This post details our plan, which keeps most days around fifteen miles and ensures that every night we have somewhere confirmed to sleep (hopefully with warm showers!).  We are walking Offa’s Dyke North to South and in most cases we will be staying on campsites, with a few exceptions, that are dog friendly and easy to access from Offa’s Dyke.

Leg 1 – Mon 5th April – Prestatyn to Rhaullt

8.7 miles – 1493 ft

We are travelling up to North Wales on Bank Holiday Monday, and I was keen to make a start on the first day to clear Rhaullt (the first mile or so is through the town, which would be a nightmare with the dog, plus the local campsites seem quite expensive).

So on the first day we are having a gentle start and walking to Rhaullt.  We will be staying at the Penisar Mynydd Caravan Park (£22 for two people in two tents with a dog), which is about a mile off the route. This was the only campsite to ask for a deposit – but then it is a bank holiday!

Leg 2 – Tue 6th April – Rhaullt to Bodfari

8.7 miles – 2012 ft

Our second day is also quite short to the other side of Bodfari. I believe there may be a campsite near Bodfari, but we will be camping in the garden of @gwenoldy, who runs a holiday cottage nearby, who has kindly offered her hospitality (showers and a cooked breakfast ).

Leg 3 – Wed 7th April – Bodfari to Gweryd Lakes

13.8 miles – 3302 ft

On our third day, the mileage starts cranking up, as we head out into the Clwydian Range. We will be staying at Gweryd Lakes (£4.50 pp + £2 for the dog), tucked between the hills near three lakes. There is an on-site cafe, and the owners suggested they would be happy to open slightly earlier for us to have a cooked breakfast before leaving in the morning!

Leg 4 – Thurs 8th April – Gweryd Lakes to Llangollen

13 miles – 2140ft

On the fourth day we will be walking through the last bit of the Clwydian Range, before weaving between the mountain peaks into Llangollen. We will be staying at Tower Farm (£5 – about a mile from Offa’s Dyke (and slightly below).

Leg 5 – Fri 9th April – Llangollen to Trefonen

15.8 miles – 2974ft

The fifth day, where we pass through the grounds of Chirk Castle, leaves us stuck in Trefonen. There are several bed and breakfasts locally, but no campsites! Fortunately @JabberingJude has kindly come to the rescue and has offered us space in her garden – she lives about 6 miles from Trefonen, so this is the only day on the walk when the support team will be needed to give us a lift!

Leg 6 – Sat 10th April – Trefonen to Pool Quay

15.4 miles – 1242 ft

After getting a lift back to Trefonen, and following the course of the River Severn, the sixth day ends at Pool Quay – a historical hamlet just North of Welshpool. Again there are no campsites within walking distance however, after an email to the local pub – The Quay, it transpires that they are happy for people to camp on the grass outside the pub (and they are even happy for us to use the pub showers!).

I can almost taste the ale and home cooked food!

Leg 7 – Sun 11th April – Pool Quay to Brompton Crossroads

15 miles – 2087 ft

Just South of the Brompton Crossroads there is the Mellington Hall Caravan Park, just off Offa’s Dyke. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, they aren’t currently taking bookings over weekends. Fortunately they have very kindly offered to open especially for us on the Sunday!

Leg 8 – Mon 12th April – Brompton Crossroads to Knighton

13.5 miles – 3370 ft

Day 8 covers the hardest part of Offa’s Dyke – the ‘Switchback’  section in the Shropshire Hills. So we will be quite grateful, as we come down the final hill, to get to Panpwnton Camp Site (£4 pp), just North of Knighton on Offa’s Dyke.

Knighton is the official half way point of Offa’s Dyke.

Leg 9 – Tue 13th April – Knighton to Kington

14.2 miles – 2484 ft

After following the Dyke through hills and valleys, day 9 finishes in the centre of Kington at the Fleece Meadow Caravan and Camping site. Apparently we don’t need to book as we don’t require electric.

