Best foot forward for 2023: a thread for walkers

We had a weekend away in Lowestoft, managed 11 miles on Saturday. This is the view on a blustery January day from the most Easterly point in England.

@Flowersinthebasement
@MrsMullerBecameABaby

Thank you for your info about walking the Camino, it’s really helpful. Happy walking!

For those interested in the Camino de Santiago, this website is very informative with a forum and topics from those on it, about to do it, and finished it.

www.caminodesantiago.me/

My plans to start the stages from St. Jean de Pied de Port to Pamplona in March 2020 were scuppered by the C word. I have now lost the huge enthusiasm I had back then, but might think about it again.

Anyway, I have friends based in Ireland, and we are doing (one per year) the Greenways on foot, starting this May hopefully! Looks amazing.

greenwaysireland.org/

Let it be said that I am no athlete, but at 65 years young I walk a minimum of 5k every day Mon-Friday. Sloth or house stuff at weekends, which can be busy outdoors with families and such, so I leave it to them now I'm retired.

Good luck and I'll keep an eye on your adventures.

I walked the stages I've done between early spring and October.

I think the Camino Frances is extensively walked and if you go between easter and September there will definitely be plenty of people around.

It was lovely walking in October but unfortunately a lot of accommodation was closed so I ended up struggling to find anywhere a couple of times (I never booked far ahead as I wanted flexibility about exactly when to stop for the night 😳).

I stayed somewhere really nice but expensive a couple of times when I couldn't find anything from the guidebook - one time I stayed in a guest room above a restaurant which was hosting a wedding on a mountain - I stopped for a very late lunch on the terrace and phoned everything in the guidebook looking for accommodation that night and everything was closed! So I asked the waitress and she said a wedding guest had cancelled and I could have their room, so I did...It was lovely but over budget (and cowbells were ringing all night).

I can't start again until Easter because I've got to the Allgäu and most of the accommodation reopens then.

Mind you in this unseasonable weather I'm pretty sure the season could be safely extended.

I walked some early stages with a local friend but she's a single parent so once I was staying away overnight I started walking alone.

If I'm honest I very much prefer to walk alone, though I guess my preference would be walk alone and meet up each evening ☺️

I have rarely felt unsafe walking alone tbh. So far anyway! Obviously it'll depend a lot on the location.

I often walk in places where I don't see anyone for an hour or so (both on the Camino and near home) and don't feel unsafe, but places have a feel don't they - I've also unexpectedly felt unsafe on just the odd occasion and made sure my location tracking is on and that my family know exactly where I am, and picked up my pace, made sure I have my sticks in my hand (usually I leave them in my pack and only use them for very steep downhill stretches).

@FireworkFluster totally agree. They are a lifestyle. We got ours once my partner retired as I’ve had them before. We see animals pacing in a zoo and never think we are doing that to our dogs. 12 miles today

@MrsMullerBecameABaby that’s a great plan. I would love to walk through a whole country! I am planning on walking the whole Camino Frances. What times of year did you walk the stages of the Camino and did you walk alone? I would like it to be busy enough with walkers so that I feel safe but not so busy that I have to keep making conversation! I guess that depends on the season.

I'm walking one of the Camino routes but from a long way away - I've done 14 stages so far, but I did the ones within about 2 hours each way by public transport from my home in single days here and there and then started to do two days together with one overnight as I got further from home. Now I'm too far away (and at a point without good public transport links) and will be doing 5 days together at Easter.

I'm hoping to walk through Switzerland this year, then France in 2004-5. I probably won't get to Spain until 2006 or possibly later (as my children get older I can feel less guilty about being away for more than a week I think).

I'd like to do the Camino del Norde when I do get to Spain. Which one are you planning?

Managed 7 miles today, including a green lane and an abandoned medieval village, so pleased with myself.

I’m jealous Bagpuss the scenery looks stunning. I’m still in bed 😀

Otter !!!

