My Mum always say's, when I was a young lad of 4 years, I would wander off for miles. One day, the Police found me 5 miles away in nearby Billingham.
But, I found my first love for walking whilst at school. The school I went to, for those kids who were a little slow in learning and that was great school to go to and the Teachers were great.
We would go to the annual Summer camp at Westgate, Weardale for a week, walking every day and have sing-songs around the camp fire down by the river. We also went to Langdon Beck Youth Hostel for a week and one time, went there in the winter, lot's of deep snow too.
I did the Lyke Wake Walk at School and have done that now 7 times in total. I did the Pennine Way whilst at School. I also learned my camping skills at school, so that was a real bonus.
But, when I left School, I got in drinking, night-clubbing, cig's and fighting, always ending up with a black eye, broken tooth and loads of horrible hang-over's, some were corkers.
That lasted for about 5 years into my early 20's. That day, me and mate went to the nearby social club and learned, that one of the lads in there, was starting up a walking club within the club. Sounds good, so with donkey jacket, Dr. Martin's boots and a work-type haversack, we set off to the North Yorkshire Moors, based on a Osmotherley circular, about 17 miles, which should been 10 miles and that was in February time in 1979. Of cause, at that, it was the only one time and never happen again, due to the reason, the leader getting slightly lost.
It was another 8 months later, that I was reading a local newspaper, that I saw a advert for the local rambling club "Stockton Rambling Club" and thought, I will give them a ring. The secretary, said, meet at Town Hall @ 10:00am and a coach will pick you up and that I did. Never looked back since then, although, I have to work on Sunday's nowadays, I've still kept my membership paid to date, hopefully I will get out once in a while with them.
The long distance walking is something, I've always enjoyed and used to do long distance events with the Long Distance Walker's Association and did loads of 26+ miles with them.
My first long distance walk was apart from Pennine Way at school was (checking log) was Cleveland Way and the South Downs Way in August 1984, that was a great one and the weather was fab,
I've done a few more long distance walks since that one and it was another 6 years later, I picked up a book in the local book-shop called A Coast to Coast Walk by A. Wainwright, brought it and did it in 1990 and fell in love with it and hoping to do it again next year.
I also do a bit of cycling too, I enjoy that too and have a week-long cycling tour planned for next year, based on the North Pennines.