Leg 10 – Wed 14th April – Kington to Hay on Wye

15.2 miles – 2175 ft

From Kington we climb the Hergest Ridge, and then walk through moorland to Hay on Wye, staying at the Radnors End campsite (£5 per person), about 3/4 mile from Offa’s Dyke.

Leg 11 – Thurs 15th April – Hay on Wye to Pandy

17 miles – 2581 ft

This is the day I am most looking forward to (although it will be very hard) – Offa’s Dyke enters the Black Mountains, at the eastern side of the Brecon Beacons, passing high over the 1000ft Hatterall Ridge for almost 10 miles.

In Pandy, we will be staying at The Rising Sun (£5 pp + £1 for the dog), a campsite attached to a pub (I can’t help but feel we will be in need of beer and warm food when we come down from the Black Mountains!)

Leg 12 – Fri 16th April – Pandy to Monmouth

16 miles – 1627 ft

Our penultimate day brings us to Monmouth, the only place where I haven’t quite finalised our camp site. The Monmouth Caravan Park books up every weekend, and require a minimum stay of 2 nights, but I am waiting to hear if they will make an exception for us.

Leg 13 – Sat 17th April – Monmouth to Sedbury Hills

19.6 miles – 3654 ft

Our longest, but apparently the easiest, section of Offa’s Dyke, brings us to our finish on the Sedbury Hills.

To celebrate, we will be staying in the dog friendly hotel, The Beaufort Hotel, in Chepstow. I can’t help thinking we will sleep well

Please don’t forget we are doing this to raise money for the MS Society – you can donate at http://www.justgiving.com/offasdyke4ms

When we head to the Brecon Beacons in a few weeks time for our last training trip before Offa’s Dyke, we will hopefully be joined by Justin (@JustinFleming on Twitter). Yesterday I joined Justin on his own practice walk – what was supposed to be a 15 mile loop from Bugbrooke in Northamptonshire.

At the last minute we decided to modify our route slightly to take in a lovely area to the South of Long Buckby – but the resulting walk was 19 miles long, and ended with a rather tiring last few miles slogging down the Grand Union Canal in the dark!

View the full route and social commentary

19 miles is the longest I have walked with an almost full pack, and I thought it would be interesting to review how I am feeling the morning after. On Offa’s Dyke we will be doing about 15 miles per day – albeit much hillier, with only the last day being 20 miles long!

So here is a break down of how parts of me feel. A score out of 10 – 10 is “feels like it will drop off any minute”, 0 is “feels absolutely fine”.

Shoulders – 1/10: Slightly stiff, but no bruising from the pack

Back – 0/10: Felt stiff first thing this morning, but has eased. This is usual, as I already have an existing back condition (which is surprising not aggravated that much by carrying a full pack!)

Hips – 2/10: Although there is no bruising from the pack (a first!), both sides have slight wounds caused by the my trousers rubbing under the pack waist straps. Nothing major, but it would need a fix to stop it getting any worse.

Legs – 3/10: My legs do feel like I have walked 19 miles carrying a full pack – my muscles don’t hurt too much, just some stiffness, but could easily be aggravated by further walking. On Offa’s Dyke, I will need to warm up and down better and probably apply some Deep Heat at night to help ease the muscles.

Feet – 2/10: My feet are a little sore, but they only starting hurting well beyond the 15 miles, and I could certainly walk on them again today. The bigger problem is blisters – I failed to treat my boots after the walk last weekend, so they were very tough. This was lead to a blister on my ankle, and a deep blister under some think skin on my heel. This thick skin will need to be removed before Offa’s Dyke, and hopefully my properly treated boots will stop the blisters forming.

Overall: 2/10: I would be able to do another hike today, but it would hurt a little. Considering the distance yesterday, this leaves me quite optimistic for Offa’s Dyke, although we will see what happens when you add height gain into the equation in Brecon!

