(Image: Dover Court Lighthouses)

Date: 18 April 2019

Walked: 5 miles

The excitement of starting a walking trip, with four days off, a lot of miles to cover and a very promising Easter weekend weather forecast… god, if that feeling could be bottled!

(Image: Dover Court Beach)

I hit a hitch as I was getting changed into my walking gear at work: I realised I’d picked up the wrong boots as I left home. Not the ‘very worn down yet comfortable but have holes in’ pair, and not the ‘even though they are the same boot and the same size as my old ones they are too small and destroy my toes’ ones. Nope, I managed to one from each imperfect pair. I think it was the universe tell me to finally buy that replacement pair of boots I needed. Luckily Cotswold Outdoor has a branch right between my work and Liverpool Street station. An 82 mile walk isn’t the recommended way to break in a pair of boots, but as I have no other option, let’s just see what happens.

(Image: near South Hall Creek)

On the train journey down to Harwich, staring out of the window, it struck me that the walk I’m about to do might actually be rather prettier than I’d been anticipating. The five mile walk from the lighthouse at Harwich Town (which is the walk’s official end point – yup, I’m going backwards again) seemed to confirm that suspicion. So while my campsite tonight leaves something to be desired – £15 to camp in a neglected beer garden close to the A120, where the road signs alert drivers to keep to the left (well, we are right by the port) – the after work walk to get here was an uplifting way to start the Easter bank holiday weekend. Only 77 miles left to go. Come on Essex, let’s be having ya…

(Image: The Light House at Harwich Town. My official start, most people’s finish!)