Should I go on my own?

[wellstopdoingitthen]

I am a keen amateur walker. Mostly in cities and some country/urban areas. I’m reasonably fit for a 60 year old, no health conditions.

I have a real bee in my bonnet to walk the Thames Path from London to Oxford (possibly further but Oxford initially). It’s about 100 miles.

The question is should I do this on my own or is that irresponsible? I’m quite happy with own company but it would be nice to share it with someone. The problem is suitable people are either working or not up to the activity. I have seen some organised walking events but I really don’t fancy that. I’m thinking of taking about 6 days. Stopping at b&b overnight.

Am I bonkers for even considering it? I would love the thinking space and pleasing myself. What do you think?

I’m struggling to understand why you wouldn’t do it alone?

I do a lot of walking on my own. I carry a small first aid kit and a spare phone charger, so if anything does go wrong, I can deal with it.

Oh do! I did Staines to London a few years ago. It’s a really lovely walk, very safe and really interesting. No risk of getting lost either (you do have to walk around Hampton Court though 😒) I’m about your age - walking on my own is one of my favourite things.

Like @Merrybandofpirates I am not seeing why you are questioning it.

From your title, I had assumed you were wondering if heading into the Cairngorms alone was a good plan, not walking along a river.

I think that sounds wonderful!
But it's good that you are thinking about safety.
Like a previous poster mentioned, bring a first aid kit and a spare phone charger. And also, tell someone about your plans beforehand.

Good luck!

Of course! Why is it irresponsible?

Oh that’s made my mind up then! 😀
It was the reaction of my DH & DC who were concerned about safety (accidents, mugging etc 🙄). I’ll go ahead and start planning.

For those who have done it, what sort of mileage per day did you do? I’m expecting about 16 miles a day. Is that reasonable?

You have to plan what’s reasonable for you. And think about how much you’re carrying. Will you have someone drive your things from point to point, so everything you need is at your next overnight stop? Or are you carrying it all?

Not much to take surely? Some clean tshirts and undergarments. And a book or kindle. Maybe nice to have someone meet you half way and have supper with you and then continue.

I am not sure where you live but will you walk home or away from home (if you live at one end). Im interested in the psychology of making that decision!

For those who have done it, what sort of mileage per day did you do? I’m expecting about 16 miles a day. Is that reasonable?

That is really personal to you.
How far do you normally walk when you go out for a day?
That would be more than I would want to do in a day, let alone 6 or 7 days consecutively.
Also, it will depend on where your accommodation is.

I did 15-28k a day but it really depends on what works for you. I’m an experienced multi day hiker. It is an easy flat walk (I wore thick soled trainers not my hiking boots which I think was a good choice) so you can get up some distance. Carried pants, PJs, change of t-shirt, phone stuff and few toiletries - all in a 26l day pack but I did only do 3 days. You will need more for a longer trip. Re distance - if you are doing in summer you have more time in the day. But do remember to factor in walking to the hotel!

16 miles flat and good surface is easy enough for me
16 miles up and down hills would be tough
I would look at 3 days, day rest and another 3 days if it was me.

also think carefully about food - I found ( different route ) hotel breakfast and dinners every day was too much rich food for me. Made me sluggish.

Either be ruthless in your choices - don’t have every full fry up offered (resitstance clearly wasn’t my strong point !) or perhaps look at a cafe lunch ( like jackets potatoes ) and grab a bread roll and cheese and fruit for your evening

I manged to do a lot of solo travelling around the Middle East in my 40s and 50s so why not go for it?

Travelling solo gives you a feeling of independence and power because you are not having to fit in with anyone else. You can go at your own pace and stop when there is something interesting to see without worrying that your companion might be bored.

You do have to be organised up front though as there is no one to share the responsibility of queueing, watching the bags, etc. Expect this is not a problem if you are backpacking.

I think doing it alone sounds lovely, if you enjoy your own company. Take some books, or download some podcasts. Book into nice B and Bs..... Sounds blissful!

In terms of the safety aspect, do you have a good friend or family member you can check in with every evening with a quick text or call? That way, in the unlikely event anything did happen someone would be alerted fairly quickly..... And just take sensible precautions, like not walking after dark, sensible footwear, small first aid kit, maybe a back up charging pack for your phone in case you forget to charge it over night. That type of thing.

I bet you will have a lovely time, and feel a real sense of achievement when you are done!

I only know about the London bits on the northern side (Limehouse to Twickenham) but it's all safe. Presume you're not going to be walking late at night?

The only bit that annoys me (again, northern side) is around Wapping where you have to walk around the back of the houses. However there are some nice pubs with river views.

So I’ve looked into the route, places to stay and nice pubs to visit on the way. I had planned to go next month but I can’t really afford it so planning to go in spring next year. Thank you for the encouragement. 😀

I did this 20 years ago with 3 of my sons and it was a great experience! We walked the whole route over 14 days and found that 13 miles was our maximum for comfort, youngest son was 7. We talked to every dog and boat owner that we met!