The idea forms ...

When my wife announced she’d like to spend the February half term at an ‘all inclusive’ hotel in Devon, with activities like archery, pottery and spa all thrown in I sensed it wasn’t quite the way I’d rather spend a few days. Having done the Pennine Way in 2012, my first LDW (http://penninewayat60.blogspot.co.uk/), I’d been thinking of trying to get one in this year and here seemed an ideal opportunity. “You go with our daughter” said I, “have some quality mother/daughter time” … then started to plan where to walk J

I was slightly stuck. I could only take about 5 days, and as I’m comfortable at about 18 miles a day on average I was looking at a LDW of only 90 miles, not therefore Offa’s Dyke, which in any case I’d earmarked for next year. Living in Worthing I though briefly about the South Downs Way but soon discounted that, I’d walked most of it ‘in bits’ over the years and wanted something new. It would help if I finished where my wife could swing by and pick me up on her return from Devon, so suddenly the Ridgeway made sense. If I did it East to West I could get the train to Tring, daughter who lives in Reading to feed/accommodate me one night and daughter in Salisbury to collect me at the end while I waited for my lift home, perfect!

Next the knotty problem of sorting out the days ... and nights! I decided to take the train to Tring on Saturday, and then the bus from Tring to Beacon Hill.   That would leave me the afternoon to make some headway into the walk, and give me 5 days for the remainder as collection day was Thursday. 

I reckoned on about 12 miles the first afternoon, which would put me in Wendover.  Using http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway/plan I found a couple of B&Bs there and looking at the map I reckoned Streatley YH would be achievable by end of Day 3, giving me around 18 miles on the Sunday and 15 on the Monday.  Court Hill Centre, an ex YH now run privately, seemed to fit nicely for Tuesday night, but Wednesday was proving difficult.  There were various pubs doing B&B roughly where I’d have preferred to stop, but they were all off route, and none ideal, the only one that was couldn’t accommodate me.  In the end I decided that as I’d be well into my stride by then I’d push on to Ogbourne St George, giving me a short final day.  A few e mails later and I was sorted.  Now all I had to do was sit back and wait, hoping that the very wet January we’d already had, and the wet days forecast for the first 2 weeks of February would turn to cold, crisp Spring days in time for 15 February!