[Warning: This post is a bit of a brain dump…]
There are a lot of options with “doing the SWCP”. Here are a few that I’ve been thinking about:
- Which direction?
- All in one go, or do it in chunks?
- Camp or B&B?
- What to take?
Which Direction?
The path runs from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset, passing through North Devon, Cornwall, South Devon then back into Dorset.
While the official start is in Minehead, there is always the option of starting and Poole.
I think, however, I’ve got a strong pull to ending at Poole – as it’s very close to where I live. Logistically, this simplifies the end by meaning someone can meet me and I only have half an hour to be back at home.
So, at this point, I’m 80% sure I’ll do Minehead to Poole, but I’ll keep an open mind during the planing stages.
All in one go or split it up?
My cousin ran the path a couple of years ago, taking 21 days spread over about 3-4 months. I’ll be using his Strava traces for some planning later, but from memory he did a few 6 day stints, some weekends and a few chunks of 3 or 4 days where they fitted.
I’m lucky enough to work for myself, and I usually like getting on with something once I start it, so my intention at the moment is to do the whole thing in one go.
Initially I thought about 21 days as it’s a nice round number that’s not too unrealistic, but then I’ve got a bit nervous looking at some people far better at running than me not managing that amount of mileage, so started contemplating 25 days.
But I’m also starting to think that if I make the days longer, keep my itinery flexible (more on that below), and intend to fast-walk most of it, running where it’s more comfortable rather than starting with the intention of running with some walk breaks.
Camp or B&B
This one is a bit awkward.
On the one hand, B&B every night would be bloody expensive. And it defines a strict itinery. And if my leg falls off on day 3 then that’s a lot of money down the drain as I doubt B&B’s will give short notice refunds.
So camping sounds like a great idea. Except for a few things… first, I hate camping. But I could get over that if it had enough benefit. Second, if I camp, I have to carry gear – tent, sleeping bag etc. Now that doesn’t have to be heavy if you’re willing to sacrifice comfort – I have a kit list from someone who did the SWCP in 26 days and their bag weight was 5kg including everything:
And camping gives you – in theory – much more flexibility. I’ve never done it, but apparently you can get away with pitching quietly after dark and leaving before sunrise in secluded places. That means you can see how you feel in a day, and if things are going well and I fancy another hour or two walking, that could be another few miles under the belt before bedding down for the night compared to being artificially constrained by a timetable I made up too early.
And right now, I’m swaying towards camping. The idea of being totally self-sufficient really appeals.
Now.
As I’m sat in a warm room, on a comfy chair, typing this.
I’m sure the 17th night of doing it won’t carry quite as much charm…
Logistically, too, I’d need a plug for a few hours at least every 4 or 5 days in order to charge my battery pack so I can keep GPS, phone, MP3 player etc alive.
So current plan now is to look at places to camp for about 4 days in a row, then a B&B. But again, keep an open mind.
What to take?
This is a huge topic, but I’ve had a few thoughts.
Being a techy idiot, I’ve bought a new GPS (Garmin GPSMap 66i) with a satellite messenger built in and a big SOS button that should work outside of phone signal areas (and my experience suggests a large amount of the SWCP is missing the 20th-century innovation of a phone signal of any kind!). I’m used to running with a GPS in my hand, but a smaller eTrex (I’ve carried it for up to 36 hours and not had any problems with holding it) – this new one is a bit bigger but as the focus is on walking-with-a-bit-of-running, I’m hoping it can be stuck in a pocket for chunks if it gets irritating. There’s loads more I can say about this, but I’ll spare that for another post.
I’m going to need a tent etc to try out. Super-light ones are bloody expensive, But my sister has got one that she’s had for 20 odd years which she’s going to lend me if she can find it and it hasn’t been eaten by creatures. Then there’s a mat. And a sleeping bag of some kind. Worth a punt in the garden in warmer weather, to remind me it’s a really shit idea and I should just book some bricks and mortar!
Shoes. Obviously I’ll take shoes. But walking ones, or running ones? I’m thinking running shoes as I’m more used to them, but they typically have a life of 300-500 miles. I push mine to 700 miles usually, so that shouldn’t be a huge issue for a new pair of shoes, but I might be stuck if they fall apart enroute… although I guess that could apply to anything and I need to have a bit of faith.
Food and water… Food I can grab what I can in shops, there’s lots of those and I can stock up so I always have a day or so’s worth of food in my pack. Drink – I’ll take soft flasks, maybe run with a plastic water bottle as flasks can have a habit of splitting, but they do collapse small and can be easily pulled out for sections where you need extra water. I’ll also take my water filter, so I can fill up from streams etc (although a lot of the water runs off from farms which is apparently a bad idea to drink even through a filter).
That’ll do for now
Writing that lot down has been useful (for me at least, anyone else who’s made it this far must be bored to tears!).
Hopefully as this blog progresses things will get a bit more organised.
Anyway, farewell for now!