14 January: Wainwright Said Adapt

Chilly tonight. We had some snow overnight and during the day, but then it melted somewhat and the roads are now clear. Started my walk tonight in sleet but by the time I finished it was clear and cold. Expect it to freeze overnight. I like the snow and I like being outside in the snow, so I will be perfectly happy if we get more this week. I'd welcome walking in different conditions to the dark damp mid-winter flatness of January in Warwickshire I've experienced so far. That said, I'm pretty sure to be building a snowman with my grandson the first time we get proper snow.

 

It would also be false to say I'm not enjoying the walking, because I am. It's just not the same as walking in the Lakes. Actually I'm rather pleased with myself. I've exercised most days since New Year's Eve, and most of that has been walking, including several long-ish outings. I did get a bit foot-sore by the end of my long walk on Saturday but I'm recovered now and motivation remains high.

 

I'm also pleased to report that Carol has joined me on one or two of my walks, including some in the cold and dark. My wife doesn't really do cold, so I feel very priviledged. I'm really enjoying walking with her actually. It feels like we really get some quality time together without other day to day distractions.

 

I went to see a podiatrist the other day. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe some sage advice on how to avoid blisters, or magical ointment for the treatment of bruised soles, or something, anything. I didn't, although she did tell me I seemed to be doing the right things. I thanked her for this and handed over my £32.

 

Anyway, some thoughts on route planning. When Wainwright published his guide he was careful to entitle it A Coast to Coast Walk, and not The Coast to Coast Walk. He made a point of encouraging walkers to devise their own variations, to adapt his route. This is all the encouragement I needed, so I've been spending most of the evenings so far this month doing just that. I've so far planned my route for 11 out of the 15 stages. I'm now in Danby Wiske. 

 

I can't lie. This has been great and whilst early on in the process I was rushing to get the work done now the end is in sight I'm a little disappointed it's almost over, and will be spacing the final four days out so that I can enjoy each one. I shouldn't worry - still plenty more lovely planning left to do.

 

I'm glad I've done this. By stepping through the route mile by mile rather than simply following one of the very good guidebooks I feel I have kind of rehearsed the walk, and have a greater knowledge of it as a result. It has also heightend my sense of anticipation. It's also meant that I've been even more anti-social than usual.

 

For some of the sections there really isn't much point in varying the route from Wainwright's original. In others though I have taken a fair bit of license and also taken some practical steps for example to tune my route to suit the people who are walking with me or the exact places I will be staying. For instance on the Rothswaite to Grasmere section I was wondering whether to take the valley route down Far Easedale or walk along the ridge to Helm Crag. My accommodation in Grasmere is to the north of the village so it makes sense to do the high level walk and drop down off the ridge straight to the B&B. The Osmotherley to Blakey Ridge section takes the same course as the first half of The Lyke Wake Walk. Having done this twice I think a change is very much in order so I have introduced a significant variation. Not that I have any issues or anything.

 

I've used a number of sources in this process, and would recommend them all to others wanting to do a similar thing. I have of course read Wainwright's original guide, although to be honest whilst this provided my original inspiration for the walk I found other more recent guides more useful for route planning.

 

I very much like Paul Hannon's Coast to Coast Walk (Hillside Guides) and this has probably been my primary printed source. It is convenient that his chosen route is very similar to mine by coincidence. It focusses only on the route and is a readable mix of simple maps and commentary, and is clearly written by someone who has experienced the walk. It also includes ideas on route variations. I will probably carry this book with me.

 

Coast to Coast Path by Henry Stedman (Trailblazer Series) is also a good source and is written in a similar style. He includes some wise and witty tips and hints borne out of experience. There is also an extensive section at the front of the book covering planning and preparation, and within the route section there are details of places to stay and eat. I found the town plans very useful in helping to locate my accommodation. A book to keep in my kit bag and reference ahead of each day.

 

If there is a limitation to both of these books it is that they tend to provide a "zoomed in" view. In their own styles (Hannon uses commentary, Stedman uses diagrams) both give very good detail of each twist and turn of the route, each style, fence and bridge. I found however that they are less good at providing a macro view. I'm not saying that this is missing from the books, but in my view it is not done well and it's not easy to keep in mind where you are in the walk, or where you are in the section you are walking. 

 

For this I used maps. The main source has been Bing Maps. This is a great resource and includes 1:25,000 OS mapping, which flips dynamically to 1:50,000 as you zoom out and vice versa. It also allows a switch to road maps for locating places in towns. View it using an iPad with a decent internet connection and it's as if the paper map itself was in front of you, but with no folding or covering the whole room or switching maps along the route. This has given me the macro view that is important if you are going to plan your own route.

A note for the purists: I do have proper paper maps for the whole route and a proper magnetic compass too. I will be taking these with me.

 

Finally I have an old copy of Memory Map on my PC with 1:50,000 coverage of the National Parks. I've been able to plot my course using this, and then check distances and ascents, the walk profile and even do a 3D fly-through. Probably not essential, but in straying from the guidebooks I can't use their pre-canned distance and ascent information. Memory Map has filled this gap. Being based on OS grid references I've also been able to note down the co-ordinates for key naviation points on the route.

 

Well it all works nicely in theory. We'll see later whether it works for real.

 

 A note for the purists: I also have a GPS, which I will also be taking with me. Ha.