Tristan and I met up for the first time, along with a friend of his Annie, to attempt 2 walks, both starting from Groombridge on the Kent/Sussex Border, across the top of the Weald.
The idea was to do a 9.5 mile loop out through some villages, Hartfield and Withyam, back to Groombridge and then another 8 miler to Eridge Station and back - with the option of some short cuts if we needed them.
We did the first walk, the full distance, in about 3 hours - but as we reached the end, Tristan upped the pace a notch and I thought, I'm sure, I could hear the sound of his lips smacking together. He was ready for half time and put a real stride on up the hill towards the nearest pub.
So what was going to be a walk of two halves became a lunch of two pints You see, there's really little point walking in such a beautiful area without sampling the fruits of the land - and this area is famous for its hops, so it really didn't seem right to leave without having a pint of a Sussex ale and one Kentish variety, the nut brown nectar washing down a roast beef dinner....
In the end, we didn't make it out for the second half, but it was because, right, we'd ran out of time. It was 2.45 by then, and there was no time to fit in another loop. And I won't hear it any other way.
An essential part of training is not just the walking, its about working out what your strategy is for food and liquid. At this point, regular beer stops cannot actually be discounted.
Next Monday, the four bellies get together for the first time - meeting at Amberly, for a section of the South Downs Way to Brighton. It proves to be an auspicious occasion.