There is one fundamental problem with modern “Social Hiking 2.0″ is battery power – on a single device you have gps switched on, you are navigating using Viewranger (which is also updating your position online and updating the position of your Viewranger buddies on your phone), you are also sending, reading and replying to Tweets, uploading photos, reading and responding to Facebook comments and updating your blog.

All this leaves your average phone dead by the end of the day (by teatime if it is a touchscreen phone) – and that is where Powertraveller’s excellent portable power device the powermonkey comes in!

I have owed a powermonkey eXplorer for a couple of years now – and I almost always have it with me when I am out and about to provide an instantly available charging point for my phone. Each fully charged powermonkey can charge my phone about one and a half times.

On Offa’s Dyke however I will have two phones and a camera to keep charged for 13 days. My Nokia N79 will be in use during the day with Viewranger and my lovely HTC Hero will come out in the evening. Without charging, neither phone will last the second day, and there is no guarantee there will be anywhere to charge in the evenings. With a single powermonkey, I could probably stretch this to upto four days – still 9 days short!

The powermonkey eXplorer comes with a small solar panel – I have never really had the opportunity to test it fully, but I am not sure I can rely on there being enough sunshine in April to build up a sufficient charge during the day.

I also looked into wind powered devices – however all the ones I can find on the market rely on a minimum speed. This minimum speed is great if you are driving or cycling, but just doesn’t seem that reliable for walking. Someone suggested putting a small wind charger on the tent – but hopefully I will be camping somewhere sheltered without sufficient wind speed to charge!

The easiest option I can think of is having multiple powermonkeys – they are light and small, so not too problematic to carry, and they hold their charge. I can charge them all up at the start, which should cover us when other charging facilities aren’t available throughout the whole trip (and as a backup the support vehicle can take a couple away to charge).

I am delighted that Powertraveller have kindly agreed to support our challenge by loaning us some extra powermonkey Classics! Their support is very much appreciated. I am pretty sure that with their support, we will be able to share our adventure on the internet for the whole trip!

On our next training trip, in a few weeks time to the Brecon Beacons, I will pay a bit more attention to how the powermonkey’s fare, and will do a more detailed review on this blog.

Although I love the peace and tranquility of hiking around Britain, I also really enjoy sharing the experience online via social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

For Offa’s Dyke however, I really wanted to do something special to let friends, family and other interested parties, feel part in our adventure.

So I created this: http://www.mycountryside.org.uk/viewranger.php?date=2010-02-20 – this example shows our 17 mile walk in the Surrey Hills. This post explains what the app does and how, fairly non-technically, it works.

Location Data

Ever since I decided to walk Offa’s Dyke, I had the idea in my head to create some kind of interactive map which showed our progress. With modern, GPS enabled, smart phones there are a range of possibilities of how you can capture your physical position, however I was keen to try and keep it simple and only use a limited number of applications whilst hiking.

I already use Viewranger on my GPS enabled mobile phone, which provides Ordnance Survey maps on mobile devices. Viewranger has an existing feature called BuddyBeacon, which allows you to automatically ping your location (as well as other information like heading, speed and altitude) to their servers – and they have recently released an API which gives you accesses to this information.

The app accesses the Viewranger BuddyBeacon API and stores the information in a database. The app then checks for duplicates, which occur when you have long breaks, and merges the data (by taking an average).

”Geotagging” Twitter and Twitpic

Using the Twitter API, the app downloads and stores in the database both new tweets from @offasdyke4ms (it also pulls in the updates of @winkysmileyface, my fellow walker), but also any new replies (you will see why shortly). The app also accesses the offasdyke4ms Twitpic feed, and stores in the database any new photos. [Technical detail - the Twitter, Twitpic and Viewranger updates are done automatically every 15 minutes using a server cronjob.]

