It has now been a month since I started my walk and there have been many aspects which I have found easier and many more challenging than I originally expected.
For the most part, my posts on the blog and updates on snapchat have been largely positive. A lot of the more difficult things I have faced I have not really mentioned.
Recently the walk has been greatly complicated by several aspects; the most significant of which occurred a few days ago when I was mugged and had both money and my phone stolen from me. I was approached in my tent by three men, wielding a knife and screwdriver, originally concealing their weapons and acting as park wardens. They eventually threatened me and took some of my goods. This was a very traumatising event and damaging to my mental outlook, completely demoralising me. It made me question as to whether I wanted to continue on my expedition or if I should be stopping.
Since then I have continued walking and reached London and, for the time being at least, I have decided to pursue my original goal and keep going.
As I mentioned in my previous post, there are many things which you pick up on while you walk. One of these would be "Starting and Stopping". Walking through places like the South Downs is simple due to the fact that there is a single path which you can simply follow uninterrupted. In large towns, there are wide footpaths that you can walk along, and all the roads intersect - so you can't really go wrong. In both cases, you can start walking and just keep going and keep going without having to stop.
This makes country roads with no paths the hardest to navigate. It isn't so much the terrain or that there isn't a footpath. No, instead it is having to stop every 10 seconds, for 10 seconds, to let cars past. The fact that you can't get into a rhythm makes these the most physically tiring to walk along and so, now, I try to avoid them where possible!
Despite these difficulties, I have still revived acts of kindness from others both in the way of donations and a place to sleep the night. So thank you once again for all of the support!
I also now have a Twitter page, @TheBigBenWalk (which I promise to try and get up and going sometime soon!) Otherwise, follow me on snapchat; Unsafeman121 or contact me via e-mail at [email protected]
- Andrew