Have a couple more 😂

Just planned a 5 mile for today, did 25 miles last week but we were on holiday in Tobermory, we’d have walked much more had the weather been better. Here’s some pics

@Theskyoutsideisblue I have collie envy! Beautiful dogs 💕 but not suitable for my lifestyle. Had them as a teenager living on a farm and they are just fabulous!

I'm starting properly today and plan to use this thread as my inspiration. I already move about quite a lot and step count is about 8k on a normal day, so I'm not going to include that. Aiming for 1000 miles in the year of brisk walking and will log my results on Sundays. Thanks for the thread @crosshatching and all contributors 👋

First week
day 1 11miles
day 2 11
days 3/4/5/6 5 each
yesterday 10
so 52 total
have a collie so out in all weathers. Only worked 2 days and both at home.
next week in the office 3 days so will be less

My view is, do whatever works for you, percypal. I count 'actual walks' - ones I've turned on the walk or hike Apple Watch app for which measures the distance properly. But if using the step count estimate is more motivating/fits your lifestyle better - it's all good, isn't it.

Also hoping this will help me lose a bit of weight - more due to less time at home snacking than the walking actually doing all that much!

Would love to join you all!

Hybrid working in a desk job means my step/mile count is atrocious. There are days I am lucky to hit 1000 steps. I’ve joined a step challenge with some colleagues and we’re going to build up every month. My goal this month is 7000 per day which is about 3 miles I think. So far I’ve hit it each day.

I am not naturally active. Once I am out I’m as happy as Larry but it’s the choosing to go out over sitting on the sofa with a box set that’s the issue. I want to change that. I would love to get a dog in the future so I want to be reliably active and outdoorsy in preparation rather than getting the dog and hoping they make me more active as I know that’s a recipe for disaster.

I guess you are all really just counting ‘actual walks’ rather than your whole days worth of mileage including pottering? I think I will unofficially set myself a 1000 mile challenge but I will include pottering mileage - so maybe it’s not really a challenge at all but as I mentioned some days my steps are so low that even 3m worth of movement a day has to be an improvement. Sorry if this means I am cheating!!

23 miles so far this year :)

Lovely thread! Can I join?

I've got a five day walk planned (as in I've allocated the time and the route - nothing booked) for Easter.

I am sort of doing the Camino de Santiago from my door (which is about 2400 km) but it's going to take about 3 years as I'm just doing a few days at a time when I get the time!

I started in spring and summer 2022 and have done about 300 km of my route - the last 5 days will get me to the end of my first guide book (four guide books cover my route to Spain, then I'd like to do the Camino del Norde - the coastal path, which is the last 800 km).

I walked a lot in the first 2/3 of last year but I changed jobs in September and have had less time and it's getting me down, especially as I actually thought I'd have more free time in this new job.

Had even more of a slump over Christmas with sick kids too and been cooking and baking and eating and feeding everyone including myself too much!

Need to really get back to it to get my fitness up a bit before Easter as my route is fairly mountainous.

I’m doing rubbish - the weather has been nothing but torrential rain up here in the NW. hoping to catch up with a few long weekend walks over the next month to get me back on track.

I've now logged another 1.7, 6, 6 and 5.4 km bringing my total so far to
33.7 km

I'm doing very badly - just a mile or so yesterday but hoping for a longer walk tomorrow, weather permitting!

I have signed up to the 1000 mile challenge. I walked seven miles yesterday and six miles earlier in the week. It is a flat route along the canal but it’s a start until I am fit again to climb hills.
This thread will keep me focused.

@PositivePants2023 around 8.5 hours (I wasn't very fast) but the walks I did were in pretty hilly territory, so several thousand metres of ascent per walk. A flat walk should be faster. Will you have refreshment stations on the route? I used to find taking lots of sweets and lots of fruits were key. And if you practice doing around 15 mile walks, then you'll be able to get round 26 on the day. The LDWA is a good website to look at for training tips. Good luck!