There are many mobile apps which allow you to access Twitter (and Twitpic) on the move – for example Gravity on S60, Seesmic on iPhone and Android, and dabr.co.uk (via a browser) on most mobiles. As well as the sometimes significant battery drain whilst using mobile internet access, I also tend to find these apps to be frustrating to use in remote areas where the mobile data signal fades in and out. I have set up my mobile number to allow me to update Twitter by text, but unfortunately my mobile provider doesn’t support inbound Twitter tweets. To get around this, the app can use the Bulksms API to text any new replies to my phone (this does cost money, although currently a customer of mine is kindly allowing me to use their account!).

As the offasdyke4ms Twitter updates are imported, the app looks for the hashtag ‘#viewr’ – if the tag is present, the app attempts to link the status update with a Viewranger beacon position. It does this by finding the last beacon position before the Tweet (if it was in the last 15 minutes). The Tweet is now effectively geotagged! (once geotagged, the app removes the hash tag from the status as it is stored in the database).

All new Twitpics (images uploaded from my phone) are geotagged using the Viewranger data in the same way (no hashtag is required – all images are geotagged).

Building the Map

The app then takes all this information and, using the Google Maps API, displays it on the map for a specific day as a route. The app works out which icon to display based on the available information, a green blob for the first beacon, a red blob for the last beacon, a twitter icon, a twitpic icon, a twitter/twicpic icon or a grey blob. By default the map loads the current day’s route, if one is available, otherwise you can select a previous route from the select box. If you are walking when someone goes on the site, the app zooms in on the last beacon and automatically opens the latest info window.

Each info window shows the location information from Viewranger – altitude, speed and heading, as well as any related geotagged tweets and twitpics. The app also displays, as a threaded conversation, any replies to geotagged tweets (and subsequent replies).

The descriptions of each route can also be set by twitter – tweeting “#viewr start location1” sets the start location, “#viewr end location2” sets the end location and “#viewr notes description” sets any additional description for the current day.

Facebook

Of course I can’t forget those friends on Facebook who don’t use Twitter, or won’t necessarily visit the website. Using Hootsuite, the app can export a feed of the tweets containing the hashtag #fb to my Facebook profile or page.

What Next?

I would love to hear any suggestions of how I can improve the app – I hope in the future, when I have time to clean up the code, to release it (for free) for other people to use.

Equipment-wise we have done quite well – there are a few little tweaks, but in general we have everything we need. The one key learning point for me though is the importance of caring for your feet when hiking for multiple days in a row.

The Problem

In general I do not tend to suffer from blisters, which are caused by a combination of heat, sweat and friction. The main reason for this is that I have a comfortable, well worn in, pair of Brasher boots (who are now on Twitter – @BrasherBoot) – and all the advice on the internet is to choose a good pair of boots (see “Top 10 tips for buying walking boots”)

What I do suffer from however is generally very sore feet – as my feet sweat (clean, non-stinky, sweat I hasten to add), the skin wrinkles. As I continue walking these wrinkles get a pounding (especially carrying a full pack), leaving them sore and tender. After our 17 mile walk in Surrey, I was in complete agony, and I would not have been able to do a long walk the following day.

(on the plus side I didn’t really have any major problems with my shoulders, hips or body generally from carry the backpack, albeit without the tent and sleeping bag – a little stiff the next day perhaps, but nothing that would stop me continuing a hike)

The Solution

So I did a little research on the internet, and found a few really helpful posts, firstly “How to take care of your feet when hiking”. The key recommendations are:

• Choose the right hiking boots
• Trim your toenails
• Soften any tough skin (which are subject to hard to treat deep blisters)
• Rest feet when walking

Now my feet are generally in pretty good shape (too much information right?), but the idea of regularly taking off your boots and letting your feet rest and air seems very sound. I was in too minds about whether to take my Holeys with me , but I am now convinced it will be a good idea to give my feet a chance to breath in the evenings (and they are hardly very heavy)!

Another useful blog post, “Avoiding and treating foot blisters for hikers”, as well as giving some useful advice on how to treat blisters, highlights the importance of changing your (decent walking) socks when they get wet – it might sound a little ridiculous, but this is not something I usually do, instead suffering until the end of a walk!

