In fact the second action I took after joining the ‘walk 1000 mile’ challenge was to set up the aforementioned Instagram account.
In my mind I would take a photo on EVERY walk, something interesting about where I was walking. weekdays would be local walks around the Somerset countryside. The weekends though, is when I thought I would shine! I had walks planned in Exmoor, Dartmoor and of course the Brecon Beacons! Plus, I figured I live near to the Cotswold Way (almost within walking distance funnily enough) this would be a great excuse to walk it finally!
The best laid plans
It all sounds grand, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
This was the key to my undoubted success in the challenge… the commitment to my new Instagram account would be the motivation I needed.
The walks would fuel the Instagram, and the need to post to Instagram would fuel my motivation to walk. It was perfect.
Then the country went into Lockdown.
No sooner did I have the first 6 months of my challenge all planned out, then it was almost immediately curtailed.
I’m writing this on the first day of Lockdown, January 5th 2021. I was planning to take my son and daughter down to Exmoor this weekend and visit Dunkery Beacon (Somersets highest point).
That’s not going to happen. We are strictly limited to local walks for the next month at least. Instead I took my son on a walk along our local railway. The railway itself is only about a mile long – it’s run by volunteers and is an amazing project. Have a look at their website for more information.
The walk itself though, when done as a circular route, is over 3 miles. It will no doubt be on my regular rotation.
My 11 year old son and I talked about a lot, mostly Fortnite. We had a bit of a heart-to-heart and he did say he was missing his school friends and couldn’t wait to get back. Unlike me, my son is very social and makes friends easily – lockdown is his worst nightmare. I only hope they can go back to school sooner rather than later.
As for my plans, well on the one hand it was a blow, on the other it just adds an extra layer to the challenge. I now have to keep my Instagram interesting with pictures of nothing but local walks. There is no stunning scenery here, but perhaps there is some beauty here if I can look at it with a fresh pair of eyes.
Get ready for lots of pictures of footpaths!
Follow me on Insta
So if you like the idea of looking at pictures of footpaths*. Click the icon and give me a follow, I’d love to connect with some fellow #Walk1000mile challengers and people who love walking.
*I promise it won’t be all footpaths
Talking points