Slow Way – Marpet one I left my Airbnb and walked back to my Slow Way route. All these extras to and from overnight accommodation add extra kilometres to my walk. It was a straightforward walk into the city centre to complete yesterday’s route Petram one. Once again there were reminders of the past among…
Slow Ways Routes – Boumar one, Boubil one The day dawned bright and sunny. I walked into the centre of Market Deeping to start my route and discovered how nice it looked. Something I hadn’t appreciated yesterday in the rain. You can see how happy I am as I pass yet another beautiful old church….
Slow Way Route – Boubil one After breakfast I said my fond farewells and set off once more. The walk today was going to be one of fields and villages and most villages having a beautiful church. I passed through the village of Haconby the footpaths taking me through different kinds of fields and with…
Slow Ways Routes Slebil one, Slemet one I wanted to be away early to be on my way and also because I wanted to be packed up before too many people were out and about. I made sure I left no trace and started my walk though very quiet village streets. A short stretch of…
Slow Ways Routes – Slemet one, Linmet one Today was a slow start as breakfast was included at Jan and Ian’s Airbnb. Also I wasn’t in a hurry as it had rained heavily and it was still raining in the morning. I got my waterproof gear on and set off only to get into the…
Slow Ways Route – Linmet one It was a gentle start to the day today. It was lovely to share breakfast with Peter and Anny, I felt so honoured to be receiving such lovely hospitality. It was a short walk today and I knew I would be following the Spires and Steeples trail so I…
Slow Ways Route – Saxlin two I knew I didn’t need to rush today as it was only a short walk along the river to the village of Saxilby and a pre-booked campsite. I decided to trust my new boots and left the old ones in the hotel room as they were too far gone…
Slow Ways Route Gaisax one Today I timed my departure from the camp site to coincide with the opening time of the cafe in the village where I stopped for breakfast. I was back on my Slow Way again now so I made sure I went to the railway station as this was yesterday’s finish…
Slow Way Route Epwgai one Today started with breakfast at Wetherspoons. It was called the Sweyn Forkbeard. This led to some basic reading about the town’s Viking heritage while I was there. https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/england/lincolnshire/the-sweyn-forkbeard-gainsborough. I had never really thought about rivers being navigable that far inland but I soon realised as I saw evidence of the…
Slow Ways Routes – Sanepw one, Thosan one It was a fine morning and after a good night’s rest I was on the trail again. My Airbnb was just a few metres away from the Slow Way. I walked out of the town and followed a footpath which took, beside fields and pastures. There were…
Everything came to a head on that Thursday evening at my campsite at Glebe Farm, Kings Ripton. I knew then that I had to make decisions about my walk as I had to let people know in good time when exactly I would be finishing. My schedule was already two days behind and I knew…
Slow Ways Routes – Stnhun one, Hunram one It was a fine sunny morning as I woke up, but once again there was loads of condensation and therefore a wet tent. I waited as long as I could before etting off to make use of the sunshine. The campsite was on the route so I…
Slow Ways Route – Snatho one I walked through the town of Thorne noting that these bits were a bit more affluent than the areas I saw yesterday. My first destination was the retail park where I had identified McDonalds as my preferred breakfast option. I people watched as I breakfasted then set off again….
Slow Ways Routes – Selsna one, Cawsel one I set off after a convivial breakfast, thankful that I had missed the rain yesterday evening and night. I left the quiet streets and was soon crossing the River Aire. It was good walking on the embankment beside the River despite the wet grass. The route changed…
Slow Ways Routes – Sanbig two, Sanstn two I had booked breakfast at the hotel where I was staying so it was a leisurely start to the day. Yesterday had been a short walk so while not quite a day off it was the next best thing. It was a fine day, I was glad…
Slow Ways Route – Cawyor one Today I would start and end my day beside the River Ouse. I read that Archbishops of York had a palace here at Cawood and read too that in 1066 Viking ships were moored on the river here too. I negotiated the traffic on the bridge and set off…
Slow Way – Bigsto one Today was a day for getting sorted. I desperately needed to get my clothes properly washed and last night I had discovered that there was a coin operated laundrette in Stotfold. Stotfold was technically the end of yesterday’s route and the beginning of today’s, I had camped just before reaching…
Slow Ways Route – Shiyor one Today began by walking through the centre of the city in the early morning to pick up my Slow Way at the Railway Station I was drawn back to the reason I was walking by this banner on a wall I was soon walking beside the river just enjoying…
Slow Ways Route – Balwal one, Stobal two It was a nice quiet night and I had a good sleep. I was packed up and ready to set off by 07.30. I felt calmer and confident that I could do this, but there were still problems with blisters and because of my slipping schedule I…
Slow Ways Route – Easshi one Distance 21km / 13 mi Breakfast was included so I got packed up and enjoyed a leisurely start looking at the passing trains. It was a straightforward walk today with a long stretch of road walking. I had booked a room just before the village of Easingwold above an…
Slow Ways Route – Walkwat one I woke early, and watched the sun rise illuminating the little valley stretched out before me. In other circumstances the mist hanging in the valley bottom would have been idyllic but there I was anxious about now being a day behind and with a phone which was about to…
Slow Ways Route – Thieas two – Easingwold to Thirsk Distance 21km / 13mi It was a wet start to a wet day today. I was up and about without seeing anyone at the restaurant and set off in the rain. I was tempted to take the direct route into the village along the road…
Slow Ways Routes – Herhod two, Wather one The pitch I had chosen for last night’s camp was just by the river and turned out to be shared with a lot of rabbits as i discovered by their plentiful droppings. It had a great view which I saw when I woke up. This was my…
Slow Ways Route – Northi one – Thirsk to Northallerton Distance 18km / 11 mi It was great to be able to go downstairs at 07.00 and have a Wetherspoons breakfast, it made for a nice start to the day. I took my selfie to prove I had finished and started my Slow Ways Route…
Slow Ways Routes – Enfiwal one, Enfiwalt two, Cheswal two, Chehod one Waking up to the familiar surroundings of my son’s house in Walthamstow – today felt like a second first day. This was the first solo walk of my journey, the first day I would be camping it was like a fresh start. I…
Slow Ways Routes – Hurnor one, Darhur one – Northallerton to Darlington Distance 28km / 17mi I knew today was going to be a longer day with 28km to walk. I had booked an Airbnb room in Darlington so I wasn’t worried about pitching a tent or thinking where to stay. All I had to…
Slow Ways Routes – Lonpec one, Lonmon two, Monliv one, Livdal one, Dalwal one My journey across London on the tube and overground was quite painless even if it was the rush hour, not half as bad as I was expecting. I arrived at Peckham Rye Station and was immediately assaulted by the sights, sounds…
Slow Way Route – Housun one – Houghton-le-Spring to Sunderland Distance 12km / 7 mi It was back on the bus to return to Houghton-le-Spring and start of today’s Slow Way. I was not just walking to Sunderland but was visiting Sunderland Basis which is Oasis Community Housing’s drop in centre there. It was a…
Today was the day when the planning and the preparation ended. Today was the day when I woke up both excited and wondering what on earth had I let myself in for. Today was the day I packed my backpack for the final time making last minute decisions to take my small cookset and leave…
Slow Ways Route – Shidar one – Darlington to Shildon Distance 20km / 12mi I made use of the coffee making facilities as I packed up this morning. The first part of my walk was through the town. It was very quiet, not just because it was early but also because it was a Sunday….