I remember from my days of Duke of Edinburgh that we used to use talcum powder to help keep our feet dry. A few people I have spoken too didn’t think that would be a good idea, however a comment on the Guardian website reminded me of the advantages:

There are some skin protectors on the market, but the best and most successful thing to use is talcum powder in the socks. Not only does talc soak up the sweat (damp socks can cause blisters), but it acts as a lubricant between skin and sock. Use what seems to be an excessive amount of talc to prepare the inside of the sock and on the foot. An extra shot of talc can be put down the heel just before lacing up. Carry a small pot of talc in your rucksack for repairs en route.
Barbara Cross, Nottingham

So on my walk yesterday (over 15 miles across a very wet Northamptonshire with an almost full pack), I put these ideas into practice.

Testing It Out

Before setting off, I ensured my feet were well covered in talcum powder, with an extra few squirts in my socks (remembering to pack the talcum powder!).

For this walk I decided to retry my 1000 mile socks – initially I couldn’t remember why I stopped using them, as they are very comfy!

Every hour or so, when I stopped, I made sure I took my boots and socks off to let my feet dry and breath – and then reapply some talc before continuing the walk. The socks started getting quite damp (that clean, non-smelly sweat again!) but the talc certainly seemed to do the job in stopping it wrinkling my skin.

I foolishly decided against wearing my gaiters, which I quickly regretted due to sheer amount of water on the ground. No matter how careful I was, water ended up splashing (and eventually pouring) into the top of the boot. This made my socks completely waterlogged, however thanks to the talc and the rest breaks, it took a while for my feet to be too badly affected.

Eventually I swapped my socks for a clean dry pair – which felt absolutely amazing – and completed the walk. Despite the tough terrain (thick mud), the dampness and the full pack – my feet were in excellent condition by the end and I could have easily done another walk the following day.

Incidentally the reason I don’t use 1000 mile socks is that they are very difficult to dry – ideally you want socks that you can stick in your sleeping bag to dry over night!

My guide to foot care whilst hiking

1. Make sure you have a decent pair of boots
2. Take plenty of decent hiking socks
3. Change your socks when they get damp (if you do this as early as possible you have a fighting chance to dry them in your sleeping bag)
4. Regularly let your feet rest and breath
5. Regularly apply talc to your feet
6. If it is raining or very damp, wear gaiters to stop water getting into your boots

Do this and your feet, the most important hiking equipment you have, will thank you!

The Merry Harriers pub is down a country lane tucked away amongst the Surrey Hills near the hamlet of Hambledon near Goldalming.

Across the country lane is a fairly small camping field – we stayed in February 2010, and although the campsite has fairly basic facilities, the pub and location made this a lovely place to stay.

The camping field itself was quite boggy and waterlogged – this is probably to be expected in February, and I have stayed in worse fields in the height of British summer! Again as to be expected in February, we had the field to ourselves (other than three permanent caravans) and so could pick a dry pitch.

The site cost £9 per person per night with no extra charge for the dog (both the site and pub are dog friendly).

Other than a rubbish bin, all the facilities are across the road attached to the pub (there are no electric hookups). Around the back of the pub there is a water tap and two porta-showers (one male and one female) – unfortunately the showers weren’t working when we were there, but the pub kindly gave us a free pint to make up for it!

Male and female toilets are available when the pub is open. When the pub is closed, the male toilet is accessible 24/7, and is kept clean, with toilet roll, soap and hand sanitiser.

The pub itself is absolutely lovely, warm and welcoming – the staff were really friendly (the owners were on holiday). There was a fire burning at one end, and dogs are welcome in the bar (mine quickly curled up in front of the fire!). There is an excellent range of real ales and the food is absolutely fantastic (there is also a restaurant area) and is well priced considering the quality. The pub seems to have regular live music and every Sunday afternoon they show a family film.

