Oh dear. We have been somewhat in remiss when it comes to posting on here. Doesn't bode well for the full event, does it? Ne'er mind, here's two ripsnorting walks to tell you about.
Three weeks ago, John, Lloyd and Al (with a couple of interlopers) yomped from Tonbridge to Sevenoaks. As both John and Lloyd grew up in Sevenoaks, this was a time to remember the good old days of teenage angst and unbearable boredom, and as we clambered up a bridle path which ran the height of River Hill, it was the angst we remembered most. But at the top of the hill we wandered into Knole Park, catching glimpses of Lloyd's alma mater Sevenoaks School (cue several mutterings from John about "public school bastards") and remembering that Sevenoaks, for all its faults (4x4s, more Tories per square inch than anywhere on earth, an incessant obsession with property prices) is actually a very beautiful place. And if you fancy a pint of Harvey's (of which more in a future post, we hope), there's no finer venue than the White Rock in Underriver.
Fast forward three weeks to, er, yesterday, and Lloyd, Tris and Al met at Victoria and yomped enthusiastically down the river, through Wandsworth, Fulham, Putney, Barnes and Kew and on down to Richmond. Highlights of this walk were wildlife, including a woodpecker, four herons sitting in a tree down by the water, and gaggles of very attractive joggers to divert a working stiff from the job in hand. And it rained at the end, an enormous tropical downpour that reminded all of us of the importance of proper clothing. Still, we made it into Richmond damp but otherwise unscathed, a walk of 15 miles or so, and finished with a pint and a decent chilli con carne in The Old Ship in Richmond (having already stopped for a sneaky snifter at The Ship in Barnes - uncanny).
No Harveys on this trip, though. Boo!
Sunday, 13 May 2007
Thursday, 12 April 2007
South Downs Way, Bank Holiday Monday
Dower House 068
Originally uploaded by lloydshep.
So the first full-on full-team Four Bellies experience happened this past Bank Holiday Monday. We did 23kms along the South Downs Way from Amberley down into Shoreham-on-Sea. We were joined by two interlopers - Lloyd's son Jack, and John's wife Jan.
The sun shone, the views were spectacular, and the beer in Shoreham was exquisite. We set off from Amberley at 10.30am and got to Shoreham at 3.30 - so, just under a quarter of the full Trailwalker distance in five hours. Not a bad pace, but we've got an awfully long way to go.
John brought egg pittas and sausages. In his pockets. Disgusting.
Monday, 2 April 2007
A Walk of Two Halves
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.
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.
Saturday, 3 February 2007
Harveys pint after eight miles
DSC_0010.JPG
Originally uploaded by lloydshep.
We stopped at a pub after eight miles. You have no idea how good this tasted.
Our first practice walk
DSC_0003.JPG
Originally uploaded by lloydshep.
Wow. We walked the best part of 12 miles through the Kent Hills today and I'm sitting at home nursing one very very tired ankle and one very very knackered hamstring. A sobering experience. This was only a fifth of the distance we need to walk on the Trailwalk, and it was really hard. We've got a lot of work to do.
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Four Bellies are Go!
So, the Four Bellies project is officially off the launch pad. This weekend sees our first practice walk, and our sponsorship site is now live and collecting cash.
The four of us are doing the Oxfam Trailwalk in July 2007. There's information about it here, but all you really need to know is that we're proposing to walk 60 miles in less than 30 hours, without (and here's the rub) stopping for anything other than a quick breather. The gurkhas do this kind of thing for fun. We do it for charity, and the soul.
So you want to give us money, right? Lots and lots of money for the best of causes. Well, get straight over to our Justgiving site and start giving and giving. Do it now.
The Four Bellies are:
Alick Mighall: Brighton and Hove Albion fan, bassist and general muso, the only one in the group with significant body piercings and a recent traveller in Points East.
Tristan Leaver: Only an honorary Belly, as in actual fact he's got a lovely flat stomach and is in all ways terrifyingly fit. The Belly Most Likely To Finish.
John Shepherd: Entrepreneur, footballer and professional drinker, John spent his stag night naked with six other men in a Cotswolds pub. We'll be asking him to stay clothed for the duration of the Trailwalk.
Lloyd Shepherd: The oldest Belly, the proudest Belly, the largest Belly. He hasn't been on any foot-based journey this long since sneaking off for fags in Knole Park during cross-country runs.
And, if you didn't get it before, get giving now at our Justgiving site. Now now now!
The four of us are doing the Oxfam Trailwalk in July 2007. There's information about it here, but all you really need to know is that we're proposing to walk 60 miles in less than 30 hours, without (and here's the rub) stopping for anything other than a quick breather. The gurkhas do this kind of thing for fun. We do it for charity, and the soul.
So you want to give us money, right? Lots and lots of money for the best of causes. Well, get straight over to our Justgiving site and start giving and giving. Do it now.
The Four Bellies are:
Alick Mighall: Brighton and Hove Albion fan, bassist and general muso, the only one in the group with significant body piercings and a recent traveller in Points East.
Tristan Leaver: Only an honorary Belly, as in actual fact he's got a lovely flat stomach and is in all ways terrifyingly fit. The Belly Most Likely To Finish.
John Shepherd: Entrepreneur, footballer and professional drinker, John spent his stag night naked with six other men in a Cotswolds pub. We'll be asking him to stay clothed for the duration of the Trailwalk.
Lloyd Shepherd: The oldest Belly, the proudest Belly, the largest Belly. He hasn't been on any foot-based journey this long since sneaking off for fags in Knole Park during cross-country runs.
And, if you didn't get it before, get giving now at our Justgiving site. Now now now!
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Four Bellies went a walking
On 14-15 July, the four of us are doing the UK Oxfam Trailwalk. 100 kms in less than 30 hours, from Petersfield to Brighton. We hope to survive this event with four bellies intact, though perhaps four slightly smaller bellies. We're using this site as a blatant fundraising tactic.
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