two months on...the fundraising page is still open

this time two months ago i had just finished my walk and was a bit at a loss as to what i was going to do with my time.


turns out that wasn't such a problem. when to fit in everything in my life was more of an issue.

sometimes i look back at the summer and it seems like this thing i did years ago that wasn't such a big deal after all.

sometimes i look back and think it was the best way to spend a summer.

sometimes i think i was crazy.

sometimes it think 'damn it, i never chased up all those people who said they'd sponsor me but didn't get round to it'

today is one of those days...

fundraising to date has been awesome. online sponsorship is standing at around £880 including gift aid, and i have over £250 raised offline to add (£312.50 once gift aided) giving a running total of almost £1200.

now don't get me wrong, that's a lot of money. but if you haven't yet sponsored me, and can find it in your heart to log on to my fundrasing page and donate a few pennies, i think the folk over at oxfam* would love you as much as i would. i'm a bit of a sucker for round numbers and would love to raise £1500. can you help me get there?

jin x

*why oxfam? because oxfam support people in the developing world. help them to work themselves out of poverty. they campaign for a fairer deal for those in need. they campaign to fix 'the system' which is crippling developing counties. they help in the fight against the climate change which (as a graduate of earth sciences, who has written dissertations on the subject) i couldn't be more convinced that we are directly responsible for. they help, in short, to deal with what i consider to be the two biggest problems which face our species.

anyone still here?

just in case anyone is still bothering to check this thing, thought i'd post an update.

the last few weeks have been hectic with being ill, starting a pgce (aka: teacher training course) and prepping for my sister's wedding which is totally diy and happening this weekend.

they have unfortunately not been full of keeping on top of all my post walk blogging, or training for the cardiff half marathon, which is in two weeks (when the hell did time start going so quickly?!)

on the plus side, starting the pgce course is giving me the drive to get back on top of stuff and stay there, so hopefully there'll be some more posts coming about the walk.

there'll also be a hell of a lot of posts coming about my thoughts on teaching. for the course, we have to keep a reflective diary - and much like my thoughts on keeping a training log, i think i'm more likely to actually do it if i make it public. so from this week on you can expects to see plenty of pedagogical ponderings. in amongst talk of adventures. and pictures of weddings.

jin x

where i was and when

so i finally got round to going back over the maps and blog posts and have used the official south west coast path distance calculator (and the very handy fact that the four little pink diamonds marking the path on OS1:50,000 maps equate to a mile - handy tip from arthur - the swcp veteran) to re-do the table of daily distances*

i've also worked out that the final average was 16.37 miles per day. the shortest day (the last one) being 7.5 miles. the longest day being 30 miles - 14.5 of those at night time. the next longest: 22.8 - between braunton and westward ho!

i had 38 nights on the trail, 11 of which were spent in actual beds under actual roof tops. 3 nights camping on proper sites with showers and stuff.

i had 8 solo walking days, and 7 solo nights - 3 of which were wild camping.

i had 15 different people walk with me.

i had 1 day where i seriously considered just not bothering. i had a great many more where i couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my summer.