A footpath and a bridleway lead from the pub out into the Surrey countryside (both joining the Greensway, which skirts Hambledon) and judging by the number of walkers and horse riders, this is a popular area. There are some great walks in the area – we explored both to the North & East, and to the South & West (both routes will appear on this site soon).

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Merry Harriers Camping Park and would definitely stay here again.

Good: Fantastic pub, gorgeous countryside, tranquil location
Bad: Basic site facilities

Because dogs aren’t allowed on buses, I usually have to make do with circular routes when I walk locally, so it was a nice change to be able to get a lift (from my very understanding girlfriend) to do an “A to B” walk following part of the Northamptonshire Round (thanks to @TowcesterNews for the recommendation). This leg takes in the view up the huge drive to Castle Ashby, Yardley Chase, Salcey Forest and the villages of Yardley Hastings, Horton, Piddington, and Hartwell. Although there was a lot of road work, the route was very enjoyable.

Northamptonshire Round

The Northamptonshire Round is a 50-mile circular route set up by a bunch of “fellows” (their words) who formed the Ten Foot Club to give a walk or selection of walks to others in recompense for the pleasure they had gained from walks organized by others. It is designed to show people some of the delightful villages and sights around Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire is a low-rolling and modest Midland county. Most ramblers, contemplating the map in search of a good walk, let their eyes drift briefly across the county before deciding on the Lakes, the Peaks or somewhere with a bit more elevation and glamour.

That’s why the Ten Foot Club has devised a 50-mile circular walk, the Northamptonshire Round, to lure walkers into discovering old deer parks, woods, farmlands, villages and other secrets and overlooked delights.

Telegraph

The Route

The route starts at the foot of the village of Cogenhoe (not pronounced how you might think), and quickly enters some lovely examples of Northamptonshire countryside – peaceful rolling hills, woods and farmland.

Castle Ashby

As you leave Cogenhoe behind you, and prepare to drop down (relatively) to the village of Yardley Hastings, you cross the impressive mile long drive to Castle Ashby. At the time the castle was just a blob on the horizon, but looking at the photos I took really show how big the drive is (it would be brilliant for cantering I am reliably informed!). The photo is towards Castle Ashby, taken about half way up the drive.

The Castle is the result of a licence obtained in 1306, for the Bishop of Coventry, to castellate his mansion in the village of Ashby. The present rebuilding of Castle Ashby was started by Lord Compton in 1574, and the house has been visited by Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, King William III, oh and Sir Elton John [source Wikipedia].

Yardley Hastings

I really liked Yardley Hastings. It seemed likely a perfect example of a middle England village – peaceful, friendly, and picturesque! I have heard of it before, but never visited.

What I liked a lot less is the next part of the route – a quiet country road into Yardley Chase that seems to go on for ever!

Whenever I am walking long stretches of road, I always have the first line of a song from Lord of The Rings rattling around in my head (best sung in the Radio 4 version) which @ydnab40 has kindly provided the rest of:

The road goes ever on and on,
down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
and I must follow if I can,
pursuing it with eager feet,
until it joins some larger way
where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then I cannot say.
Fellowship of the ring, a long expected party

Yardley Chase

Nothing brings you back to reality than the sound of automatic weapons! There I was, minding my own business, reading the various interpretation boards along the footpath (Yardley Chase is an Area of Special Scientific Interest) when suddenly I could hear the sound of rifle fire. Whilst the gunfire continued I passed a wire fence with a hard to view yellow warning sign (the zoomed in photo of which is above – click to enlarge (just like all photos on the site)), and looking at the map there certainly seems to be some suspicious huts marked with little moats – was this some kind of secret Army base?

Well, secret in the sense that it has it’s own Wikipedia page! The huts marked on the map are concrete and were used to store bombs until the 1990s, when the MOD shut them down due to their obvious ineffectiveness in a nuclear strike. The site is now used by the Army and Air cadets and the Territorial Army, which explains the weapon fire (blanks presumably!).  Judging by some of the forums I stumbled across the site, although fairly basic, is well liked by cadets.

