Oot ‘n Aboot

Summer arrived to southwestern British Columbia this weekend with temperatures topping 28C on Sunday and in doing so breaking the temperature record set in 1953. It’s just as well I chose Saturday for my long walk out to the Peninsula. It’s the same the old route I used to train for my LEJOG and despite me having lost count of how many times I made the journey I never tire of it.

Walking conditions were perfect for the first few hours as there was a gentle breeze that kept the temperature in check. Not surprisingly it seemed like most of Victoria was on the Lochside Trail although most were on bikes rather than on foot. I took my first break at the 4-mile mark where I joined the trail after my walk through the city. I took the opportunity to fill up my water bottle at the fountain that was installed over the winter. It’s a clever bit of kit with three water fountains (one for adults, children and pets) and a separate tap designed specifically for water bottles.

From there I continued over Blenkinsop Lake (lovely as always) and then along the old rail bed where I crossed Royal Oak Drive and into Broadmead. Another quick break was followed by a 45-minute walk to Mattick’s Farm where ice-cream sales were booming. I munched on strawberries and a granola bar before setting off on my favourite stretch of the whole walk which took me through the heart of farming country. When I took my last break at Mitchell’s Farm the breeze had subsided and the temperatures soared.

Despite this I set off with the intention of extending my normal 14-mile walk by an additional 3 miles. The prospect of some excellent vistas and a pint at the Prairie Inn kept me going. I wasn’t disappointed either. The skies were unusually clear and I was able to clearly see three distinct snow-topped mountain ranges. To the east was Mt. Baker in northern Washington State, to the northeast were the Coast Mountains near Vancouver and to the south were the Olympics, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. I staggered into the pub to celebrate my first 17-mile day in more than a year and after a quick bite caught the bus home.

A new LEJOG blog to follow: I encourage you to check out Grant’s End to End Challenge. Grant Paterson began his LEJOG on April 1 and should now be somewhere on or nearing the Pennine Way. Grant’s raising money for three charities and donations can be made online through his Just Giving page.

The times they are a changin’

I’ve updated my Route page to include the latest estimated walking times generated by the “Where’s the Path” app.  I’m not sure why the times have changed but I’m pleased to say they are less than before and in some cases seem much more realistic.  Of course only time will tell and according to my iPod countdown app that’s in just over 47 days from now.

I continue to check things off my to-do list and deal with all the neccessary tasks that need to be sorted before I leave the country (out-of-country medical insurance, income taxes, etc.).  I’ve determined where my mail drops will be and have purchased some resealable boxes to post my maps in.  I’m going to leave the boxes flat and slip them into the duffle bag (along with my backpack) that I’m checking when I fly to London.

Compiling my Family History notes is taking longer than expected but I’m chipping away at it every week.  I’m spending a day in Southampton prior to the walk and just purchased my return rail ticket from London for the unbelievably low price of £2.50!  That’s only 20 pence more than my tube fare to London Waterloo.  I booked it through megatrains.com.

I’m off on another training walk this Saturday.  Last time it rained steadily for several hours and so I had a good chance to test out my wet weather gear.  My rain pants, although not gortex, worked very well and I didn’t overheat despite the mild temperatures.  My hat on the other hand did not meet expectations and has been cut from the team.  I’ve decided to use a baseball cap instead as I have about a dozen to choose from.  The forecast for this weekend is sunny and mild (12-13 degrees) and the cherry blossoms are blooming all over the city … Spring has almost sprung.

Last but not least … best of luck to Chris Wilkinson who began his epic coast-line walk today.  You can follow his adventure on his 4 Million Steps blog.

A Merry Victorian Christmas

A Victorian Christmas

A Movember to Remember
The competition in this year’s Movember contest was fierce and the judging was close, but I won by a hair and raised nearly $250 in the process. Thanks to all my family and friends who pledged on my behalf.

