 Hello everyone
In March/April/May/June of 2007 I will be walking the LEJOG on a fairly longish route of about 1600 miles. I will also be incorporating the TGO Challenge into the walk. I have started a blog http://alansloman.blogspot.com and will be writing to it as I walk, using my PDA. I am walking it for charity (Sue Ryder Care) and there is a link from my blog to my fund raising page.
Feel free to drop in and say hello.
Thank you
Alan
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| Edited: 01/11/06 16:35 |
 I look forward to reading the blog daily, Alan. Already interesting reading about gear choices just now.
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 Sounds excellent Alan. Enjoy the planning!
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 "I will be incorporating the TGO Challenge into the walk"
Is that an absolute definite Alan?
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I'd like to add to my previous grumpy posting that Sue Ryder provides a fantastic service for terminally ill people, is a really worthy charity and deserves donations, whether or not Alan gets accepted for the TGO Challenge (despite him being an all-round good egg great friend of Roger Smith (whom I also admire greatly for his fairness in selecting TGO Challengers.))
Phew...
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Hi everyone & a special hello to Mike 'the Pie' Knipe!
How was the Pennine Way? Have you eaten it out of pork products? I hope not!
As you will have seen from the blog I have just come back from the TGO Challenge reunion in Ft William this weekend where Roger announced in his speech at the Saturday dinner that I was starting my Challenge from Land's End, so I have sort of assumed that I have been given the nod!
So - a sort of yes - sort of definite, but I will know for sure in a week or so's time like everyone else! :)
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The Pennine Way was hot, then wet, then hot again, but mainly wet, with just a touch of howling blizzard - typical May weather, really.
I've had to renounce the pies since they gave me a bionic cardiac artery at Cap'n Cook's Hospital in Middlesbrough, and I had to promise not to bung it up with any more pork-based fooderies. It seems to work very well, though and I'm only in very slight danger of dying very su...
But anyway - good luck with your walkies - may see you in some sleazy bar in the middle of Scotland, providing, of course, that the lovely Roger picks my name out of his hat.
<<Makes note - to avoid anymore Pennine way nonsense, must get a gimmick.>>
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 When you get to my neck of the woods in the Midlands or Wales how about a podcast catch up for all your fans out there, and we can hear how the gear is performing, how the dehydrated food is treating you, and (probably) how many pubs you've popped into so far?
For survival reasons of course ;-)
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Hi Bob
It's good to hear from you.
Manners first - many thanks for the quick delivery of the stove - it’s a little cracker. Rose also rang me a few days after I received it to check - First class service Sir!
It would be a pleasure to do a podcast with you (ooh - I had to add 'podcast' to the dictionary!) I will be walking up Offa's Dyke, hopefully blogging (and 'blogging' too!) as I go, so people will be able to say 'hi' and hopefully I can raise more money that way too.
I have spent so long picking new gear and trying to sort out all this blog and PDA stuff that I am only now sorting out the route properly! I still have gear to get and so still have a bit of work to do there as well. (All my present gear is 11/12 years old and pretty knackered - hence the wholesale replacement!)
Peter Lumley will be sorting out a whole lot of publicity and other support for me as I go along as well, to gain maximum exposure - it's his field of expertise - I will concentrate on the walking, but any help in promoting the walk is bound to be beneficial to Sue Ryder and so I would welcome it whole-heartedly.
Many thanks, Bob
All the best
Alan
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 It strikes me that it might be worth having a Midlands group to walk with you for a couple of days as you go nearby!
BTW folks, don't forget to contribute to Alan's charity. Ir reckon he's going to be keeping us all well entertained throughout the winter!
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I have a month to go now before setting off to Cornwall to start my walk.
The route is finished, I am told the tent is on it's way from New Hampshire.
The blog continues, and fund raising is coming along, but could be better!
You can find out all about it, with details of the route, if you haven't dropped in before (or if you have, and need a refresher)
Thank you
http://alansloman.blogspot.com
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 Alan, I'm interseted to know why you chose a route through Indian Queens and along the centre of the SW peninsula rather than follow the north coast path. Is it just a matter of saving time?
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Hi JH
A fair question. Indian Queens is perhaps not the most beautiful of locations, whereas the north coast path is probably quite stunning!
It may seems like I am rushing it a bit through the south west, but I needed to get to Oban in time to start the Rab TGO Challenge. I really did not want to start walking in February and so 1st March seemed psychologically easier to cope with.
The coastal path would have meant that it would not have been possible to combine the TGO Challenge in with the LEJOG and still have rest days planned every eight days or so. From what I have read from previous Groatsers, for normal mortals the rest days are very important.
I have also lifted the majority of the South west route from Andrew McCloys book, and have added the excursion to the Lizard for my own wishes to do the most southernmost point of the mainland as well as the most northern point.
I also wanted to 'do' all of Offa's Dyke rather than cut across early to Edale. And of course, all of the Pennine Way too, all the way to the Kirk Yetholm.
So, I suppose the North Coastal path got chopped as a matter of expediency. I am, though, doing 2 days of the coastal path from Penzance to the Lizard.
Having said all that, the inspiration for this walk was John Hillaby's book of some 40 years ago, and he passed through some very humdrum locations, and often found them to be amongst the most enjoyable of his journey. One of the pleasures of my walk will, I hope, be the people I meet on route, and so perhaps Indian Queens will be one of the high-lights.
After completing the TGO Challenge you will see that I will be wizzing about all over Scotland as I will have more time to spare (and also taking proportionately more rest days too.) Over half of my walk is in Scotland - an unusual statistic for most LEJOGs.
All the best
Alan
http://alansloman.blogspot.com
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| Edited: 31/01/07 14:31 |
Thanks Alan, I'm sure you'll find Indian Queens interesting. Have a good walk.
John
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