The Northamptonshire Round leaves Yardley Chase and, after another long road, passes through the villages of Horton and Piddington (the field between Horton and Piddington was possibly the longest most horrible stretch of sticky mud I have ever walked through!) before turning South to head into Salcey Forest.

Salcey Forest

As it is right next to my village (Hartwell), I have walked a considerable amount of Salcey Forest – the official marked walks, the old (and in my opinion better) routes, the cycle route, the horse route and various other little tracks!

The Northamptonshire Round enters the forest in the North East corner and quickly joins the cycle route (going clockwise) – it was really nice to see so many families out walking on a Sunday afternoon! Just before you hit one of the roads that cross the forest, you turn off onto a darker, more mysterious track – one that I have never walked on before.

The route makes it way through the forest – after a bit of road you rejoin the cycle route briefly before continuing out towards the South West corner of the forest. At this point I turned off the Northamptonshire Round to cut back to Hartwell – my final destination.

Now I have started putting together my kit for Offa’s Dyke, it has occurred to me that there is something fairly fundamental that I have completely failed to take into account… my dog.

Now I wouldn’t even think about going on a walk without my dog, let alone a trip like this – but I had not really thought about the implications, in terms of weight to carry, that having my dog with me would have.

To give you an idea, here is a list of equipment I currently have to hike and camp with for a, well certainly my, dog, and their weights (yes I have just spent half an hour with my kitchen scales weighing everything!):

The “small” stuff

• Poo bags (100g) - being a responsible dog owner, I will of course have poo bags with me.  There particular ones are quite heavy duty ones, so I might have to make do with lighter, thinner ones.
• Clip (120g) – rather than the usual, and heavy, screw-in dog attacher (it probably has another name!) I take camping with me, I will just have a large multi purpose clip.
• First aid kit (50g) - in additional to my own small first aid kit, I will also have a range of wipes and some tick removers (is there any other dog-specific first aid equipment I need, especially for her pads?)
• Aqua Sorb towel (300g) – this is ideal for cleaning and drying the dog after a day of walking (and much lighter than the alternative – old towels!).
• Bowl (450g) – at the moment I just have one of those funky non-spill water bowls (the one that was on Dragon’s Den). It is ideal for having in the tent, but it is slightly heavier and slightly bulkier than a usual bowl. I probably need to find something lighter that folds away.
• Extendible lead (500g) - not something I can do much about, although at least it is in my hand not on my back!
• Small lead and Halti (250g) - again something I need when walking through busy areas (and the Halti stops her pulling me down steep hills / mountains!!)
• Water (1.5 kg) – my dog is pretty well “trained” at jumping into anything wet and trying to drink it, but I always take a 1.5l bottle of fresh water with me for stops and in case there isn’t running water.

Sub-total: 3.2kg

Sleeping Arrangements

The dog will be sleeping in my tent with me, but I don’t think I would have gone much smaller than the North Face Tadpole 23, so I won’t count the possible extra weight from a slightly larger tent.

However the dog does need to sleep on something (other than cold ground!) – usually I have a great sleeping matt which is fleece one side and rubber the other, but this is far too heavy and bulky to take on this trip.

The solution I have come up with so far is to buy a cheap roll matt and cut it in half – it shouldn’t be too heavy and I can just roll up in my roll matt. She doesn’t need a cover – anything I try and put over her very quickly gets shaken off (and she has me to cuddle!).

Sub-total: 200g (based on half the weight of my roll matt)

Food

Now this is where it gets really tricky (and heavy).

Her usual daily diet (a third of her daily requirement in tinned meat, and two thirds of her daily requirement in biscuits) weights just under 1kg.

However these won’t be standard days – I usually give her an extra tin of meat and plenty of treats when we do a long walk, which increases the weight to 1.5kg (per day).

