I just walked the entire South West Coast Path

[babybluefish]

For four years I had been slowly losing myself in the fog of menopausal rage, anxiety, insomnia and weight gain.

My bedside drawer was filling with remedies and supplements that did little to ease my symptoms.

Walking was the only thing that kept me on the right side of sanity, and quite possibly of prison.

From July to October I walked alone the 630 mile South West Coast Path.

AMA

Wow that sounds amazing OP.

How heavy was your tent and all your stuff? How did you manage carrying everything?

Have you heard of the Pacific Crest trail? 😉

My book is called "I'm no Shakespeare: Walking the South West Coast Path" and I am currently deep into withdrawal from the path and researching my next hike.

Keeping with the same theme I am considering a Camino: "I'm no Don Quixote"

A path in Western Australia from Perth that has been recommended to me: "I'm no Waltzing Matilda"

Or, and probably the most likely contender, the Welsh coast path: "I'm no Tom Jones".

Yes, definitely, but I warn you I do go very feral very quickly and start to smell. And often swear.

Funny you should say that ...

Yes I did run into a particularly scary man who had raw whortleberry juice running down his chin like Hannibal Lecter, and who appeared to be holding a sawn off shotgun.

All in all, though, with my wild appearance and unplucked facial hair, not to mention my preponderance to singing random words, only loosely based on Elvis classics or Christmas carols, I was more scary to others than they were to me.

My tent was a very simple open pyramid tarp held up in the centre by one of my walking poles.

It weighed, including its separate groundsheet and internal bug netted sleeping pod, about 1.2kg.

My total carried weight was approximately 12kg including lots of king sized Twix's, instant cheesy mash, and water.

I've heard of the Pacific Crest and it must be glorious.

I'm a complete wuss with snakes though, and I guess there may be bears?

I walked an average of 23km per day.

On my second day I walked over 30km and was rescued by a local after I was caught, mildly hypoglycemic, pinching raspberries from his garden.

No, it was never pre-planned.

I never knew where I might end up, but I had my tent so was always confident I would be able to have shelter somewhere.

If you’re looking at a Camino, it can be remarkably cheap to do.

https://stingynomads.com/camino-de-santiago-cost/

Thank you very much.

Where to start.

Right, the most physically demanding sections are those with extreme elevation such as Hartland Quay to Bude, or even with long stretches of tarmac like the Tarka Trail.

However, a lot of a sections difficulty depended on the weather and on my own mental state.

The people I met randomly along each section also made a huge difference to how easy or difficult I perceived it.

Lots of people asked me which was the 'best bit' and I could never answer.

Even gritty, dusty Par had its charms for me.

However, once I reached the South Dorset coast I knew I had found my best bit, from Charmouth to Fleet.

I did have some rest days, and most of those were enforced because of severe storms.

I did haul all my own stuff for the whole distance and I lived very minimally.

I once wore the same clothes day and night for almost a week.

Actually I generally told people I was hungry, and once begged Cathedral City cheese and Dairy Milk like a starving dog, from another walker who had suggested a wife swap.

How fantastic! I love a multiday hike, sadly I always sleep very badly in a tent as i end up cold, damp, uncomfortable or disturbed by noise outside - so it's much more difficult to keep it cheap.

So how do you manage to sleep well in a tent night after night?

What a brilliant achievement. You should be very proud.

I really, truly never got lonely.

I suppose I did talk to myself a lot, and cackle, and sometimes I talked to strangers perhaps slightly more than I listened, but I absolutely loved having my own headspace.

I am a walker myself, though not in your league. Totally understand what you mean by it being a universal cure for this stage of life.

I did it in one chunk, approx 23km per day, but had to fulfill a commitment to care for an elderly gentleman in Cornwall for two weeks.

So I left the path at Pentewan and rejoined it there two weeks later.

Hours per day were between 7 and 10

I’m planning to walk Te Araroa in a couple of years OP - join me!

my question is, boots or trail shoes?

Oh fab how freeing!! You walked through some of my fields, wonder if I saw you! I’ve just read the salt path myself (they camped in one of our fields, I remember seeing them and recognise it from their description) and while walking great long distances isn’t for me, due to disability, I admire those that do and can certainly understand the appeal. What was your favourite section, and why?

That's a great question.

I started off writing a family WhatsApp post every evening but my sister decided I needed a literary agent and very pushily put herself forward for the job.

My book "I'm no Shakespeare: Walking the South West Coast Path" is now available as an e-book on Amazon.

I definitely went in on myself, but am a natural introvert so it felt delicious.

There is a certain potty mentality that comes with lone long distance walking.

Now, less than a month after finishing, I feel nostalgic and would have easily turned around and walked back to Minehead had my husband not been waiting for me.

The old familiar anxiety is creeping back but I hope that by pulling on my trail shoes and just walking I can keep some of the resilience I gained.

Would love to!

I wore trail shoes, Merrell GTX something or other.

Makes them sound like a motorbike, but they were incredible.

Excellent grip and I only had two blisters, right at the beginning of my walk before my feet turned into hooves.

I did find that walking beside long wet grass meant that water was siphoned into my footwear.

In Plymouth at the height of another storm I bought a pair of cheap, light gaiters, which solved that problem.

That sounds absolutely amazing OP! I would love to do this but it is so far from my life right now ,it seems a dream. Well done OP!!

You are my hero. I LOVE walking. But I hate camping and wild camping scares me rigid. I would love to be brave and resilient enough to do this. I want to hear all about it.

Did the people whose gardens you slept in know about it?
Did you do it all in one go or take breaks between stretches/
How many miles a day?
What were the highlights?
(I've not yet RTFT but will so ignore these qus if you;ve answered them elsewhere. Now off to RTFT.

Totally freeing.

I walked through so many fields, and past so many cows!

I love the way some of the fields now have rewilding borders of meadow flowers that are teeming with bees, butterflies and other insect life.

I loved every step, and found beauty and inspiration around every headland.

I do have a favourite though and it is the section from Charmouth to Fleet.

Everything is subjective and perhaps something about that day was just a perfect witches' brew.

It took in Golden Cap, and had incredible views in 360 degrees.

I loved the blend of old gnarly wooden benches, farmland, and little copses.

Chesil beach was incredibly beautiful, the fishermen there were funny and put me to shame with the loads they were carrying.

The Anchor Inn at Seatown.

Sounds great, Well done you! This is the sort of thing lots of us dream about but never do.For me I would be uncomfortable in a tent,but I guess you are so tired you just drop! Also if you were alone and wild camping were you scared at night. Anyway good for you to have a rest and think of your next adventure

Oh that felt lovely even just to read, what a wonderful experience. Thank you for your lovely answer!

I was just reading about this on your Facebook page that is linked to your seasonal job. It sounds amazing! I definitely want to do this when my children are grown. I will read your book.