Introduction

Please follow in the steps of the walk that I undertook from 14 March to 30 May 2013.  The pile of postcards sent to home almost daily, together with spiral ring notebooks containing notes of dubious legibility have lain too long in an abandoned box file in the far reaches of my study.  We are facing unprecedented times with no certainty about when / whether / how anything will change.  Certainly at the moment new adventures are not possible and my new blog could be forever abandoned so the best I can do at the moment is to try to recreate past exploits.

I am trying to recreate the spirit and the emotions of that walk and occupy some of my time writing this virtual blog based on experiences that are now seven years old.  Whether I will complete the virtual journey or not, I do not know.  I may need to do too much work to continue with this amusement and entertainment and, of course, in this uncertain time none of us can avoid contemplating our own mortality.

My real journey was completed, although if you join me you will read about those low points and difficulties that I had to overcome in addition to the highpoints and progressive achievements along the way.  Please feel free to join me on my virtual journey or just for a part of it.  I hope I will complete it as I completed my real journey and I hope that there will be more real adventures in the future.

I hope this provides some entertainment whilst we are all social distancing, social isolating, shielding and just occasionally venturing out for essential work, daily exercise (while still permitted), caring for the vulnerable and obtaining staple needs.  As an NHS worker, I may become too overworked to continue this virtual journey but I am keen that it will provide some antidote to reality.