LEJOG preparation
With most of my map and route work complete (but to be closely reviewed in February) I’ve turned my attention to my family history research. I’ll have limited time to visit the cities and towns along the way so I need to make sure I’m properly prepared. I’ve made extensive use of Google Streetview to ascertain whether my ancestor’s homes are still standing so that I can avoid the disappointment of traipsing around streets only to discover that my great-parents mid-terrace home has been replaced by a Tesco’s. This tool has saved me a lot of time although I must admit I was still disappointed to discover that the Barnet Union Workhouse was torn down as recently as 2003 and replaced with a parking lot. My Great-great-great-grandfather, William Henry Clifford, died in the workhouse infirmary in 1914. From the photos on the workhouse website I would have thought that the buildings could have fulfilled some useful purpose?

Training Update
I completed another 17-mile plod out to the peninsula, this time wearing just about everything I will be carrying with me to England. The temperatures were hovering around the freezing mark but the snow held off and I pretty much had the trail to myself. I’ve decided to add a pair of light gloves to my packing list as I suspect the coastal path could be cool in April. The temps are now back to their normal daytime average (6C – 7C) but I already miss the cold, crisp and sunny week we enjoyed at the beginning of December.

It’s Wee and it’s XP

HP Mini Netbook

I realize many LEJOG’rs have blogged from their phones but as a touch-typist I can’t imagine maintaining this site using one finger, especially after a 20-mile walk and a couple of pints. The little HP Mini pictured above was purchased in November. It is undoubtedly a luxury item, at 1 kg it accounts for 10% of my overall pack weight, but I think it will earn its keep, and it cost me next to nothing … only $199 (shipping included)!

The HP Mini is your bog-standard Windows XP netbook and this particular model was state-of-the-art about a year ago. It has an 8.9″ screen, 1.6MHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB solid-state drive and wireless connectivity. It includes a bunch of software, most of which I’ve uninstalled and replaced with lightweight portable apps. Most of the time I’ll be surfing or emailing but I have installed Family Tree Maker 2010 so that I can look up details on my 600+ ancestors when I don’t have access to Ancestry.com. Google Chrome is my browser of choice because it’s lightweight and supports Google Gears. The new mobile version of Where’s the Path uses Gears to display OS maps when you don’t have an internet connection (which is what I’m doing in the photo above). The trick is to access the maps when you have connectivity so that WTP can cache them for offline use at a later date. I haven’t done extensive tests but what I’ve tested so far has worked. I’m using paper maps for my LEJOG but as you can see low cost electronic maps, with or without connectivity, are a reality.

The last bit of kit
I just purchased a replacement for my 6-year old digital camera. After much deliberating I chose a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1, a compact digital weighing in at just 150 grams. My old Canon Powershot was a great camera but it was three times the size, weighed 500 grams and drained 4 “AA” batteries at an alarming rate. The 12 mega-pixel Panny has a 25mm-200mm optical zoom, is solidly built and has a very intuitive menu system. The battery life is fantastic and the tiny battery charger weighs only 50 grams.

The reviews from the experts are very positive, the one criticism being poor picture quality in low-light conditions (ISO 800 or greater). I found this to be true if you are indoors and not using a flash on a poorly lit subject, however the photo above was taken without a flash and looks pretty good to me. I plan to use the camera outdoors most of the time and so I’m not too worried. I’m really looking forward to taking advantage of the wide-angle lens.

A Capital Idea
I decided to test the camera out by being a “tourist in your own town” and managed to complete a 10-mile walk in the process. It was a rather dull day and by 3pm the light was fading fast but this ensured I would test the camera in very poor light (and with the flash turned off). Overall I’m very pleased with the results and I hope you enjoy the images of BC’s capital city (the gallery is in the post below). Victoria is a youngster compared to towns and cities in the UK but she does have one of the finest collections of heritage buildings in North America. These days Vancouver, our younger sibling, likes to flash it around a bit but in the 19th century Victoria was Queen City of the Golden West, second only to San Francisco on the west coast. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Workhorses and Workhouses

It’s Movember and in addition to growing a ‘stache in aid of Prostate Cancer research I’ve been busy fine-tuning my route and dealing with LEJOGistics … who says guys can’t multitask?  This blog update is a long one so here goes …

Maps update
A big thank you goes out to those of you who’ve left comments or emailed regarding my maps dilemma. Your offers of help are greatly appreciated. Yesterday I was contacted by a generous fellow walker who has volunteered to forward a parcel to me somewhere along my route. Thank you Brian!

