I love waking up and not having to rush to get ready. The B&B owners asked what time I wanted breakfast and I asked for a leisurely 8am time slot. I also got the Full English Breakfast which is something I am offered almost everyday but can’t eat. I leave almost the second I finish my breakfast and I can’t hike on a full stomach so I usually just eat some eggs, a piece of toast and yogurt with fruit. Good stuff that will give me energy but isn’t too heavy.
But today?! Bring all the food I can shove into my mouth!
I might as well mention my nutrition routine here while I’m at it because I’ve been pretty strict with it and I think it’s helped me a lot. I’m a 50 year old lady and have all the associated leg problems that comes with that: varicose veins, restless legs, and frequent cramps in both my calves and feet.
So first thing when I wake up I drink a cup of protein powder and water. Then I have breakfast and after eat a chewable magnesium tablet. About 3 kms from my destination I add electrolyte powder to my water and make sure to drink it all. When I arrive I take my iron pills and after dinner, right before bed, I take creatine.
This little routine has been golden and I haven’t had one single cramp either while I’m walking or at night. I should keep this up when I get back home cause normally I’m Crampy McCramp Cramp.
I was so grateful that today, the second day of a 3 day heatwave, I didn’t have to do much. I felt really bad for the two women I walked with the day before as they were doing a 23 mile day in the heat!
After breakfast and some lying around I grabbed my diary and went out to the center of the village. I found a place called Mocha which was a chocolate cafe…Yes please!
I got a rich gooey “chocolate shot” and a chocolate milkshake. Sure it was a million calories and grams of sugar at 10am but I walked over 100 miles dammit! I deserve it!
After writing all the exciting events in my diary for an hour I headed back out. The B&B owner suggested I take a tour of the town’s historical theatre, one of the oldest in the country. They had tours every hour but I had just missed the previous one so I walked around the little streets and who should I see but the brother and sister pair! They were also taking a rest day and they were joined by the sister’s husband and two grown children. The family would be walking with them for the next 2 days.
I wasn’t alone after all and there would still be some friendly familiar faces on the trail! It might sound weird as they were strangers a week ago, but it made me very happy.
I went to the theater and was the only one who signed up for the noon tour. It was quite funny because everyone in the theater asked me if I was a “Coast to Coaster.”
“How does everyone know?” I finally asked.
“We only get Coast to Coasters on a weekday afternoon. Everyone else is busy.”
The theatre tour was interesting and after I got a yummy panini sandwich. It was late afternoon by this point so I got a one of the variety puzzle books (yes the old lady ones-don’t laugh) and went back to my B&B where I just zoned out on puzzles and YouTube for a few hours.
For dinner I went out to a nearby Italian place and then I had to deal with my luggage. You see, there is a Sherpa company that brings my luggage to the next B&B so all I have to carry while hiking is a day bag. As a result, I packed my bag full with everything I could possibly need. This is my first hike after all and I had no idea what to bring so I brought it all.
I have 3 pairs of shoes (boots, trail runners and slip ons for evenings at pubs and restaurants), two hats (baseball cap and sun hat) 6 pairs of specialty hiking socks, 5 pairs of pants, one pair of waterproof pants, 3 outer garments including a hoodie, my waterproof jacket and a down jacket in case it gets real cold, two water bottles (one that filters river water to make it drinkable the other a thermos to keep drinks hot or cold), hiking poles, toiletries and lots of undies and shirts. And all my various medicines and powders and whatnot.
I’m usually a minimalist, I never use luggage, only a backpack when I travel, and I was getting tired of dealing with it everyday. So I used this as an opportunity to clean out some things I hadn’t used (like my waterproof pants) and reorganize everything. It took me awhile but I feel a little more streamlined.
And now it’s bedtime! Where did the day go?
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