For the fifth year running, I had signed up for Weston Hospicecare’s Mendip Challenge event. I read that over nine-hundred people took part this year, walking anywhere between five and thirty-miles on the day. I was set for yet another thirty-miler and hopped on to one of the four coaches laid out for our early start.
As I look through the photos from this walk, I suddenly remember how dismal the majority of our Easter weekend was, this year. Untrue to form.
One day prior to this, I’d enjoyed a long-awaited return to Cranborne Chase for the day, where the weather had help up rather well, by comparison. This time, waterproofs were going to be essential.
One week earlier, the south-west of England had suffered its heaviest dosage of snowfall for a good number of years (dubbed: ‘The Beast from the East’). Portions of the M5 motorway were, closed as many counties slowed to a standstill.
Worst of all, this walk was cancelled and immediately postponed for seven-days. But when the time came, the weather was greatly improved.
This was it; my first experience of leading a group walk in 2018.
I knew the route well, had arranged a place for parking and kept it to a challenging but not over-the-top ten-miles… There was a reasonably good forecast to go with it.
Walks With Olly 