31 May

Well this is it, the culmination of planning over the last year of my lifelong wish to walk the Pennine Way.  I woke early, having had a rather restless night full of anticipation for the 2 weeks or so that lay ahead.  Finished the final packing of the rucksack, to find it weighed in at just under 15 kgs when fully loaded (including around 3L of fluids).  It’s a rucksack I never intended to take with me, a Eurohike 65L that I got in a sale in Blacks for just over £20 last summer.  Bargain!  Plan always was to use (abuse?) it during my training and then buy a better one for the walk, but it suited me so well that I decided to stick with it.  Bottom compartment contains all my spare clothing, wash kit and a pair of soft shoes for ‘evening wear’.  Top compartment has my ‘emergency stuff’, comprehensive first aid kit, emergency rations, towel and spare socks just in case my feet get too wet while walking, hydration pack, phone and space for my waterproof shell and fleece. Top pocket has my hat, sweatband, gloves and waterproof trousers.  Map pocket contains spare compass, whistle and Paddy Dillon’s well-thumbed Pennine Way Guide.  Side pockets contain snacks, spare water and lucozade … oh, and the essential (for me anyway) ‘tea flask’!

The 5 hour train journey from Worthing to Edale was uneventful and on time, depositing me just before 5 pm, not bad for £31.  I’d booked a room with Mark and Theresa, who run the Ollerbrook Barn B&B just outside Edale.  Greeted like a long lost friend on arrival and shown to a lovely room with views across the Hope valley.

Spent a few minutes firing up my GPS (Etrex 20) and left it sitting for about half an hour to ensure it had built up its database and now knew it was some 200 miles North of where it was last switched on.

Spent the evening in the Ramblers Inn, having read quite poor reviews about the Nags Head.  Beer and food in the Ramblers was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed the steak and ale pie and the pint that helped to wash it down.  Could have spent all evening there, but mindful of the challenge that lay ahead I didn’t, and was safely tucked up in bed by ten.