The Story So Far ….
Insane Idea No. 1
January 2010. Norman (74) is preparing to go into hospital in February to undergo a partial knee replacement. He announces to the world (or at least part of his close family) that he intends to walk the Offa’s Dyke path, for the third time in his life, later this year. He hopes to raise sponsorship for the RNLI and Torbay Hospitals.
Insane Idea No. 2
Carol (41) has heard her father repeat his intention several times; therefore he must be in earnest. She thinks, “I can’t let the silly old fool do this alone – I had better offer to go with him.” They both agree that Adam (15) will be enthusiastic about joining the party when told about the plan, and Norman reluctantly concedes that ‘the damn dog’ (Charlie (2)) can come too.
Insane Idea No. 3
Adam is told about the idea. To describe him as enthusiastic is a dramatic understatement. Before you can say, “I am going to walk Offa’s Dyke later this year” he has put in place a training schedule, decided what equipment needs to be purchased and organised the walk from Chepstow to Prestatyn with the necessary built-in stops at welcoming Bed & Breakfasts which allow dogs!
Most amazing, however, is the fact that Alice (13) has stated that she will join us. Carol is, for want of a better word, gobsmacked.
All the Gear, No Idea!
Before we can begin to start training for this harebrained escapade, we need equipment. Firstly, walking boots. The children keep growing and therefore do not have any which fit, and Carol’s are so old and decrepit she has resorted to wearing a cast-off pair of Adam’s which are slightly too big.
So off we go to our local outdoor specialist shop in the big town (Barnstaple). We are approached by a very helpful young salesman who is excellent at his job and manages to sell us the most expensive boots in the shop, along with new rucksacks for Carol and Alice and new walking socks (both inner and outer), along with some walking poles for Alice, who feels she might need a little extra help. He very generously gives us 10% discount as we are buying so much in one go.
Well, we cannot afford to let the children’s feet grow at all in the next few months. Carol might have to resort to the Chinese method of bandaging them to keep them the same size.
At home, Richard (the big boss) is told of the cost of the boots and is not happy. There is no ranting, raving or screaming at us; merely an icy silence. However, Carol does her best at damage limitation by explaining the children will be paying for their own equipment out of their semi-secret savings accounts, which exist just for this sort of purpose, along with, hopefully, giving them a start at university, buying their first car, etc etc. She has also magnanimously suggested that her own boots and rucksack are actually a sort of backdated birthday present (which is in June).
Ok, so we have the basic equipment – now for the training!