Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Blog

Sunday : Recovering after the LDWA 100

I say recovering in this blog post’s title, but I didn’t enter this year’s event, I just needed some sleep after only getting one hour over the previous 48 hours from my marshalling the event. Others who completed the event were much braver!

Richard drove us to his decadent Mercure hotel with a four poster bed as they had responded to his e-mail and confirmed he could have an early check-in. The rather less decadent Ibis Styles at Barnsley was rather less pro-active in offering such assistance to me, so I was pre-annoyed at the hotel before arrival. After I drank Richard’s coffee and privately laughed at how he nearly entered the room of a honeymoon couple (I’m not sure anyone in that arrangement would have been surprised or delighted), he kindly drove me to my hotel.

The Ibis Styles desk was unmanned when we got there, so Richard coughed a bit and someone came out concerned that someone needed medical assistance. The staff member was friendly and helpful, meaning I was able to get my early check-in, so Richard drove back to his palatial accommodation and I was given a room which had another broken lock. But, it was a clean and comfortable room, so I was pleased.

After a few hours of sleep, I woke and decided to privately toast the entrants to the 100 event with one of the official bottles of beer that Aaron kindly let me have. They were all magnificent (the entrants, not specifically the beer, although that was lovely), whether they finished or not, as it’s all about the taking part and giving it a go. If you finish and want to do more, then great, and if you drop out half-way and swear you’ll never do another one of the bloody things, it doesn’t matter, you were all part of the event.

Richard had been fanned by nubile young men and women in his four poster bed in his decadent accommodation, all part of the hotel’s five star service. So he was back fully alert, I was slightly more dopey and grumpy, but that’s a standard state of affairs if I’m being honest. I did have an Old Speckled Hen as my free welcome drink and that helped a bit even though the hotel seems to like super chilling them.

We decided against walking into Barnsley as I couldn’t be bothered and Richard had walked four miles on the Friday, so wasn’t mentally prepared for another long hike. Instead, Richard kindly offered to drive us in. As the parking was free, I offered to pay for it which I thought was kind of me. We started off in the JD Wetherspoon operated Silkstone Inn as Richard was craving alcohol and whilst we were there I got myself a quick half pint of Hope & Glory from Rooster’s Brewing Co, which was well kept and very drinkable. Richard ordered half the pub’s menu again, whilst I limited myself to my half pint.

The Kes statue in Barnsley and I was perplexed at the time as to how I missed this when I visited the town last summer. On reading up on the situation, it now makes sense, as the statue was only put here in late 2021, with the unveiling attended by the film’s director Ken Loach and the main actor playing Bill Caspar, Dai Bradley. The statue cost a cool £100,000, paid for by public subscription, and was designed by Graham Ibbeson.

I thought this was rather lovely, the Covid memorial sculpture named Reverence, also designed by Graham Ibbeson. It’s intended to mark how many ordinary people were involved in the fight against Covid and the words on the plinth read “Barnsley’s fierce love will hold you forever in its heart”. This sculpture cost £210,000, although Ibbeson worked for free. These sculptures don’t come cheap do they?

Then another new venue for me, Spiral City on the Arcade, which had the very lovely Bad Kitty from Brass Castle Brewery, which complemented my Steakhouse BBQ crisps very well indeed. I managed to stop Richard getting drunk as he was driving, another selfless act that will go unnoticed as I don’t like to make a fuss. It’s a decent venue, with friendly staff and although I knew they were closing within 45 minutes of our arrival, we still felt welcome. There’s a mix of cask and keg, with the atmosphere feeling modern and on-trend, it was a very agreeable venue.

There’s the exterior, with Spiral City on the left and the Jolly Tap Brewery on the right.

And that’s the end of the story really for this weekend, as Richard went off to get drunk in his room in his decadent hotel after he kindly dropped me back off at the Ibis Styles. I think he got a turndown service and he had sobered up by the next morning before his big drive back to Norwich. It was a memorable weekend which I really enjoyed, with one final thanks to the volunteers who organised the LDWA 100 and to the entrants who had a go at it. I hadn’t expected to come back to Barnsley so close to my first visit to the town last year, but I was pleased to go to a couple of pubs there for the first time.

June 24, 2022
Sunday : The Third and Final Day of the Trans-Pennine LDWA 100

Following on from the previous day and the Trans-Pennine LDWA 100.

I had come back to the HQ following my visit to the final few checkpoints to see the brave entrants come back in. I had seen the first couple of entrants back in before heading back out to the checkpoints, they were the runners who had finished after taking less than 24 hours to complete the course. I mean, just imagine, getting that far in less than a day, it’s all quite ridiculously fast.

But, as I’ve mentioned before, those runners did a great job, the LDWA don’t value their efforts any differently to those who take just under 48 hours to finish. Indeed, being realistic, those walkers who come in just before the end have gone for two nights without sleep, that’s even more amazing an achievement. This is why we refer to the walkers and runners as entrants, not as competitors as it’s not a competition or race. I had managed only one hour of sleep during the event, but then again, I didn’t have to walk 100 miles, so on this occasion even I needed no sympathy.

Sara, the 100s co-ordinator, looking at how the entrants were getting on, the tracking facility means that was possible in real-time for the first time on the 100s event.

More importantly, there’s the bell, which I took command of for several hours. Every entrant who completes the 100 miles is welcomed by the bell ringing, to ensure everything knows just how brave they’ve been. I wouldn’t need this, I’d go and tell everyone in person just how brave I’d been, but that’s a different matter. Completing the event is a big thing and a bell ringing and applause is the least that we can do to acknowledge the efforts that the entrant has made.

My view for several hours.

I was delighted to see that Claire and Simon had got back in, still looking in great shape. I analysed Simon’s GPX file to see if he had cheated, but despite checking for over twenty minutes, I had to admit he had indeed walked the official route without deviation. He did very well. Simon and Claire seemed to enjoy their walking round, although a few came to an end and swore they’d never enter again as they remembered how far 100 miles was. However, some had changed their mind within minutes, it’s a tough challenge, but that’s why it’s so addictive to many.

Aaron opened this 2.75kg bag of jelly babies, which I selflessly helped him eat to pass the time over the next few hours.

