And we're off! Paul and I leave for Land's End in two days. During the walk we will be updating our blog as often as we have an internet connection, follow the link to find out where we are and how we're doing.

Some of this site is a bit out of date (notably the absence of Paul on any of the pages!)so check with us if there's anything you're not sure about. Please note that the route round Bristol has changed - see the blog for more details or if you want to join us in the Bristol area.

Have a great summer!

I am just amazed at the kindness of people. So many people we have booked accommodation with have bent over backwards to try and help. This is good for the soul. With university finals and things the "Thanks" page on this site has not been updated for a while, that doesn't mean we're not grateful to everyone who's helped!

One month to go...

Good news! My wonderful fiance has decided he might as well do the whole walk as he is doing so much of it anyway. This makes me feel so much less worried about the whole thing! Having said that it's still pretty stressful trying to organise everything while preparing for my final exams etc. I am really looking forward to the walk now though and tomorrow Paul and I are doing a long long walk - about 26 miles hopefully. Things are looking good. I've been especially blessed by the support from Congleton New Life Church and other churches up and down the country.

Last week Paul and I tried a four day hike. It did not go as planned. I had had a pretty nasty cough during the days beforehand and you're never meant to walk if you're ill but it's our one chance to get several days of walking in so I thought I'd give it a go. To cut a long story short a day of walking in snow and hail followed by a sleepless night trying to stay alive in a tent in sub-zero conditions and then a 21 mile walk the following day did not improve my health. We had to go home. We're looking at how to make the early days in Summer easier but I'm not too worried actually. Watch this space to find out what we decide...

So the first walk of more than one day carrying a fully loaded pack has been completed. Paul and I were joined by the lovely (and now very tired) Jenny for a 23 miler in clay mud and high winds and then the following day by the almost equally lovely Joseph and Josue for 19 or so miles in high winds and muddy mud. It was tough. I think it's fair to say we were tired by the second evening but it must get easier from here right? I have planned a four day practice hike along the Ridgeway for March which will be more intense than any four day period in the actual walk but that's what training's for! In other news we spent a morning at Ranelagh School, Bracknell talking to them about the walk and I'm very grateful to them for all their financial and moral support.

After a December of learning to carry Jack at a full weight I've just done my first full day walk carrying him. He's heavy. Paul and I spent a day wading through mud and fast-flowing streams in the Mendips being rained on and being accosted by herds of violent cattle and men with guns. It was a genuinely brilliant day. Organisationally things have to step up a bit which takes a lot of time and energy (more so than the walking in fact) but I've been really encouraging by some surprising sponsorship from many quarters and I'm still more excited than stressed. Now is the time to let me know if you want to come and join me at any point in Summer.

I've just done a brilliantly muddy walk in the Chew Valley but unfortunately my fears were well-founded and the sunset caught up with me, causing me to cut my walk short at about 18 miles. Paul and I have also been walking up at Hadrian's Wall with Emmanuel Church Durham and I've weighted Jack up to 19kg. But the big news this month is that I've chosen a start date! I'm planning to leave Land's End on June 14th 2008 and hopefully hit John O'Groats on or around the 29th August so if you're free at any time and fancy a stroll let me know!

Map reading is going well now. It still takes me a couple of miles to get my eye in but I'm getting there! I've done a few walks with Jack (or Evil Jack as my boyfriend likes to call him). He's pretty heavy (about 34-38 lbs or 16-17 kg) and he hurts my wonky shoulders but it's already getting easier and his harness is so comfortable. I'm getting pretty excited about it all now but with the nights drawing in I'm going to struggle to fit in 25 miles of walking during daylight hours while training.

Some exciting developments: I now have a GPS called Marvyn (courtesy of aforementioned boyfriend) and I'm having a lot of fun working out all his features. He's only a safety precaution really but he can also tell me useful stuff like the time of sunset. I also have a shoe sponsor (my thanks to Graham) which is a weight off my mind as funding the walk is turning into more of a challenge than actually walking – I'll get there though. Things are getting serious but exciting!

I have been walking a lot all summer but here's where the training really starts! I have finally finished mapping and measuring my route and it comes to about 1200 miles - without including all the times I'm going to get lost! Having said that I have been learning to use a map and compass properly and it looks promising, I might actually make it past Cornwall now. In other news my backpack has a name – he's called Jack (thanks to Paul Banks for that!). I hope Jack and I will be friends...