Lee Anne and I have been organizing a trip to England for almost 6 months now; trip details, flights, trains, gear, etc., so it is a bit surreal that we depart this Monday. I have to admit that the brunt of the trip logistics was undertaken by Macs Adventure, a company that specializes in organizing walks throughout the world. We have taken advantage of Macs to walk the West Highland Way in Scotland and the Tour de Mont Blanc in France/Italy/Switzerland. Yes, signing on with Macs is more expensive than organizing the trip yourself, but it is a surprisingly modest increase, especially factoring in that we have no idea what hotels are fine in Grasmere, or how to move our luggage from Shap to Kirkby Stephen.
You might note that I am bandying about the names of places I had not heard of, before signing on with Macs. You might also have noted a key nuance in the service provided by Macs... Luggage transfer. I decided long ago that camping was simply not for me. I enjoy the great outdoors (I probably spend more time outside than most), but sleeping with the bugs, climbing mountains while hauling a 30 kilo pack and spending much of the day starting a cooking fire and cleaning is no longer my model for a relaxing vacation. Ditto for hostels. Sleeping in hotels/B&B's and donning a light day pack for a 309K hike (walk, in GB parlance) is more ideal!
The Coast to Coast walk was designed by some sadist known as Wainwright, who considered walking from St. Bees (west coast of England) to Robin Hood's Bay (east coast) through rugged mountains and bogs, to be a wonderful way to spend a couple of weeks. The trail passes through an area in England with the most rain (over 5 meters of rain, one year) and the guide book mentions that hip waiters come in handy, in spots.
We are looking forward to a break from training. Yes, we plan to run on occasion during the trip, but the focus will be on walking 300+K over the 2 weeks, instead of getting in 30+K runs.
Cheers!