Karen (on left) effortlessly sweeping in.

Sammy Dawkins, one of the youngest finishers, who was another one who didn’t look any different to when he started, just a natural walking athlete.

There were numerous presentations throughout the event, this one presented by Aaron to David Purdy, who had completed his 20th LDWA 100. They get a special badge marking this milestone, along with a certificate signed by Sara and Julie, the national chair.

John Backhouse, who had completed ten LDWA 100s. Oh, and Richard to the right, who is thinking about entering an LDWA 10 one day.

The very lovely bell! Bacon rolls also made an appearance at this point, I was very pleased at that. One thing that isn’t evident until being at this event is just how emotional it can be, seeing friends complete such a touch challenge of course, but also just the delight of seeing anyone finish having walked for nearly two days non-stop. I marshalled my first 100 in Kent, and it was only then that I realised how high emotions were, all in a happy sense of the word.

It was starting to get a little busier in the hall as entrants started to wait for the arrival of friends, as well as those coming in towards the maximum time of 48 hours. Giving them that special welcome.

The beer that successful entrants received and what a marvellous idea.

Stephen Coveney, who had completed ten LDWA 100s.

And then this certificate was ready to be awarded to Leonard Fallick, who has achieved the astounding milestone of having completed 40 LDWA 100s. He hasn’t entered all of them in a row as he couldn’t make a few of them, but he’s finished every single one of those which he’s started, which is some considerable going. Some 100s are more challenging than others, some because of the terrain, but some mostly because of poor weather. But yet Leonard has battled on and finished every one of his 40 events, a remarkable achievement.

And here’s this hero of the LDWA, well done Len!

As an additional reward, Len was also presented with an engraved glass so that he can sit at home drinking decadent craft beer (or whatever drink he prefers) whilst looking forwards to future events and reminiscing over previous achievements.

Sara and Len.

Ken, our Vice President, calling over Aaron to thank him for all of his hard work as the event organiser. As Aaron noted, it was of course a team effort and we couldn’t have had such an event without the many hours of organising, walking, writing routes, changing routes and booking halls, a process which takes years for events such as this.

And that was the close of the event, another really lovely weekend which has been a real challenge for the organising committee given that their event was pushed back a year, then the dates were changed with the shift of the Bank Holiday days being moved. Nonetheless, they kept rebooking halls and kept changing plans, and I know from the feedback received just how much the entrants enjoyed it. OK, there’s a lot of walking, but there is the marvellous sense of the LDWA community wanting to be involved in this event, whether taking part or marshalling. All really rather lovely, and Simon Pipe has an album of photos from behind the scenes at HQ.

Oh, and did this make me want to do another 100? Well, it did just a little bit. But when the event came to a close, it was time for me to move to a hotel, get an early check-in and then have a long sleep.

June 24, 2022
Monday : Barnsley to Ealing During an Underground Strike

The LDWA 100 had seemed to go quickly, although the entrants might not say that, and it was the end of the Jubilee Bank Holiday so it was back to usual for me, which meant travelling about the place. I was heading to London, conscious that there was an underground strike which would make crossing the city just that bit more exciting when I got there.

Penny Pie Park is about to reopen soon and this site has had an interesting history. It was a colliery in the mid-nineteenth century, then brickworks were built there and those buildings remained until the post-war period. Then they were demolished and the local authorities dumped a load of refuse into the holes to fill them up, then it became a green space. As the road network nearby has been reworked, they’ve taken this opportunity to develop the park and they’ve been busy moving the trees about the site. They now have 243 trees, which is an increase of four. That doesn’t sound very aspirational to me in terms of increasing the amount of foliage, but there we go. The park wasn’t open when I walked by, but as can be seen, it wasn’t far off and I’m surprised some of the local hoodlums haven’t pulled that fencing down.

After walking back into Barnsley (again) from the hotel, I popped into the library for a while to use their electricity. I had thought about going into the Toby Carvery next to the hotel for another unlimited breakfast, but I overdosed on bacon and salt last time, so decided against it. My train journey was from Barnsley station, which is part of the integrated bus and rail interchange.

Welcome to Barnsley with some vibrant artwork.

I had two trains as part of my journey, the first to Peterborough and everything was going to plan timewise.

Not particularly busy, the colours remind me of a Ryanair aircraft, but the guard didn’t try and sell me lottery tickets.

At Peterborough station, the EMR Intercity train to London arrived a few minutes early.

As can be seen here, I was able to find an empty seat.

Into St. Pancras railway station in London on time. I was annoyed that they’d shut the front of the railway station because of the underground strike, I don’t know why they felt the need to do that, they could have just closed the entrance to the underground network itself. I noticed someone joined the queue to board Eurostar thinking it was the taxi queue, but fortunately he checked before accidentally arriving in Paris or something.

There was though quite a long queue for taxis, the drivers do well out of these strikes.

The strike did reduce my options to get to Ealing somewhat, with absolutely no services from King’s Cross.

So, I remained calm and resourceful and I went to Mikkeller bar to think what I should do. This is the All Day Haze which Mikkeller brew here, a very acceptable Double IPA with a depth of flavour and a not inconsiderable 8.4% ABV.

I’ve never really noticed their brewing equipment at the back at the bar, so I went to sit by it. I’d add there were tables here, I didn’t just sit randomly in their way. Although I could have lingered for hours, I thought one drink was enough as I wasn’t sure how busy the public transport options would be.

And with my plan developed whilst in the pub, I decided that I would walk to Farringdon’s Crossrail station as that line was still operating.

And my first time in the Crossrail part of the station at Farringdon.

I think it was also my first time on the central section of Crossrail, or the Elizabeth Line, which now all joins up to form a complete line, but for the next few months it’s still necessary to change trains at Paddington and Liverpool Street. It’s not ideal, but they’re getting there.

Very nice, platform edge doors have been put in here, just like on the central section of the Jubilee Line.

The section of the journey to Paddington wasn’t particularly busy, but these services are frequent at around every ten minutes and they’re long trains so have plenty of space.

This is a bit of a faff with the current set-up, as it’s necessary to leave Paddington station, walk through the concourse, towards the back and then connect with where the other part of the Crossrail service is. The part of the journey from Paddington to Ealing was much busier, although I was just able to get a seat, but thought it was a bit packed to take a photo.

Although I’m not entirely sure that I needed a seat, it’s only one stop to Ealing from Paddington. This Crossrail thing certainly speeds things up somewhat. And it was fortunate for me on this journey that the Crossrail drivers hadn’t also gone on strike, as otherwise it would have taken me three bus trips to get to Ealing, which would have been quite a trek.

I was staying at Ibis Styles Ealing for the first time, a rather attractive building about a ten-minute walk from the railway station.

There’s a movie theme across the hotel, which is one of the better Ibis Styles designs that I’ve seen. All clean and comfortable, with nothing for me to feel the need to complain about here.

Spot the movie related design items in the photos. I can’t remember why I booked a twin, but it was probably 20p cheaper or something.

My welcome drink, which was the Goose Island IPA, which is something else which is always acceptable to me. It sounds like I’m getting easier to please, but there are some grumbles coming up with some other hotels, so I hope no-one thinks I’m tolerating anything less than what I perceive to be perfection (and what some others would consider to be petty comments).

This is a nice environmental idea, avoiding the need for a plastic keycard.

They’ve put some real effort into this design and the welcome at the front desk was also friendly. The hotel seemed to have decent sound proofing as it felt like it was empty, but I noticed the next morning that it clearly wasn’t given the number of guests at breakfast. With that, it was time to spend some time getting work done that I’d neglected a little over the weekend, pleased that I had managed to tackle a public transport system which was partly on strike. And thank goodness for the Elizabeth Line.

June 24, 2022
Trouble at Smithfield – Jago Hazzard Video

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

Just as a break from my normal range of irrelevant blog posts, I found this video on Smithfield market, titled “Meat, Museums and Malarkey” to be interesting. I’ve found this market a fascinating site, since Des led a walk around it last June, when the photos below are from (other than the very bottom one which is from a few weeks ago when I went back to see what progress had been made). As the video says, the plan is to move a number of the markets from London all to a huge new site at Dagenham, which will be the largest wholesale market in the country.

But many of the traders don’t want to leave and there has been a meat market at this site for over 900 years and the Poultry section is still operating. The traders have refused to move and the City Corporation has been forced to try and get an Act of Parliament to remove them, a process which seems to have been going on for some months without any obvious updates.

The Museum of London will be moving onto the site as part of their celebration of all things London, alongside some sort of cultural and residential zone. And the irony pointed out by the video is one I’ve thought before, they’re shifting out something authentic and genuine from the city centre to put in a museum which, well, is the story of the authentic London. Or as the video notes, “London is increasingly become a theme park version of itself”. Hopefully they’ll be able to do something decent here, without a mix of housing that starts at £1 million and restaurants that end up being ridiculously expensive because of the rents they have to pay.

Although, the solution is perhaps to ensure it becomes a centre for decadent craft beers and breweries, that would be a much better story in the evolution of London as a great city.

June 22, 2022
Saturday : The Second Day of the Trans-Pennine LDWA 100

This post carries on merrily from my post about the opening day of the Trans-Pennine 100, where 400 or so walkers took part in walking 100 miles.

With the Norfolk & Suffolk checkpoint closed, Richard and I made our way to the Heart of Scotland checkpoint at Mam Nick car park, which was 52 miles into the route. This outdoor checkpoint, which was CP8, was staffed with more enthusiastic volunteers, even though they’d been up throughout the night offering food, drink and support to the entrants. There was hearty soup available, as well as numerous types of delicious snacks.

And let me note a little about this whole thing. It’s great that there’s food and drink on this event, and of course essential. But what very many walkers need is a welcoming smile, a reassurance that everything is OK and that this bloody nightmare will be over soon enough. It’s great to get help from people who have completed a 100 and know exactly what is involved, which is mostly mental strength to keep on going. As the guru David Morgan always says, it’s 90% mental and 10% physical. Or, as Chelle always says, it’s just 25 short walks joined together, which I never found that motivational if I’m being honest as I can be tired out after one short walk. Anyway, I digress.

The menu had been carefully written out with some style.

There’s Julie, watching Naomi walk down the hill.

I think that’s Naomi, still being heroic and very brave battling on.

We then jumped (well, drove) to CP10, which is the breakfast stop. East Lancs were the group responsible for this big challenge, which was serving 400 people a cooked breakfast. Despite the space being a little limited, the team sprung into action offering table service with a smile, whilst the walkers tended their feet and thought about the situation that they were in.

The busy kitchen team.

And here’s Simon! We later discovered that Jane retired at this checkpoint, as did Naomi, but their efforts were still considerable. It’s all about giving it a go, that’s the main thing. I have a grumpy friend who got to 60 miles and didn’t realise how impressed people were, but that’s a different story.

For the avid readers of this blog (all two of them), they might remember this from the LDWA AGM, it’s the Colin Wormwald trophy. This goes to every 100 event and every entrant can have their photo taken with it, that’s a right that has been passed on down the generations! Instead of giving this trophy to the fastest entrant, it’s awarded to every single entrant, because this event isn’t a race, it’s a personal challenge and we don’t treat the fastest any differently to the slowest. Aaron decided to dress this year’s event up with a ferret, or whatever it is, I’m not sure what Michael will do next year for the Elephant, Bear and Bull event, but he’s got three animal options with that name.

I had a quick walk to a Wetherspoons in Wombwell, the Horseshoe, before Richard and I went back out to have a meander around some checkpoints. I’ll post separately about the Wetherspoons, so as not to spoil my flow of thought about walking.

The Irregulars checkpoint at CP14 which was at Wortley Rugby Club. They had some excitement of finding that their HQ had been used for storage which required some quick thinking, but like another checkpoint whose marquee blew down, they were resourceful and the walkers would never have known.

Just in case Simon needed any assistance, we decided to walk towards him. I think he appreciated my top tips on how to complete the event.

And here are Simon and Claire, positively gliding in again. They made this look a little bit too easy if you ask me.

The rugby club, where some entrants took a slightly more direct route than others.

And then a highlight, the South Wales checkpoint at Tankersley Welfare Hall, which was 85 miles into the event. Not a bad looking menu if you ask me.

And Dave was offering his usual formidable welcome in his Wales hat. I pretended not to notice it, I try not to encourage frivolity and fancy dress. The Norfolk & Suffolk checkpoint was jubilee themed, but I ignored that as well.

Fish finger and bacon rolls, what a time to be alive! These were delicious and I’ve spoken to Michael, several times, about these being available at next year’s event.

Simon and Dave, both who annoy me by walking around 100s pretending they find them difficult. Dave and his “oh, I don’t know if I can do it this year, I’ve hardly trained, just only done six marathons a week” nonsense, and Simon who vaguely pretends it’s a challenge to him. They are professionals at this, but as I mentioned, their fast speed and looking fine at the end is no more an achievement than the entrants who collapse over the line.

Onto the North Yorkshire checkpoint at Wentworth Village Cricket Pavilion and entrants were now being able to see the end in sight, this was the 90 miles mark. No photos of the inside of the checkpoint here as it was quite busy and we once again, incredibly selflessly, again went to walk to see Simon and Claire. To be honest, I was checking Simon wasn’t in a taxi, as marshals have to be alert to these things.

And the final checkpoint before the end, David Findel-Hawkins and Merrian Lancaster offering an incredible welcome. I note that as they gave me beer, which Dave didn’t offer me. It was a close run thing between the two checkpoints, but Merrian was very pleased I said theirs was the best 🙂

It’s like a party! Entrants didn’t tend to linger too long at this checkpoint, not because they weren’t surprised and delighted at it, but because it was only four miles to the end.

So with a smile and a wave, entrants left the checkpoint to just finish this damn thing off.

With that, Richard and I went back to the HQ to wait for the entrants. I’ll save this part of the story for the next post, but it was very exciting watching all of the very brave entrants coming in. Once again, so many thanks to the marshals who made this event possible, it was rare to see anyone looking tired, despite the hours of volunteering they’d put in to help the entrants. There was a friendly welcome at every checkpoint, such a wonderful community of walkers.

June 22, 2022
Friday : The Start of the Trans-Pennine LDWA 100

I took over 200 photos during the LDWA event, I can’t use them all in these blog posts, but they’re all visible here for anyone who might want to peek through them. The LDWA also has a Flickr account now, where there are additional photos available.

The HQ was Netherwood Academy near Wombwell, which isn’t far from Barnsley. The map of the LDWA 100 and looking at that is a reminder of just how far this distance is. Look at the number of maps taped together…. If anyone wants to see the route, and indeed how the entrants got on, it’s at https://track.trail.live/event/ldwa100. If that link isn’t working (it’ll be there for six months I think), there’s plenty more information at https://ldwa.org.uk/2022Hundred.

The registration process and the collecting of the trackers, the first time that they’ve been used in an LDWA 100.

And that’s a lot of trackers.

I had a little peer in the food room, all of this food and drink was being despatched to the checkpoints later on.

All neatly stacked up and a reminder again of just how much organisation goes into these events. I’ll return to that theme across these posts, it’s all a formidable volunteer effort. Norfolk & Suffolk group are holding the event in 2025 (their then forward thinking chair thought that was a great idea in 2021) and work is already underway on the route. As Dave Morgan says, a flat 100 is harder than a hilly one, I just hope he can cope with the terrain when the time comes. And also hope that the snakes on the Suffolk coast don’t come out in hordes again.

The food and drink destined to go to CP7, which was the Norfolk & Suffolk checkpoint that I was going to later on in the day.

I’ve just realised that I took quite a lot of photos of the food….. I’m hoping that the Norfolk & Suffolk event will innovate exciting new menu options, although I might not be allowed to go near that process. But a fish and chips van, hmmm…..

A little bit of a queue forming for the trackers, but the event registration went smoothly and it was good to see Madeleine in control at one of the desks. She was keeping everyone in order.

This bit isn’t ideal for entrants, it’s the wait for the start, and I could see the excitement in the eyes of Simon Hodgin and the look of anger in the eyes of Jane…. I’ve a lot of time for Jane’s walking style, she’s pre-annoyed before the start and quite grumpy that she’s doing the walk. This, to me, is much better than Simon’s odd attitude of being excited and positive. Also visible in this photo, as he’s helpfully wearing green (he supports Norwich City, hence the green) is Dave Morgan who was getting ready to receive his own award the next day.

Hazel and Karen visible in this pre-departure photo. Hazel was helping at the Cornwall & Devon checkpoint, which I’m sad to say is one of the few I didn’t get to, whilst Karen, the national groups officer, was walking the event. And in some style if I’m being honest, but more on her effortless walking later.

Aaron, getting ready to send the first wave of walkers off. He might have set them off slightly early, but there’s no time like the present on such occasions. Also visible on the right is Michael Jones, the organiser of next year’s event, ready to get tips from Trans-Pennine, or learn from any mistakes they might make, whichever way you want to look at it. There’s always much to learn from any event, but Aaron definitely got the big calls right as seems to be the popular soundbite from Government Minister at the moment. Not that I’m suggesting he’s like Boris Johnson (who arguably didn’t get the big calls right, but I won’t meander into politics), as he’s very sensible (I’ve veered back into politics very quickly again). Right, enough about that.

The walkers have gone, Aaron gets some time to reflect seeing the first 200 or so entrants off. I think there were around 400 people who took part in the walk, an excellent turnout. Unfortunately there were a few who couldn’t make the event as short notice, including some who got Covid just before the event.

Successful entrants got a beer to mark their bravery, a marvellous idea, it’s a blonde ale from Acorn Brewery, who are local to the event.

With that, Julie Cribb (the national chair) and I went to have a look at a few checkpoints and speak to some of our marvellous volunteers. She was also supporting her daughter, Naomi, who was walking the event, which is very brave indeed. This is CP1, operated by East Yorkshire LDWA. It’s a challenge marshalling this first checkpoint as everyone is coming in quite quickly, but the marshals were doing well and food and drink was being efficiently provided.

We arrived at CP2 before the entrants, which was a handy opportunity to take photos of the food. I’d add I didn’t take any, I went to the nearby Greggs. As an aside, there was a nightmare with my O2 priority reward, where the shop couldn’t get it to scan. Three staff tried to get it to work and failed, with one being annoyed at me I think, whilst the other two were annoyed at O2. They just gave me the pizza in the end anyway, which is the first time I’ve had that from Greggs. Very nice, although I’m still more of a chicken bake person. But, that’s fine, as I got a chicken bake at the same time just in case that situation arose.

CP2 was marshalled by volunteers from BBN and they were ready for action with the rush of entrants, offering a warm welcome to those who had by this point walked for just under 12 miles. Incidentally, one of the advantages for the marshals of the trackers is that they can see when entrants are about to arrive, which means that they can be extra ready.

And there’s Simon, having left Jane behind. Simon was speed walking around the event with Hilary.

And Naomi, still looking positive and keen.

Sara Dyer, the national 100s officer on the NEC, who helps groups organise this event.

Here’s Jane, with her Dad, Brian. Lots of smiles and the temperature was really quite moderate, not too hot but also not pouring with rain. I’m not allowed to mention the infamous event in South Wales that poured down with rain for two days, but somewhere in the middle is what walkers want, a cool breeze and not too wet. It was a good weekend for walking.

Then it was off down a farm track to see Wiltshire group at CP3.

Their food selection, in the calm before the storm.

They had a formidable scone production line going on, alongside some other healthy snacks such as Jaffa Cakes and jelly babies.

And they had ponies! No other group organised ponies, so I was very impressed.

And Julia, second from the left, who is the NEC’s membership secretary.

And Karen coming into the checkpoint, looking exactly as she did when she set off. Very calm, composed and professional.

Simon coming into CP3, still annoyingly positive.

Simon having a little rest, with Hilary from Norfolk and Suffolk (and the group’s new chair) strolling in as well.

That production line I mentioned earlier.

Julie and Naomi, this checkpoint was at around 18 miles.

Jane arriving into the checkpoint and still in a positive frame of mind. Inspirational.

CP4, which is Holmbridge Church Hall. On the drive there, I was pleased to see Holmfirth and the cafe where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed. I didn’t quite get to Holmfirth last year when I was in the area, so this whetted my appetite for when I do finally get to go to the town.

Julie and Nicky at CP4, the Lakeland and West Yorkshire checkpoint.

The kitchen team.

Neil Carter from Norfolk and Suffolk group, one of my favourite LDWA members as he always comments on my general bravery. Simon H doesn’t, so he isn’t as far up my list of favourites.

There was lots of bunting in the hall, although the LDWA didn’t put this up, it was a for a Jubilee Weekend event the following day.

And here comes Simon. It was lovely to see Pete Colley at the event as well, he was stopping by to watch some of the entrants glide into the checkpoint.

Still looking calm and composed.

And Hilary, who was jogging behind to keep up.

With that, it was off to CP7, as that was where I was spending the rest of the day, at the Norfolk & Suffolk checkpoint.

The marshals at the checkpoint, Sue, Katie, Chelle, Roger, Yvonne, Richard, Shu (just), Jayne, myself, Michael, Malcolm and Julie (popping in as chair). We had some fish and chips before the event, which was marvellous and everyone enjoyed those. Richard just had a heap of sausages or something, he didn’t want the delicious and decadent fish. I was initially annoyed as Chelle, who had volunteered to get the chips from the nearby Hayfield fish and chip shop, came back to say they didn’t accept cards. Luckily Richard and I were able to lend her cash (mostly Richard, he’s very wealthy) for a few hours to ensure that everyone got their food.

And the Raynet team ready for the checkpoint.

Aaron popped in, whilst also running the entire event, to drop off beer to those who had entered the marshals. Here’s Malcolm being presented with his beer.

That’s a blast from the past…. I’ve been a member of the LDWA for a decade, and this group had ceased to exist many years before that.

Night falls. A couple of local residents came to chat and were very enthused with the whole arrangement, with the usual surprise of why so many people want to walk non-stop. It’s actually the non-stop bit which confuses people, they can’t imagine keeping going throughout the night, or indeed two nights. We kept the noise as low as possible of course, we were an overnight checkpoint, but we were helped with the trackers meaning we knew when people were arriving.

It was rather lovely to be able to welcome entrants in, as well as a small handful of supporters who were helping friends or family with their efforts by cheering them on. We had a few retirements at our checkpoint, which was about 40 miles in, but mostly we were able to send entrants out inspired for the next part of their challenge. Neil unfortunately had to quit at this checkpoint, but he battled on as far as he could, it was a shame he wasn’t feeling very well. A proper fighter.

Our checkpoint in full flow. It was a tight squeeze when it was at its busiest, but it wasn’t often this packed, I think we had a big contingent from Yorkshire in at this point.

Jane wasn’t quite as jovial as she had been earlier on if I’m being honest. She made some funny comments about Simon that I think everyone thought were most amusing. I certainly did. It was a true inspiration to see how Jane had been so creative in where to stack painkillers to help her through and her Dad, Brian, seemed to be having a enjoyable time with the walk.

And that’s where I’ll leave this post, as the Norfolk & Suffolk checkpoint closed in the early hours of Saturday morning. There were no major incidents and I hope that all the entrants enjoyed the hospitality offered. And thanks to the wonderful Norfolk and Suffolk marshals, volunteering to help out at the event throughout the night whilst also smiling and remaining cheerful. Jayne managed the kitchen with effortless ease and I was able to save a couple of cheese sandwiches from going into the bin, so all was well with the world. Chelle also managed the checkpoint with professionalism, despite having a dog who needed some attention at numerous points during the night. And apologies for anyone I’ve missed mentioning who might have been in the photos.

June 21, 2022
Tuesday to Thursday : Off to Barnsley for the LDWA 100

Quickly skipping Tuesday and Wednesday as not much of excitement happened during my time in Norwich, it was time for the big event of the LDWA 100, the 100 mile event. I might have mentioned that I walked this last year…..

Richard turned up in his little tank, which I first thought was in camouflage, but he reassured me that it was just very dirty. We were off to Barnsley on the Thursday, ready to help marshal the main LDWA 100 event on the Friday to Sunday.

Safely there and back in the Ibis Styles which I stayed in last year. My Accor settings have me at the end of a corridor miles away from the lift, whereas Richard for reasons unknown likes to be near the lift. So our rooms were nowhere near each other, although it transpired that I was directly above Chelle and Paul, but I’m pleased to report they didn’t cause any noise issues on the floor below.

Classy, that made me feel extra safe in the room.

And my chair had lost a leg, but I had a window that opened, so I was content with that at least.

The signage at the hotel bar is written in the Yorkshire dialect and I got myself an old Speckled Hen as my free welcome drink, whereas Richard went for one of his decadent wines.

We were meeting up in town with one of the heroes of the LDWA, David Morgan, who was far too excited to see us struggle up the mountain that leads into Barnsley. We were meeting at the Tipsy Cow, a very decent craft beer bar, so that Dave could tell me all his gossip, not least all of the mountain summits he’s run up recently. We had walked the two miles or so into the town centre of Barnsley from the hotel, which was one of Richard’s longest walks for a long time. He was very brave and I’d actually like to see Dave and Richard do a walk-off to see who could get the furthest.

Incidentally, they had Cherry Porter from Titanic Brewery, so I was sold on that, and very nicely kept it was too. With that, we moved on, Dave to his South Wales group meal, whereas the Norfolk & Suffolk volunteers and entrants were all scattered about, so it was left for me to supervise Richard in the pubs.

I thought I’d show Richard the Dickie Bird statue. At least having been somewhere before saves me from having to write much about it again, I can just link to previous blog posts for anyone who hasn’t been fortunate to have already read them.

Back in the Old No 7, I went for the Spindizzy from Chin Chin Brewing Company, which was well kept although not particularly exceptional.

The pork pie was lovely though, after I’d carefully picked the jelly out.

I was looking to find a pub in Barnsley that I hadn’t visited before, so we thought we’d pop into the White Bear. We popped into the pub and then popped straight out again, as it appears they had problems with their speaker system and the music volume could be heard in Huddersfield. They were also short of customers, but that wasn’t an entire surprise given the early evening rave going on. Now that I’ve passed my 30th birthday, and Richard is now in his early 50s, I suspect we need to find places that are generally quieter in the future, as I’m not as young as I once was (not that I liked loud places when I was younger).

Richard, who if truth be told is much greedier than I am with food, went for a heap of plates full of JD Wetherspoon cuisine in the Joseph Bramah.

I had a packet of Mini Cheddars alongside my Farmers Stout from Bradfield Brewery, which had a depth of taste to it and was well-kept. As a flavour combination, Mini Cheddars and/or Wotsits go really well with stouts. See, it’s worth reading this blog to get top tips about craft beer and food pairings. I ordered a different beer as my second round, but they ignored that and brought me the same one that I’d had. I couldn’t be bothered to argue about the situation, especially since I had enjoyed my previous half pint. It’s a friendly pub though, spacious and it wasn’t too busy.

Next was a repeat visit (for me) to the Jolly Boys. I got myself another one of my classy snacks of Bacon Fries, which is making it look like I survive on things like this…..

When a space became available, we moved to the upstairs balcony which was quite decadent. It was the Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend, hence all of the bunting. Friendly service here again, I’ve worked through a lot of the Jolly Boys’ Brewery beers before, so I went for the tried and tested Jolly Collier Porter.

Barnsley Town Hall at night. I’m skipping out one pub, Maison du Biere, as it was outstanding and so it’s getting its own post, it was the first time I’d been there and it significantly exceeded my expectations. It was so good that it meant we forgot to go and look for some beacon they were setting on fire, but I hadn’t been much interested in that anyway so that’s fortunate. A good pub is better than watching random fires if you ask me…. More on that pub in a little bit, but it was time to walk the two miles back to the hotel, which Richard braced himself for and achieved comfortably fuelled on by the beers and food of the evening. We met Chelle at the hotel with her dog in reception at the hotel, I suspect she’d been hitting the bar again (figuratively, not literally), but I didn’t say anything.

What it did mean was that we didn’t have many hours of sleep before we had to get up for the LDWA 100, and indeed, we didn’t expect to get sleep during the weekend anyway. But, it’s much harder for the entrants, so I decided not to feel sorry for myself as I’m good like that, always a bundle of positivity.

June 20, 2022
Thursday : Maison du Biere in Barnsley

I’ve posted about this pub separately to my daily post about my repeat visit to Barnsley before the LDWA 100.

I had already been to the other pubs we had visited in Barnsley, so I was looking for somewhere new. I hadn’t visited Maison du Biere before, I think they slipped between the Good Beer Guide list and they’re also not listed on Untappd. I’m very pleased that we visited though, this is an outstanding pub.

I don’t suppose that I’ll ever run a pub again, but this was the shop section of the bar. I was conscious that the dust on some of the bottles meant they weren’t selling as much as they hoped, but the selection was excellent. The prices were very reasonable as well, and it’s a shame that they’re so far away, otherwise I’ll go back. Although I think I’ll find a reason to go back to Barnsley to go here again anyway.

And if that bottles weren’t enough, look at the number of taps. And there are some very decent options there, not just generic beers to make up the numbers. I’m always excited to see beers by Vault City and the Strawberry Sundae was smooth, decadent, fruity and also very keenly priced here. Then there was the delight of the Triple Cream Milk Stout from Cassels Brewing, smooth and sweet. The Salvation Raspberry and Chocolate Stout from Abbeydale Brewery didn’t quite have the depth of flavour I’d like, but it was well kept and still had an enjoyable flavour. I can’t think though that there’s anywhere else in Barnsley offering beers of this quality.

When we entered the bar, I knew that they closed in one hour and there was no-one else there. The staff member, who was knowledgeable and engaging, made us very welcome even though she was cleaning and likely expecting no more customers. It is in my mind a complete travesty that this bar was empty when some nearby pubs, which to be honest were bloody awful (oh woo, look, Fosters and Carling, what a smorgasbord of beers we have), were busy. Everything about this bar shined, including the service from the team member, the decor and the beer range. I could find no fault in any single part of this bar’s operations and regular readers (all two of them) will know I normally find something to complain about. The staff member made us feel very welcome and was conversational, a very good advocate for the venue.

Spotlessly clean, with comfortable seating.

Richard, who is very decadent, bought this gin to take away and is responsible for giving me a headache the next morning (I selflessly helped him try it), but I didn’t say anything….

There are some exceptional bars such as Goose Island and pubs such as the Hop & Vine, but this is certainly up amongst them. I’m not sure if it opened too recently to get into the Good Beer Guide, but it sells real ale and it should absolutely be listed in the next edition. Clearly a contender for my very exciting (to me, although not really anyone else) Pub of the Year award. A complete delight and I hope it does well in the future, it deserves to.

June 20, 2022
Monday : A Day-Trip to Sheringham and a Rail Fiasco

Before I start on today’s riveting blog post, I feel the need to comment on the road works currently taking place at the end of Riverside Road, near Norwich railway station. I very much approve, although they seem to have been doing them for ages, but my civil engineer friend Liam reassures me it is physically impossible to do these things any quicker. Well, something like that.

Anyway, it’s a very worthwhile project which will make things better for pedestrians and cyclists at what is currently an annoying junction. I imagine car drivers will be annoyed, but I’ll live with that since I don’t have a car. I’m slightly disappointed that the pavement at the rear of the above photo isn’t being widened, but the rest of the project seems very positive. In fairness to the county council, who are often quite car focused, they’re doing some really important work at making the city move pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

And a new pedestrian crossing between Old Library Wood and Norwich railway station which is now completed. When Stuart comes to Norwich for the LDWA NEC meeting, he will be able to use this exciting new crossing to get to his decadent accommodation on Riverside Road. I can almost sense his excitement already.

But today’s blog excitement (I accept once again that I’m setting the bar low here) was a quick trip to Sheringham and back. I hate getting the bloody bus, so paid a little extra for the train service. Here comes the Sheringham Thunderbolt into Norwich railway station.

The train was relatively busy, but I got a table for four so that my laptop and I could be comfortable. The service ran on time and I was pleased with the efficiency of the entire service, I was very pleased indeed that I didn’t have to get a bus.

Getting back from Sheringham was a different matter. To cut another of my long and meandering stories very short, Greater Anglia were hopeless in their announcements following a trackside fire which cut off North Norfolk from the city of Norwich. The rail planner said that services would operate to North Walsham, so I thought I’d go there by train and get a bus from there.

Services, it transpired, weren’t going to North Walsham and one train was still scheduled to operate which actually clearly wasn’t. I contacted Greater Anglia to ask them what they thought the 50 or so passengers at Sheringham should do, although I knew the only option at this point was to get the Sanders bus. Greater Anglia responded quickly and wrongly, telling me to get the rail replacement bus. Really what they meant here was get any random bus I could find, something they’d failed to tell the people in Sheringham and Cromer (and probably elsewhere) who waited patiently for a replacement bus service to come to the railway station.

I got the Sanders bus since there were no rail replacement buses in operation. There was confusion as to what people should be doing (not least because the information from Greater Anglia wasn’t just lacking, it was wrong), but the bus driver was helpful and didn’t need to see my rail ticket, he was aware of the situation. Anyway, I mentioned to Greater Anglia (who I’m sure think I’m an idiot) that they still had a service showing as departing from Sheringham, marked as delayed, which people were waiting for. To their credit, they responded immediately and said they’d get that fixed, which they did within a few minutes. This pleased me, I didn’t have to feel guilty about the fate of the people patiently waiting at the railway station.

On the bright side, full credit to Greater Anglia who must have an automated process for Delay Repay, as my ticket was refunded in full within 15 seconds of my applying for it. Not that I want to make this blog sound like a series of incidents that I feel the need to complain about, although that’s sometimes the direction of travel it seems, I’d say that anyone visiting Sheringham (and especially one not speaking English) would have found it very challenging to know what to do in this situation. No staff on site, incorrect information on Greater Anglia’s web-site and on Twitter, this is why stations like this really need to be staffed. To be fair, a staffed station at Sheringham would be challenging as there isn’t a station to manage (the old station is now operated by North Norfolk Railway for heritage purposes), but maybe one day. But, that’s enough moaning for today I’ve decided. And, as a spoiler for the next few blog posts (since I’m writing these two weeks after), I haven’t got anything else to complain about for ages.

Here’s a photo of Jarrold’s Mill that I took after my walk back home (which is a much longer walk than when I get the train, but I won’t dwell on that) to end on a positive note.

June 20, 2022
Saturday : Still In Wales (Paddle Boarding and Drive to Daventry via Wolverhampton Cosmo)

As if the morning’s bravery zip-lining wasn’t enough, we had decided to go paddle boarding as we hadn’t done that before. I’m not very good at balancing, unless it’s in pubs where I’m world class, but I was already astounded at my own bravery so far in the day.

The walk to the paddle boarding place, which also hires out kayaks and canoes.

Mounting the paddle board, or whatever it’s called. This is effectively white water rafting, but I only took photos of the flat bits. I left my phone and the like in the upmarket changing facilities (a container unit) of the paddle boarding place, so Liam took this photo. I was too nervous about dropping my new phone into the water on the rapids section of the canal.

After some interesting manoeuvres I managed to get Liam’s phone to take photos of myself, although I was concentrating very hard on not dropping his phone into the water. I did record numerous videos of Liam doing his paddle boarding thing, although if anyone wants to see these, they’ll have to contact him as they’re still on his phone and he doesn’t feel the need to have a blog droning on in excessive detail about what he’s been doing.

Liam at Resolven Lock, by the River Neath.

The lock on the Neath Canal.

I’m not sure that this equipment is much used now, navigation ceased in the 1930s, although sections of the route have been kept open.

I had an offer on the app so this McDonald’s was cheap and we only had a short time, otherwise we would have hunted down a decadent local restaurant. We had wanted to investigate some historical sites in the area, but our hotel was in Daventry, where the prices were very reasonable, and we had a meal booked in Wolverhampton.

We did have time to pop into Aberdare and this is the war memorial, unveiled in 1922. It also has the details of Lance Corporal Phillip Anthony Sweet, who died in the Falklands War forty years ago.

The magic of Aberdare.

This stone commemorates the life of James James (Iago ap Ieuan) who composed the Welsh National Anthem and is buried in a nearby cemetery.

St. Elvan’s Church, which was constructed in 1852.

Ticking off another JD Wetherspoon, who have a relatively large number of outlets in these former mining towns, this is Yr Ieuan Ap Iago. The pub’s history on their web-site mentions the stone I wrote about earlier:

“Virtually outside the JDW premises is a memorial stone commemorating James James or Iago ap Ieuan, who composed the national anthem of Wales. The five-feet-high memorial stone was mined at a quarry just north of Aberdare. The commemorative plaque set into the stone is of north Wales slate. James moved to the Cynon Valley (which includes Aberdare) in 1873 and spent his last years in Abedare itself. He was buried in Aberdare Cemetery in 1902.”

The building was used as a Post Office before JD Wetherspoon took it over.

It’s easy to sneer at Wetherspoons, but having visited over 400 of their outlets, I’ve seen a lot of very good practice alongside some hard working staff. And my usual caveat of that it’s important to visit great independent pubs, as often seen in the Good Beer Guide, although I’ll add that this pub is listed in it as well. Trying to be as a polite as I can, understanding these are challenging times for pubs, this venue was a bloody disgrace though by any standards and just a little bit of an affront to hospitality, by far the worst Wetherspoons that I’ve visited. Surfaces were sticky, there was litter ground into the floor, there was food debris in random places and every table had empty glasses and plates on. The pub is towards the lower end of JD Wetherspoons on Google Reviews (the lowest rated in Wales and one of the lowest that I could find in the UK) which doesn’t really surprise me. Hopefully the pub didn’t get caught out on one of the company’s CQSMA inspections, although I imagine it’s had its moments in the past.

The app suggested the wait time on food was eight minutes, but it was clearly longer than that, with our drinks having not arrived after 35 minutes. I went to recover them at the bar as they were clearly not going to be delivered any time soon, with Liam’s soft drink having a glass with ice that had nearly entirely melted and my pint was substantially short measured. The staff were helpful and friendly, topping up the pint, but they were so short staffed that the manager probably should have suspended service for a short while as they couldn’t cope, especially as they had customers coming and leaving straight away anyway. The staff were also trying to deal with a number of complaints from customers, so I wasn’t entirely sure they were making much progress with the backlog given the issues they were trying to deal with.

I wondered at first why the staff weren’t collecting glasses when they walked back to the bar, but the hatch to the kitchen was already at capacity so it’s not clear where they would have put them. On the bright side, my Moose River from Hop Union Brewery was well-kept and suitably refreshing. As an aside, it could be asked why we stayed in a venue that was clearly bloody dreadful. I have to admit that the pub did have the advantage of having power points so that I could charge my phone up (unlike McDonald’s where I had hoped they might have charging facilities), so I have to give them credit for that and that’s why we stayed.

Going back to the pub reviews, one customer noted:

“The staff here really do work hard. Most of these reviews are probably from some very entitled people”

They might do, and indeed they did seem to be doing their best when we were there, but I note this review from two weeks ago:

“Slave treatment of the poor staff. Skeleton crew run ragged. No wonder hospitality industry can’t hire staff. Dirty tables uncleared of plates. Blame lies firmly with the employer NOT the staff”

Which is more in line with our experience.

“Usual dire service and did not like the look of the food being served so went elsewhere after using the WiFi”

That sounds like me using their electricity….. Not a bad idea to be fair.

“Food was acceptable but it was dirty, tables full of dirty dishes, no interest in cleaning away and wiping down these tables. The whole place needs a good clean up, everything looks grubby and shabby. I realise the drinks are cheap but not everyone goes there to just drink. When I go out for a meal I want things to be at least clean, at best light and cheerful. I haven’t been there for about 2 years because of the state of the place, I won’t be going again.”

This is from a year ago and there are tens of these reviews, not really ideal.

Anyway, enough negativity, I can’t copy and paste reviews for ages about cleanliness of a pub in Wales that I’m unlikely to ever go to again. I’ll be positive by saying the staff did seem to be doing their best.

Music is clearly important to the community, this is a statue of the composer Griffith Rhys Jones.

What was once clearly a rather lovely building, the old court rooms.

I had hoped for a delicious salad bar for our evening meal, but Liam was adamant he wanted to go to Cosmo in Wolverhampton, so I agreed. It was a bit of a drive, but I’m sure I entertained Liam for several hours with my entertaining conversation. Oh, and a song about Kettering that I’ve modified slightly.

The delights of the food selection at Cosmo. Without going on for too long, this was the best in the chain that I’ve been to, with everything clean, efficient and well managed. I had booked a table the night before (as in that’s when I had made the booking, not when I had booked the meal for), which was essential, and they had our booking and got us in ten minutes early. The food was kept well stocked, the quality was high and the range of curries was particularly decent. It’s inevitably pile it high in its design, but I liked that they had a wide range of food and it met my expectations in terms of the taste, temperature and presentation. Indeed, looking at the photos, it’s making my hungry again.

There are the usual refillable soft drinks as well and I went through far too many fizzy Vimtos, but they’re not often available and I’m easily pleased at the best of times. The portion sizes that the restaurant let me get were a little excessive, but it’s fair to say that I left not feeling hungry, and Liam seemed equally satisfied with the volume of food as well. Despite it being busy, the restaurant had plenty of food counters and I was rather pleased that Liam had picked such an excellent choice of place to go to. I need more friends who will take me on road trips and to all you can eat restaurants 🙂

And, after about another hour of driving, into the Mercure in Daventry, who had pre-annoyed me by ignoring my emails asking what time I could check-in at (which is really me checking they won’t oversell the room) and whether the bar was still open. 90% of Accor hotels seem to respond within an hour, some within minutes, so I wasn’t overly impressed as unlike Liam I do get worried about rooms being oversold. We got our free welcome drinks (which they forgot about unlike I helpfully reminded them) that I’m not sure we needed after such a long and brave day of zip-lining, but the Camden Pale Ale tasted as it should. There was a wedding going on at the hotel, but it didn’t give us any noise issues and the hotel pricing was very reasonable, so no complaints there.

Anyway, that was the end of a long day, and I don’t need to mention the bravery we showed (particularly me) as I may have happened upon that subject a few times already. And sorry to Stuart that there wasn’t likely as much coverage of Wales as he would have ideally liked.

June 19, 2022