Looking at the route so far, I think I need to carry at least 2 or 3 days worth of food…. that’s going to be a whopping 6 kg!!

If anyone can suggest light weight, but very nutritious food, dog food – I would love to hear from you. I have seen a few (predominately American) websites which mention freeze dried raw dog food – light and nutritious. I will need to do some more research!

Sub-total: upto 6 kg

Summary

So as it stands, I have to carry about 3.5kg of weight for my dog on this trip… and with her usual diet upto 6 kg of dog food!

To put that into perspective the tent, the heaviest item, is just 2.3kg.

I am going to have to find a solution to the dog food problem, and try and scale down some of the other smaller items!

I could of course get her to carry her own kit……

(from funstufffordogs.com)

I was originally supposed to be using the Tadpole tent donated by a good friend who was emigrating – however I foolishly left it on the train whilst returning from London (and have heard nothing from baggage reclaim since!).

It still wasn’t plain sailing collecting this tent mind – I had only been travelling for about 10 minutes (by car this time) when someone decided to drive their Volvo into the back of me whilst I stopped at a pedestrian crossing (you know – to let some pedestrians cross!). The bumper is pretty smashed up, and the boot dented!

Hopefully that is the end of my tent bad luck now!

The tent seems perfect – after having a  look around @fergycool’s  lovely house, garden and garden office, we put the tent up – it seems easy and quick to put up, has just the right amount of space for the dog and I, and packs down very light and small.

I can’t wait for next weekend to test it out now! (well other than the cold anyway!)

Maps

You would at least think I would come out with the one thing I went in the shop to buy… sadly they didn’t have the maps I needed (although bizarrely they had more Dorking & Box Hill maps than anything else!)

Well at least Amazon have fairly cheap maps!

Clothing

After the disappointment of not finding the maps I needed, I spotted that a lot of the clothing was on sale. I only really have one set of decent walking clothes so, unless I plan to really smell on Offa’s Dyke, I do need a few more items.

What caught my eye was:

• Lowe Alpine Polartec Power Stretch
• Another pair of North Face walking trousers – I love my first pair! I think they are the horribly named Men’s Paramount Convertible Pant featuring zip off legs, UV protection, big pockets, water resistance and a “gusseted crotch for increased mobility”

Sunglasses

I have worn glasses for my entire adult life – I used to have a pair of quite good wrap-around prescription sunglasses that I used for walking but I lost them about five years ago (after the tent saga, you will probably not be surprised to hear it involved beer and public transport).  Unfortunately my eyes require thick lenses, and I haven’t been able to find an optician since willing to try and make wrap-around lenses (the side bits become very very thick).

This was a situation that was driving me up the wall so, about a month ago, I started a contact lenses trial in the hope I would be able to get sunglasses in time for Offa’s Dyke. I couldn’t resist having a look at what sunglasses the shop had, and before I knew it, I had fallen in love with a pair of Julbo Bivouak Matt Black sunglasses (they are sort of meant for snow / ice, but who cares!)

Sleeping Bag Liner

Camping in April is potentially going to be quite chilly, let alone camping next weekend!

Follow the recommendation of both @documentally and @LittleWideWorld (both on Twitter), I have bought a Sea to Summit Silk Standard Travel Liner which the pack claims will increAase warmth by upto 5 degrees.

The liner actual solves several problems – I hate sleeping bags, and unless it is very cold, I tend to use them more as a duvet so I don’t feel so trapped. Hopefully the liner will give me a bit extra warmth without having to zip the sleeping bag completely up, and the extra warmth in very cold conditions with the sleeping bag zipped up.

Other Camping Accessories

I also picked up a few other bits and pieces:

• A Sea to Summit Delta Plate with Protext base
• A LiFEVENTURE travel mirror (for putting contact lenses in and out)
• An Exped Fold Drybag (a little orange one)
• Set of LiFEVENTURE titanium knife, fork and spoon set
• Gas bottle for my cooking stove

I just can’t wait to get out and use all this equipment now!