Charity rambling

[Sore Feet]

Folks

I'm a regular on here just under a different username and the Mods have very kindly given me permission to post details of a charity "venture" I'm undertaking with a view to bolstering my sponsorship. Perhaps it might also divert you awhile from talk of SDSR, carriers, trolling X Factor contestants and samsonites

I'm fundraising for RAFA, Help For Heroes and the Cystic Fibrosis trust - three charities that deal with matters that have touched my family and I directly. In August/September 2009 I set myself the challenge of walking all 15 National Trails (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/) in England and Wales over a 12 month period. Having lost an average of between 30 and 40 days leave a year for the last 6 years the sqn helped me cram in all my leave and accumulated post-det leave to try and achieve this challenge. The intention was to walk all the trails, each in "one go", carrying all my camping gear etc.

I'm at the 12 month point now and unfortunately I have only managed to achieve 10 of the walks, a total of just under 1700 miles or 2736 km. The realities of holding down a day job instructing and the vagaries of military planning meant that I just wasn't able to cram all the walks in. To that end I have extended my deadline to 18 months in the hope that I'll be able to finish off the last few walks.

I have so far walked The Ridgeway (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Ridgeway/), The Cotswolds Way (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Cotswold/), Cleveland Way (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ClevelandWay/), Wolds Way (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/YorkshireWoldsWay/), Peddars Way & Norfolk Coast (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay/), Glyndwrs Way (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/GlyndwrsWay/), Offa's Dyke (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/OffasDyke/), South Downs (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Southdowns/) and Hadrian's Wall (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/HadriansWall/). My 10th walk, last month, was The South West Coast path (http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/) - a mega 631 miles which I completed in 32 days...:bored:

As someone who is renowned for being quite unsporty in the extreme this is certainly a major physical challenge! Averaging about 20miles a day with a 65+15 litre rucksack containing camping equipment and with a minimum of 5 days food & kit certainly works wonders on the middle age spread tho....:ok:

As I said, I'm raising money for three charities - all great causes I believe - and have 3 JustGiving pages:

RAFA (http://www.justgiving.com/sticky2500RAFA)
Cystic Fibrosis (http://www.justgiving.com/sticky2500cf)
Help For Heroes (http://www.justgiving.com/sticky2500)

Full details of this frankly ridiculous venture, including photos of the hills, mud, rain and snow I've endured are on my website at

WWW.SORE-FEET.CO.UK (http://www.sore-feet.co.uk)

If you've got a few spare quid rattling about and find the idea of a middle aged C130 pilot staggering about the countryside in the rain amusing then please sponsor me and I'll keep doing it!

Thanks folks

[Biggus]

If you're "outed" will this thread get pulled? Only I want to claim my £5 before anyone else does..

What was wrong with the National Trails in Scotland - too far away, too long, too much along with the English and Welsh trails as well? They are very scenic. Doing all the Munros in Scotland in one year is quite a popular charity tick if you get bored next year.

Anyway, the task you have set yourself is considerable, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours and fund raising....





144 Cse seems a long time ago!

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

I'll donate a couple of each of the latest Herc artwork if you're planning on having an auction. If you want to view them, google search for NVG Hercules or C130J Strip Landing. Or the artist - K Renwick

SPHLC

[Cim Jartner]

Surely it should be "Offa's Dyke" - with the apostrophe - that being the dyke being commisioned by Offa - I can't believe you'd come on here asking for sponsorship and not even use correct grammer - utterly unbelievable.

[Wensleydale]

What was wrong with the National Trails in Scotland


Do you mean the escape routes heading south to England?:confused:

[Sore Feet]

Cim, you're quite right! Mortified would be an understatement. I shall go and walk it again only this time with the appropriate apostrophication....

Biggus, you may indeed be the first to pay me £5 if you've managed to read my name off the top of the Justgiving pages :ok: I'm just a tad concerned that I don't remember a 144 Cse.... :O
Nothing wrong with the Scottish ones by the way, I just thought that 2500 miles was enough to be going on with :E

[Cim Jartner]

.....although the removal of another post now makes mine just seem a little odd! Oh well - well done Sore-footed chap, I remember 137R!!

[Biggus]

Sore Feet,

Overlapped with you on your first Herc tour, I thought we had actually been on the same OCU course, 144 Mar-Jun 97, but I could well be wrong. It was a long time, and many more brain cells, ago....

[Sore Feet]

By Jove, I do believe you're right :E didn't even remember we had course numbers!

[Two's in]

I can't believe you'd come on here asking for sponsorship and not even use correct grammer - utterly unbelievable.

http://www.memedepot.com/uploads/0/207_not_sure_if_serious.jpg

[chiglet]

And you haven't even mentioned the "Lyke Wake Walk" which I did as [a far from] fit 22 yo ADO in 1967...:ok:
Good luck

[Tea White Zero]

Sore feet

great to see the this advertised on here.:D

Although as you are running a bit behind, i expect you to run the next few!!!:ok:

Also on 144! ahhh them were the days.... traveling the world slowly, living an 5-star hotels wondering were all the imprest had gone!!!!

Still remember fondly the hung-overed wee welsh one's comments to Colin C who was rambling on and on about nav stuff - "please stop - I'm close to death!!!":}:}:}

TWZ

Bump to the top for Sore Feet

[Squidlord]

Sore Feet, I'm a keen rambler myself. Did the Pennine Way and Coast-to-Coast in one Summer thirty years ago (then decided I didn't want to be constrained to someone else's idea of a good route so no more trails for me). I've worked on your aircraft a few times over the years as well so feel a bit of an affinity.

I am in awe of your undertaking and wish you every luck. Donation to be made when I press send on this message.

[Sore Feet]

Mr Squid sir - very kind of you, thanks very much! I know exactly what you mean by "someone else's idea of a good route" :ok: but to be honest having the whole thing signposted means I don't have to worry about the nav and can concentrate on moaning about the weather, my sore feet, heavy rucksack etc :E

TW0 - I communicated with the welsh one but last night. He was, once again, pissed. :ok: