went to the pub with us! The exercise still didn't stop her disrupting my sleep every night!
We met so many lovely people along the way and were helped by so many. People went out of their way to drive us to collect the camper, waived camping fees, fed us, donated money, carried my dog!! It is so heartwarming. It renewed my faith in people.
It has been an incredible journey.
And within hours of getting home I was thinking "what could we do next.......?"
