The Derwent Watershed- and back home in a day: Part 1- Prelude.

  This is a slightly edited piece I wrote the night before setting off on a solo extended wander around the Derwent Watershed, a 54 mile 23.5 hour walk I'd been planning since April. An account of the day itself will follow after this as a separate post..  

  Right now I'm currently preparing to hatch a little plan of mine I've had for 4 months now. In 12 hours time I intend on walking the Derwent Watershed (aka 'The High Peak Marathon') and back home to Sheffield, covering a distance of 54 miles. I will do it alone, self supported and in one day. I will also do it without informing anyone of my exact route. The aim is simple: I want to push long-distance day walking as far as I possibly can.

  Why? Well, ever since first doing the Edale Horseshoe back in 2004, 3-4 times a year I like to take a break from my primary love of pottering about, exploring new places and wandering up hills, and just go for a good long walk of 18+ miles. Like camping, scrambling, cycling ect its another aspect of being on the hills and gives unique perspectives and joys. Over the years and many walks later this eventually led to my friend Dobbo and I setting out from Sheffield, bagging the 4 600m hills of Peakland and returning home in a day. With 21 hours and 48 miles of amazing walking, it was a delightfully simple and hard creation of which we are both pretty proud about.*

  Yet shortly after I felt like the journey wasn't yet fully complete. I wished to push it further and experience it in its most distilled form I possibly could. So I had an idea. Why not do a super-long walk alone, walking through the day, night and into the next day? To make it an even more pure experience, why not keep the exact route a secret so you will be completely self-reliant and totally absorbed by it all? It would be the ultimate walk. I fell in love with the idea and decided it would be a brilliant thing to do. So Since May I've waited for the right moment (sometime at the beginning or end of summer when the nights wouldn't be too long but the temperatures not too hot) to give it a go.

  As you probably know, my idea of 'training' involves going out and having loads and loads of fun. A long awesome summer of swimming, cycling, wandering and tree climbing has ended with me feeling physically and mentally the strongest I'll probably ever be. Lucky eh! Mental preparation has been greatly aided by the sleepless night on the bivvy trip, assuring I can cope with the sleep deprivation I'll be experiencing tomorrow night. Helping my friend Vicky this year on the Edale Skyline and Eddie solo 100 climbs in a day allowed me to watch, learn and refine tactics too. Helping your mates and having loads of fun. Best 'training' possible!

  Thanks to Strange But True, Crimewatch and The Blair Witch Project the only bit I'm nervous about is walking through the night. It will be a lonely experience whilst trying not to freak out crossing the Howden Moors- but hey, these things are not meant to be easy!

  As I write, all preparations are complete. A sealed letter with my route and instructions to a housemate to ring for help if I'm not back by sunday evening has been left (as a safety precaution). I've eaten enough pasta until it has been coming out of my ears. The route has been visualised and rough timings estimated. I'll be setting off around mid-morning as opposed to super early as is normal for longish walks in order to harness the uplifting and morale-boosting qualities of sunrise which should occur during the final 10 miles of the walk when I'm starting to get weary. It will be amazing to see! Oh yeah, to get in the mood I've been regularly listening to the albums 'Grand National' by John Butler Trio and obviously the entire Into The Wild soundtrack. One more sleep then it begins.

Bring it on. Cannot wait!

*This walk is just so good- a perfect mix of challenge, flow and interest- that I strongly urge readers (especially those based in Sheffield) to give it a go. Contact me for more information if interested. I'll probably buy you a pint at the Porter Cottage afterwards too.