May was a very short month, wasn’t it?
At this time in 2016, I’d walked 83.5 miles in May and was looking at a tally of 346.75 miles for the year so far…
How will this point in 2017 compare?
04/05 – 3 miles – Wrington
06/05 – 4.5 miles – Wrington
07/05 – 7 miles – Goblin Combe
12/05 – 3.25 miles – Wrington
13/05 – 6 miles – Lye Cross and Redhill
14/05 – 11 miles – Tintern (led by Brunel Walking Group)
19/05 – 3.25 miles – Wrington
20/05 – 8.25 miles – Kewstoke and Woodspring Priory (Walk West)
21/05 – 11 miles – Waun Rydd, Brecon Beacons (led by Brunel)
26/05 – 3 miles – Attingham Park, Shropshire (National Trust)
27/05 – 5 miles – Dolgellau, Gwynedd (Snowdonia, Wales)
28/05 – 7.5 miles – Cadair Idris (Snowdonia, Wales – led by Brunel)
29/05 – 6 miles – Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd, Shropshire (walk leading)
Plus 6 miles of evening walks.
Total for May 2017: 84.75 miles
Again, as I think I recollected upon at the end of April; I’ve found the quantity and frequency of brief evening walks deteriorating… That’s not how I intended this year to go and, to be honest, I don’t have an explanation for it, other than the possibility that I’m still struggling to adjust to altered working hours.
For the past two-months, my working days have begun ninety-minutes later than they had for the past six-years. With that, I’m also arriving home one hour later and no longer have my Friday afternoons free.
I still get up quite early. Should I be using this extra time before work to cram in a two-mile walk each day? Or, would be easier to complete one of my evening tasks (cleaning, washing, etc.) in this time?… When all I want to do is make the most of my quiet time before heading in to The Routine…
But I am pleased to be (even marginally) up on the same month’s tally from 2016, as much as I’d have liked to have made this my second hundred-mile-month of the year.
I’ve had a great end to the month, in terms of where I’ve been walking. My first proper visit to Snowdonia and I got to use my new tent. We avoided Snowdon (for me, this was the second time) but I’m pleased to have conquered Cadair Idris and revisited a favourite walk in Shropshire ahead of the drive home.
But I feel like something’s lacking within me… A desire? Determination? Energy? I’ve already changed jobs and another thought is to look for another place to live, having lived in Wrington now for over three and a half years. I do like the area and its proximity to the countryside but my flat leaves a lot to be desired and I’m becoming increasingly aware of that. By renting, I have greater flexibility in being able to move when it suits.
I do have some other ‘adventures’ lined up for the summer. If I was to make a decision right now and walk one thousand miles in time, I don’t think I’d repeat this challenge in 2018. In my second year of this, I wonder if I’m beginning to focus too much on the ‘challenge’ aspect and detracting on all else that exists to be noticed.
Current total for 2017: 428.75 miles
I’m glad to be 82 miles ahead on the tally from this point last year. Still, I have many miles to cover within the final seven months of the year.
Thanks for reading.
Walks With Olly 