I can now concentrate on reducing the weight of my 44 maps from 5kg to 2.5kg or less. I made the difficult decision to trim my maps but the ends do justify the means, despite the fact that my great-grandfather, Walter Cunningham, a former Ordnance Survey foreman might be turning in his grave! To date I’ve reduced a handful of OS Explorer maps from 120 grams to 40 grams each. The plan is to trim only some of my maps, namely those covering Land’s End to Barnstaple and Loch Lomand to John O’Groats.

Route update
I’ve reduced the number of walking days from 72 to 71 by eliminating a small section of Hadrian’s Wall. I’ve walked this section a couple of times in the past and so I’ve opted for a shortcut through Haltwhislte. My Route page now includes links to individual Google Maps. I’ll now begin work on a single Google Map covering my entire route. It appears stitching together my 71 individual Google maps needs to be done manually as I’ve found no easy way of concatenating them.

Training update
I’ve completed a couple of 17-mile walks since my last update. At this point my goal is to maintain my conditioning levels until I leave. My feet are in good shape although my knees and hips are not always as happy. As I get closer to leaving I will add some steep hill climbs to the mix but for now my long plods to the peninsula will have to do.

R&R (Rest and Research)
I’ve also started looking at places I might like to visit on my rest days. I’m especially interested in towns and villages associated with my family over the years. Cullompton in Devon is a candidate as it was the birthplace of my Lewis ancestors in the early 19th century. It looks as though I can catch a train from Barnstable to Tiverton Junction and then walk the 3 miles to Cullompton.

A day off in Gloucester is also a possibility but finding the exact birthplace of my great-great-great Grandfather, William Henry Clifford, is proving difficult. Alternatively I might carry on to Bridgnorth and take a day off to visit the Acton Scott Historic Working Farm. Most family trees include many ‘Ag Labs’ (agricultural labourers) and mine is no exception. As a result I find myself drawn to places where I can get a feel for what life would have been like for them. I confess I’m also addicted to the Victorian Farm television series that is currently being aired here in British Columbia.

While life was difficult on the farm it was no easier for some of my ancestors who moved to London in the middle of the 19th century. Some of my relatives were gardeners and domestic servants who struggled to survive and were, on occasion, forced to take refuge in a workhouse. Until recently my understanding of workhouses was limited to their portrayal in Dicken’s novels and so I’ve made a point of reading more about the workhouse experience. Grim reading indeed. I’m thinking of making a special trip to the National Trust Workhouse at Southwell. If anyone has visited the Workhouse or Acton Scott I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts.

Beyond Belfast
So here I was thinking that combining a long walk with genealogy research might be somewhat unique when my girlfriend tells me there’s a guy on the news talking about his latest book, Beyond Belfast. Will Ferguson’s new book about walking the Ulster Way while uncovering family secrets now sits atop my ‘in progress’ stack of must-reads. The similarities are somewhat eerie: 1) he’s Canadian, 2) he’s the descendant of a Barnardo Boy and most amazing of all, 3) he’s the nephew of an energetic and very funny woman who I had the pleasure of leading on two walking holidays in England.

Home Children
Gordon Brown’s statement early last week that his government will issue an apology to Home Children resulted in a flurry of news coverage in Canada. As I alluded to in the previous paragraph I too am a descendant of a Barnardo boy. My great-grandfather Herbert Clifford (whom I’m dedicating my LEJOG walk to) was sent to Canada in 1904 and worked on a variety of farms in southern Ontario. My intention has always been to weave his story into my LEJOG blog and in light of recent events I feel even more compelled to do so.

