Maps – [the_Last-BROADcast]

No Madam, your Monkey's quite right!

The Walk North – Stage One

The Logic

The plan is on the 4th of July, I am going to Cornwall, again. To walk the coastal path from Marazion to Land’s end (stage one) and the Land’s end to St Ives (stage two) and do it in two days. I know it’s ambitious, but I have to push myself and try. This bank holiday weekend I thought I would give rehearsing it a try. In two stages, Sunday the 25th I would walk Enfield to Hertford and Monday the 26th walk from Enfield to Barrier park. Stage one was 17 .01 miles and relatively comfortable, stage two I knew would be at least 22 miles and, I was aiming for 25. I recorded 22.5miles on my watch and, that doesn’t include train stations etc. So about 23 and I am happy with that for a first attempt.

The first stage was quiet and uneventful to say the least, just the way I like it. Stage two meant I was ready for any interaction with the genpop. This came in the form of a lovely elderly Ghanian Lady who was taking her son on the cable car. She invited me after a good conversation to join them crossing the Thames. It was very windy and I started feel a little apprehensive but then I noticed her speaking in tongues and I thought we might be alright. from her belief alone.

I woke up with blisters and sore feet this morning, though I would say totally worth it. I don’t feel like I have done a lot or travelled far but, for a first attempt, I am in a small belief that I can do it.

Lastly, it is an attempt to use all of my retro kit from 2004, the very first adventure. The first stage has to be competed in jeans and I will be sleeping in a 20 year old tent.

17.01 Miles

The last & the first 24 -25

January 2, 2025
by admin

The Brief

I had one more hike left to do in the series and, one more day in which to do it. That was new years eve, it seemed like a great idea, I don’t party anymore and I love hiking. Benfleet to Shoeburyness, I have done it a few times now, maybe I am too comfortable with it for it to be a real challenge. I checked the Southend website and they were putting on a fireworks display, I knew then I could time it to come back to the seafront and see the new year in. I left for Leigh on Sea around 4:45, got there an hour later and discovered I’d left my walking boots at home. I changed the route accordingly as the original Hadleigh route takes you across the sea wall which is potentially muddy. It added a further 3 minutes to the journey, it wasn’t very scenic. I jumped on the train at Leigh to make my way to the start point of Benfleet and got there 5 minutes later, knowing that I would pass Leigh 1 hour and 40 minutes later. As I did, I passed my car and got a sinking feeling that leaving my car in a open station car park until the early hours of the morning would add to my anxiety.

I made may way towards Shoeburyness and by the time I could see Chalkwell station (the next stop after Leigh), I thought, I could jump on the next train in 4 minutes, travel 2 minutes back to Leigh, pick up the car and drive back to Chalkwell and park it on the seafront in front of a residential area and feel more comfortable. 20 minutes and £1.90 later I was back on track and heading to Shoeburyness. Apart from the savage wind and the darkness, Southend was quite empty and there were even less people as I passed through. By the time I reached Shoeburyness, there weren’t any people other than 2 people getting out of a car in the distance. I made my way up to MoD fence on the beach, put my feet in the north sea and then made my way back. When I reached Southend or Highcliff, it was packed, which made me feel better only because I knew then the fireworks weren’t cancelled. When midnight came around the display itself was very good, just a shame it was so windy the fireworks couldn’t get up in the sky very high. I also got to speak to Lucas. Once it was all done, I still had a few miles to walk back to my car in Chalkwell. Totally worth it though.

It was a great way to see in and start the new year.

The only photos my cold fingers could take

The route and back on myself

The Podcast

The Last Proper Hike of 2024 (with the Pi)

December 31, 2024
by admin

The Almost Last Hike of 2024

I have chosen to end the year with a massive walk and technology dump. I put together a Raspberry Pi 4 with an HQ camera module and walked into central London and recorded footage and took photos. It ended up being a 29 mile walk, that was fun but painful.