Last week, I finished walking the Pennine Way, my very first LDW, and whilst I am thrilled to have finally ticked off this long time bucket list item, it was certainly a baptism by fire. Reflecting back I was more than a little naive in my expectations going into the challenge, and my inexperience made things tougher than they needed to be, however it was a great learning experience, and I am feeling massively more prepared and confident about future LDWs. I figured it would be fun to share some of the things I learned over the course of walking my first LDW as a long distance newbie. I am sure many of the more experienced walkers here have better insights and experiences they can also share that may help any other first timers avoid some of my mistakes.
1. I'm not superman!
My first, and possibly biggest mistake was overestimating my physical ability. As I planned to camp the entire route I wrongly assumed I would need a very large backpack, so I went ahead and ordered an oversized 85 litre monstrosity. The trouble was, was that once I had packed all my essentials into it (Tent, sleeping bag, food, change of clothes etc) I still had a bunch of space which I continued to fill with 'extras' (Camera, binoculars, portable solar panel, powerbank etc. I even took a tablet so that I could read or watch a film in my tent at night). By the time I was done my backpack weighed in at 25kg. Whilst the weight felt comfortable enough on my back in the living room at home, by the time I was halfway up Jacobs Ladder I knew I had made a huge mistake. I made it as far as Standedge (Day 3), before I hopped on a bus home to (thankfully nearby) Rochdale. I stripped down my kit to the bare essentials (and a much more manageable 14.5kg), then caught a bus back to Standedge the very next morning.
2. You do not need so much Food
This kind of ties into my previous point of carrying too much. I had originally packed 5 days worth of rations, but I quickly realised this was completely unnecessary. Whilst I cannot speak for other LDW's, the PW is very well supplied along its whole length, the longest stretch without a shop or place to eat was Bryness to Kirk Yetholm right at the very end (About 27 miles). I found I that I never really needed to carry more than a days worth of food, which again greatly cut down on the weight.
3. Do not take water for granted.
Another of my mistakes was taking water for granted. Whilst I may have been carrying too much food, I was carrying too little water, I set off on the PW with only a 1 litre water bottle and a small sawyer water filter and squeeze pouch. I had looked through the maps prior to setting off and between all the reservoirs, rivers, streams and brooks, water seemed plentiful enough, and at any other time of the year it may well have been. However I had not anticipated that I would be walking the PW during 3 of the hottest and driest weeks in recent memory, many of the smaller streams on my map were completely dried up, even some of the rivers were getting pretty low. That 1 litre of water did not last long, especially sweating under the weight of an overly heavy rucksack on a scorching day. I reached my first campsite very dehydrated, and bought several water bottles which I carried for the rest of the walk (Found myself walking with 3 litres minimum from the second day onward).
4. Take a pair of Earplugs
I am a light sleeper and campsites can be quite noisy especially at the weekend, I have been kept awake by loud snoring, farm animals, drunken Geordies, loud music, and one night I even had a brawl break out outside my tent between a group of kids doing their Duke of Edinburgh. A pair of good earplugs are one of the better purchases I made over the last few weeks.
5. Camaraderie between walkers
There seems to be a unique camaraderie between walkers, especially those doing the same LDW. After a few days, you begin to notice the same faces popping up along the way, either on the trail or at the campsite at the end of the day. These are people I would probably never have spoken too or even noticed on the street, but out here we are brothers and sisters in arms, and before long you are discussing your highlights and misadventures, comparing blisters and joking like old friends. I met some truly colourful and interesting characters, and left with some fond memories.
6. Trekking Poles
After damaging the ligaments in my ankle several years ago, I have lost a bit of ankle stability and I am now prone to rolling/spraining my ankle as a consequence, considering the weight I would be carrying on my back, and the very uneven and sometimes unstable ground in places on the PW, this was a nagging concern. A friend recommended trekking poles, and boy were they worth their weight in gold. On several occasions I rolled my ankle or lost my footing, but was able to save myself from injury by letting the poles take my weight. Not only that, but they made going uphill so much faster and easier, whilst using them to go down hill took a lot of the strain off the knees resulting in less aches and pains the following morning. I had never used poles prior to the PW, but I have certainly become a convert.
7. Be prepared for blisters
I have always worked physical outdoor jobs and I am accustomed to being on my feet for long periods of time. The skin on the soles of my feet is very thick and tough, and I have not experienced blisters in many many years, I thought I was pretty much immune at this point... I was wrong. It took a few days, but I soon had some pretty big blisters forming on the very tips of my toes (I had never seen, or heard of people getting blisters there, I assume it was due to all the ascent on those hills). Anyway it was Hawes before I managed to pick up any blister plasters (I also invested in a pair of 1000 miles socks). Now that I know that I am not as blister resistant as I thought, I'd definitely carry a blister kit in future.
8. The Grouse WILL give me a heart attack one of these days
In almost 3 week, nothing scared the life out of me quite like those sneaky black grouse. They will sit quietly, hidden away in a carpet of heather, waiting.. watching... as you draw ever closer, completely oblivious to the imminent danger. Closer and closer you will get, until you are virtually on top of it, then, and only then will it make its move, bursting suddenly from its hiding spot, a blur of shrieking warbling feathers, like some kind of horrible jack in the box, as you jump out of your skin, heart skipping a beat as you desperately try not to trip over yourself. I have lost count of how many grouse startled me, but it was surprisingly often.