jin x

*

	Walk Day	Day	Date	End Point	Total Distance		Daily distance
					km	miles	km	miles
	1	Saturday	16/07/11	Somerset-Devon Border	23.6	14.65	23.6	14.65
	2	Sunday	17/07/11	Nr Holdstone Down	49.6	30.80	26.0	16.15
	3	Monday	18/07/11	Bay before Bull Point	70.8	44.00	21.2	13.20
	4	Tuesday	19/07/11	Campsite by Chivenor	104.6	65.00	33.8	21.00
	5	Wednesday	20/07/11	Westward Ho! YHA	141.3	87.80	36.7	22.80
	6	Thursday	21/07/11	Hobby Path - Nr Clovelly	156.5	97.25	15.2	9.45
	7	Friday	22/07/11	Elmscott YHA	179.1	111.30	22.6	14.05
	8	Saturday	23/07/11	Far end of Widemouth Bay	206.2	128.10	27.0	16.80
	9	Sunday	24/07/11	Tintagel YHA	235.9	146.60	29.8	18.50
	10	Monday	25/07/11	Port Quin Bay - valley after Trevan Point	256.5	159.40	20.6	12.80
	11	Tuesday	26/07/11	Treyarnon bay YHA	286.9	178.30	30.4	18.90
	12	Wednesday	27/07/11	Dunes behind Crantock Beach	315.7	196.15	28.7	17.85
	13	Thursday	28/07/11	Trevaunance Cove	333.8	207.40	18.1	11.25
	14	Friday	29/07/11	Sandsifter Bar, Gwithian	358.9	223.00	25.1	15.60
	15	Saturday	30/07/11	Zennor Backpackers	387.0	240.50	28.2	17.50
	16	Sunday	31/07/11	Cot Valley for St Just YHA	406.4	252.50	19.3	12.00
	17	Monday	01/08/11	Above Point Spaniard - nr Mousehole	435.2	270.40	28.8	17.90
	18	Tuesday	02/08/11	Barefoot Café on Baulk Head	470.3	292.20	35.1	21.80
	19	Wednesday	03/08/11	Boak House B&B, Coverack	504.0	313.20	33.8	21.00
	20	Thursday	04/08/11	Field above Swanpool beach	534.3	332.00	30.3	18.80
	21	Friday	05/08/11	Pendower	555.2	345.00	20.9	13.00
	22	Saturday	06/08/11	Mevagissey	582.6	362.00	27.4	17.00
	23	Sunday	07/08/11	West combe - Lantivet Bay	616.4	383.00	33.8	21.00
	24	Monday	08/08/11	Car park before Freathy	648.6	403.00	32.2	20.00
	25	Tuesday	09/08/11	Plymouth - Mayflower Steps	668.7	415.50	20.1	12.50
	26	Wednesday	10/08/11	Behind Wonwell Beach	704.9	438.00	36.2	22.50
	27	Thursday	11/08/11	Bolberry down for Burton Farm	722.8	449.10	17.9	11.10
	28	Friday	12/08/11	Hallsands	748.8	465.30	26.1	16.20
	29	Saturday	13/08/11	Sharkham Point	782.9	486.50	34.1	21.20
	30-31	Sunday	14/08/11	Oddicombe Beach	807.9	502.00	24.9	15.50
	30-31	Monday	15/08/11	Starcross for Exeter	831.2	516.50	23.3	14.50
	32	Tuesday	16/08/11	Sidmouth	853.0	530.00	21.7	13.50
	33	Wednesday	17/08/11	Lyme Regis	880.3	547.00	27.4	17.00
	34	Thursday	18/08/11	West Bay	896.4	557.00	16.1	10.00
	35	Friday	19/08/11	Back of Fleet Lagoon, nr Wyke Regis	927.8	576.50	31.4	19.50
	36	Saturday	20/08/11	Portland YHA	946.3	588.00	18.5	11.50
	37	Sunday	21/08/11	Lulworth Cove YHA	973.3	604.80	27.0	16.80
	38	Monday	22/08/11	Swanage	1007.0	625.70	33.6	20.90
	39	Tuesday	23/08/11	Poole Harbour - South Haven Point	1019.0	633.20	12.1	7.50

friendly faces

as i said in my last post but one, i had a lot of great support on my trip this summer. probably the most important support i had was from those that came to walk with me. whether it was for an hour or two or a week or two.

a month before i left i thought i was going to end up walking mostly solo. in the end i think there were only about 7 days total that i was on my own. i can only imagine how much harder it would have been without you guys:

jin x

so this is what the real world is like...

even though i haven't actually done a massive amount since i've been back (two weeks tomorrow - really?!), life has massively eaten up time. i've been galovanting round the country, catching up with friends, and trying to get on top of bridesmaid dress making/general planning and preparation for my sister's wedding in five short week's time.

that's odd. in five weeks and four days i walked 633.2 miles. surely this should be easy? right?

anyways, i just wanted to post and say that there will be a whole bunch of reflective stuff coming up about the walk, along with gear reviews, things i'll do differently next time, tips i picked up along the way and the like.

i'll also start using this as a bit of a training blog for my half marathon which is fast approaching (once i actually get started on the training). and i'll be changing tack to musings on the adventure that is teacher training.

so stick around, if you want to that is. otherwise, check back in ten months or so when i'll be in full on planning mode for walking the pennine way - 268 miles in 14 days.

jin x

you made it happen

i want to say thank you.

thank you to everyone who's read this blog. everyone who's commented. everyone who's texted me or called me. everyone who's liked a facebook status, or photo, or left a comment. everyone who joined me, or let me join them. everyone who fed me, brought me a tea, let me use their land for camping or looked after my bag.

and on behalf of oxfam, thank you to everyone who sponsored me. from the odd change from strangers on the walk to those who have made significant donations.

without you all, it would have been incredibly difficult to complete my personal challenge of walking the whole south west coast path in one go. dare i say impossible?

so thank you, for allowing me to have what has been one of the best experiences of my life.

jin x

day 39: c'est fini

i've been wondering for a few days how i'd feel when i finish. trying to think of clever things to say. but now it comes to it all i can think is 'it's done'

and as for how i feel, i'll have to let you know.

jin x

7.5 miles today. total miles: 633.2 miles down, 0 to go.