Over 100,000 children were sent to Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An estimated 11% of Canadians, that’s more than 3,000,000 people, have descended from these children. Most Canadians are unaware of their home child lineage as it was often covered up by families due to the negative attitudes of the day. I only discovered that I was one myself earlier this year and only after a couple of years of relentless digging for the truth.

I’m not a big fan of belated apologies, especially when they are a century overdue and judged by a society that has little understanding of what life was really like in those days. That said if those home children who are still with us today feel an apology is due then so be it. In Herbert’s case I feel had he not been taken in by Barnardo’s he may not have survived. And I know for fact that he was grateful for the fresh start that the orphanage afforded him. Most of the news agencies have jumped on the apology bandwagon however an editorial in our local paper provided a more thoughtful response, notwithstanding it’s rather stinging conclusion:

When British Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologizes for the children his country sent away, he might also apologize for those who were not given the chance to get out.

Pumpkins, Posties and a Pennine Way (or two)

Route update
It took longer than expected but I finally settled on a route from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The South West Coast Path and Exmoor were in my plans from day 1 but I’ve been waffling on the section between Cheddar and Hebden Bridge for months. Fortunately deciding on a start date (April 4) and end date (July 1) prompted me to make some decisions. I’ll continue to work on a few alternatives should I decide to change my mind on the fly. I will update my Route page shortly but in brief my route will include a short section of the Cotswold Way, follow the Severn from Gloucester to Bridgnorth, head east to Penkridge and then follow the Pennine Bridleway for a handful of days before joining the Pennine Way.

Post Restante
I encountered a logistical setback this week when I discovered the information the Royal Mail emailed to me on their Poste Restante service was incomplete and somewhat misleading. I had interpreted the last sentence in this paragraph to mean that they would hold the mail for up to three months:

If you’re travelling in the UK, you can collect mail addressed to you at
any Post Office free of charge. The person sending you mail simply needs to
address it as POSTE RESTANTE mail. You can only use the Poste Restante
service for up to three months in any one UK town.

I decided to have another look on their website and found a page which I didn’t find last time that indicated they only hold mail for two weeks before returning it to the sender. It turns out the 3 months refers to the maximum time you can have mail forwarded to you in any one location. This means my plan of posting four parcels (containing maps) from London to Post Offices along my route is in tatters. At this point I can see three options:

1. Find someone to mail the parcels for me once I’m within 2 weeks of a destination
2. Find businesses or individuals along my route that will hold a parcel for me until I get there
3. Carry 5kg. worth of paper on my back (not really an option IMHO)

Fortunately I have 5 months left to sort this out and I’ve already had one generous blog reader offer up option #2.

The Pumpkin Way
I completed an 18+ mile walk two weeks ago and plan a similar outing next weekend. My first pair of Ecco’s now have 100+ miles on them so they will go back in their box until I leave next March. I picked up a new pair and will begin breaking them in today with a short walk along the waterfront.

My 18-mile walk took place on a spectacular autumn day, I really have been ridiculously lucky when it comes to weather. That said the rains have now returned and I fully expect to test out the gaiters and Mountain Hardwear jacket next Saturday. But for the moment I can only remember the bright sunshine and crisp air encountered on October 10.

The last piece of the urban maze fell into place and I now have a great 4-mile route from my home to the edge of the city. It’s almost entirely along quiet, leafy, residential streets and was very enjoyable indeed. It included a visit to Playfair Park, a very nice green space that I had never set foot in before.

My route through the countryside was similar to previous outings although I continued on for a couple of miles before looping back along a quiet road affording spectacular views over farmland and the straits. I shot some video but it didn’t do the scenery justice so instead I’ve included a clip on one of the many pumpkin patches I encountered along the way.

This year’s long dry summer produced a bumper pumpkin crop and so we are inundated with pumpkin muffins, scones, tarts, pies, cheesecake and bread. This time next week tens of thousands of pumpkins will be transformed into Jack O’ Lanterns, grinning from every porch, window and doorway in anticipation of the hordes of candy-seeking ghouls and goblins. Best ensure I’ve completed my walk before the sun sets!

The Pumpkin Patch: