UKY Ramblers

Oh I didn't see this til now!  Hope you're completely healed in time for all of your spring and summer rambling!

Get yourself a drink, get comfortable & go check out my LJ (it's a lot of reading). 

Get yourself a drink, get comfortable & go check out my LJ (it's a lot of reading). 

Will do!  (I always forget about LJ.)

Will do!  (I always forget about LJ.)

Haven't done anything there for a good long while, and then the spirit moved me, yesterday.

We got out today and did this walk:

http://www.theaa.com/walks/on-the-packhorse-trail-along-salter-rake-421304

Huh, it took us a wee bit more than 2 1/2 hours - sometimes I think those must be how long it takes to run the walk or something. 

Well I still have a bit of a wonky foot/ankle & that first uphill stretch to the top of the moor was hard, and we took our time because of my recent injury.  Plus we sat & ate our packed lunch, etc.

It was at the very edge of West Yorkshire (near Todmorden) just before you cross into Greater Manchester.

Oh yeah - new boots & no foot problems - yay!  Now just need to start upping the distance...

And I have decided that bookgrl needs to walk the Pennine Way - if there's anyone who can do it, you can! 

I really want to do the Cleveland Way.  My boss has done a bunch of long distance walks and she is always giving me advice.  But mostly I ask because it distracts us from doing real work.

I really want to do the Cleveland Way.  My boss has done a bunch of long distance walks and she is always giving me advice.  But mostly I ask because it distracts us from doing real work.

Ok, first the Cleveland (110 miles), then the Pennine (260 miles)... 

Heck, I'll come meet up with you when you're in Malhamdale if that's what it takes. 

My husband and I have slowly been walking the Norfolk Coast Path and it is lovely if anyone is looking for a 7 day (about 7 miles per day) walk.  The nicest thing is that there is a bus that runs the whole way, the Coastal Hopper.  You can park, get on the bus and walk back to your car. 

Well, maybe that isn't the nicest thing, but it is still so convenient.

So girls-perhaps TMI, but when you ramble and ummm, have to pee, do you have perfected squatting technique or do you use something like a she-wee -or do you just hold it and pray you don't explode?     
I have a squatting technique that isn't very good, so I'm looking for ideas. Any she-wee users out there? Are they easy?

The blokes have it so easy! 

I just squat, but I have had a lot of practice.

So girls-perhaps TMI, but when you ramble and ummm, have to pee, do you have perfected squatting technique or do you use something like a she-wee -or do you just hold it and pray you don't explode?     
I have a squatting technique that isn't very good, so I'm looking for ideas. Any she-wee users out there? Are they easy?

The blokes have it so easy! 

This is a huge issue for me!!  Even the girls / women I go rambling with *never* have to pee!  (partners and wives of hubby's friend's usually and they are all also annoying fit and energetic).

I always have to make sure *no one* is around for miles and miles and need to go deep into the woods or behind a wall or something.  Once I find a spot (by then I'm practically bursting), my technique is to take off my right boot and sock and take the right leg out of my walking trousers, tuck it away,  and then do the squatting thing, with legs as far apart as possible.  It's the only way or I'd end up with pee on my sock and trousers!

I just squat, but I have had a lot of practice.

This, here too.  And I'm seemingly always having to go!    It is sometimes rather a problem on some walks, not because of squatting technique, but because there are just too many other people coming & going on the same walks.  Annoying people!     Or it's something like an exposed moorland walk, with sheltering places few & far between.

I often won't have any coffee or much of anything to drink now in the morning before I start off on a walk now - no coffee especially, because the caffeine seems to make me have to wee that much more. 

We just did a lot of rambling in Pembrokeshire on our self-catering holiday (just got back yesterday) - lots of little bits of the coast path there - at least where the path wasn't too narrow or too near the edge (which is a no go for me due to my crippling panic/anxieties over heights & falling).  But as long as the path is (mostly) grassy & broad and (most importantly) set back from the edge, I'm okay.  I don't know how far we walked in total, but we did a walk each day Sunday through Friday - except for Thursday we took a break from walking.  Most of these walks weren't terribly far - they ranged between 3 to 6 miles (most at 4-5 miles I'd say), depending on the day - but some were harder (ascents & descents) than others, so I have definitely improved my fitness.  Now just to get the miles up.

I'll sit & have a think about where we went day by day & post about it later. 

Yeah.  As soon as I realise there won't be a bathroom for like 6 miles, or whatever, suddenly I need to go.  NOW!

We drove up to Norfolk last night, camped in my tent (much to my long sufferings husband's chagrin) and did 15 miles today.  6 miles on a shingle beach.

Ouchie, but fun.  It was so windy though it was like getting scoured with a Brillo pad.   

Well I was worried I couldn't do it (except I had to do it, and more still to come!) - but I walked 8 miles today.  It's been a very long time (3 years?) since I walked that far all in one go.  DH picked a local walk that was mostly flat so not terribly hard, but my feet are definitely feeling those 8 miles.  We are going to be building it up from there as our long walking holiday in late June is for 12-13 miles a day, on average.

I remembered also what all we did in Pembrokeshire - averaging about 5 miles a day there but some harder walks (some days were less than 5 miles, some days more):

Easter Sunday - We walked from our cottage in Little Haven (on St Bride's Bay) over to the nearby village Broad Haven, did a four mile walk up through the woods & then along the coast path back to Broad Haven, then back to Little Haven - so about 5.5 miles all together that day.

Easter Monday - We went to Carew Castle & explored all around it, then did a two mile walk in the countryside around the castle.  Then because it was nearby, we went to Manorbier to the beach, a bit of the coast path, to the castle there and also to the church.  Not sure how far we walked all together because it was all in pieces.

Week ago Tuesday - We started at Bosherton (a big National Trust lily ponds thing) and walked down one side of the ponds, by the other Broad Haven beach, and then over to Barafundle Bay where we had a picnic & hung out on the beach.  Then walked back along the coast path to Broad Haven and up the other side of the Bosherton ponds, back to the car.

Wednesday - We went out to eat lunch at The Shed in Porthgain (best fish & chips I've ever eaten, but man did it sit heavy on the walk to follow) & did a 4 mile walk along the coast path from Porthgain to Abereiddy - by the beach there, then back through the countryside back to Porthgain.

Thursday was the only day we 'took the day off' from rambling.  We drove to Strumble Head & just sort of wandered around there for awhile, had our picnic, DH took some photos, little bit (not much at all) of the coast path, then we went to St Davids to see the cathedral & the Bishops Palace ruins.

Friday we went to the Deer Park, Marloes & did a 5-6 mile walk around there, along the coast path some, country lanes & through the countryside.

Then we drove back home on Saturday.  Anyway, we've been rambling fools of late. 

That's just fantastic Mrs R! Sounds lovely!

There's been a lot of rambling going on here at UKY!    Some of those walks sounded wonderful, although I'm not sure about the six miles of shingle beach.

We did an 8/9 mile walk around Laurie Lee's Slad Valley.  We had a leaflet from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust but I can't find it online.  Here's a mention of it as a group walk in the past.

http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/Gwt/Gwt.Nsf/WEBARTICLE?OpenForm&id=BA1C0CCAAD97A420802575E5005392F7

The hills were very steep in places and it was a longer distance than we're used to but it went well.  It was a warm sunny day and the surroundings were "typically and beautifully English"!  (quoting the leaflet there) Since we had the kids along, we did a lot of stopping for picnics, animal petting, tadpole catching, tree-climbing, and rope swinging, but that also gave me and my husband a chance to take pictures and rest our legs.