Hiking, not biking I'm afraid but no doubt I'll still fall over and donate some blood and skin to the local ecology.
This is the first thing I've done that's remotely physically difficult in years and I'm using it to see if I might be able to return to biking soon. After my willy has it's second op at the end of summer anyway. I also just want to enjoy the scenery, the countryside is very important to me, a genuine tonic. Shame I'll be doing it in a heatwave and no doubt scrounging water wherever I can. If it was easy though, What's the point? 😁
Oh, I have a little invention I've brought along, I'll post about that later though. 😉
The route too.
Suffice to say if you see a heavily over loaded light blue Evoc Stages bag that's got stuff strapped all over it to the point of ridiculousness. It's likely me!
- (Is pic hosting from a phone gallery working at the moment by the way?)
Magic - have a great time out there !
Is it a little adventure that gets bigger at the touch of a button?
Good luck & take it easy in the heat.
Have you invented a rucksack that gets bigger at the touch of a button?
Hope you succeed in whatever your secret Mission Impossible is, stay safe in the heat.
Good luck, hope it's a blast. Looking forward to the pics and write up!
I hope you have an adventure hat?
Have a great time.
Heatwave you say?
*looks outside, sees rain, mutters*
Have a great time!
Is pic hosting from a phone gallery working at the moment by the way?
Yep. Dead simple.
Enjoy your adventure. Can't wait to follow along.
How exciting. Hope you have a great time and don't get dehydrated. x
Have fun, don't forget the cart of fluid!
Starting the Ridgeway with a detour to Avebury.
Seemed rude not to go to the pub.
Set to do about 15 miles today.
Not got enough for it water obvs. 😁
Images wrong insert. Any work around guys?
You can literally copy and paste images directly into the edit box now. Try that. Or click the my media link below the edit box, browse and select images then click add to post.
Starting the Ridgeway with a detour to Avebury
excellent idea! one of my favourite parts of the world 🙂
Good Luck Poop. Enjoy being up on the tops and the views. Next time the SDW....... 😉
7.30 and around 6 miles to Ogbourne and rest time in the bivvy. 2 random blokes just passed me on the chalk road here by the white horse and asked if I wanted to go to a BBQ.
Hmmm...
I’m sharing a what3words address to help you find this specific location. Tap to see exactly where it is:
///skip.flows.sheet
https://w3w.co/skip.flows.sheet
Just in case. 😉
Were they Austrian? Is it in a cellar? 🧐
I’m sharing a what3words address to help you find this specific location. Tap to see exactly where it is:
///skip.flows.sheet
Is that just behind the Nationwide in Swindon?
Nice one Poopscoop, I love your adventures and I'm looking forward to reading more. If you walk all the way to the Borders I'll put you up for a couple of nights.
Test of pics.
Nope, I just can't get it to work. Very frustrating.
Test of pics.
Edit. Yay! Anyway that's the view from my bivvy.
Went into Ogbourne (had to really shift to get there before sun down) as there was meant to be a pub there according to my Harvey map.
Nope. Shut down. ☹️
Blagged some water though (after knocking on 4 doors) and got back up onto the Ridgeway. Damp as heck now, midi coming out of my mouth as I breath but it's actually refreshing! Dining on Pepperami, flapjacks and water.
Today was pretty special, the views were stunning, Just stunning. I also walked through the most beautiful hamlet I've ever seen. It was like a dream, my God, to be able to live there. I'll come back to that village later in the posts.
Seen birds I've never seen before, more butterflies than I've seen in years and everyone has just been so cheerful on the trails.
I've taken talking to myself- alot, also singing "They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace" as I find the rhythm really nice to walk to. It helps keep a good pace.
Also been doing a lot of thinking. Today, in the countryside, family and a bit of health to enable you to go to places like this... That's all that's important really. The rest is noise.
More tomorrow, not really talking sense, so tired but I'll upload a few more pics tonight if I can.
I miss my mountain bike but you know what, this is just as good but in another and different way.
very nice. Keep it up. Once you get the hang of the steps for pics its fine.
I've taken talking to myself- alot, also singing "They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace" as I find the rhythm really nice to walk to. It helps keep a good pace.
Try "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard"
How was the bbq? Are you in a Wicker Man now?
Starting the Ridgeway with a detour to Avebury.
Seemed rude not to go to the pub.
Isn’t it the law?
Up and at 'em.😁
Between the damp and laying on a slight slope... The bag kept sliding off the mat. Most inconvenient but got some sleep in the end and another lesson learnt!lol
More flapjacks for breakfast. They are really stodgy. Meaning bloody lovely!
Down to 10 degs last night but the sun is already powerful and warm today at 7.22 am.
Pics from yesterday.
Great thread. Keep going.
I'm loving this, keep inspiring us
Nice one, lovely thread 👍
Getting to Ashbury folly to day at least. Only 8.5m but I'm taking it easier today. I ache all over.
No rush to a village, that hasn't got a pub, to get a Guinness for some reason.
Really feel like having a Guinness for reasons unknown! 😁
Could we have some pics of your "heavily over loaded" bag please? And whatever set-up you are sleeping in.
I've often considered doing something like this, but never quite got around to it.
Having a sit down in the middle of nowhere. Using the walking poles today. I'm a convert, they give you a little boost of speed and seem to help with my very sore feet too. They genuinely increase my walking speed. They have little springs in them to take out the shock when they hit the ground. Works well but noisy. Need to fill the tube with thick grease.
I'm still a biker first and foremost! 👍😁
Going to find a place before sunset this time, that's was no fun hunting for a decent place with a head torch. I found somewhere but it was on a slight slope... That together with the dew meant my bag kept on slipping down the mat. Driving me mad so had to move a little. I'll be more prepared tonight!
Couple of miles away from Liddington Hill Fort.
@easily sure mate, when I taken it off later I'll take a pic and post it. 👍
Sitting looking at this at the moment. That poor guy, dying in his thirties. I said thanks for the seat and bid him well. 
- Some of the views are very SDW. Just walked through a track of very long grass... Then discovered that's because I am on a track parallel to the actual Ridgeway. Others must make the same mistake as there was a defined trail there
Just 
about to head to to the hill fort.
Took a detour to the hill fort. The wrong detour of course. That ended with me climbing over a very well made barbed wire fence and putting a new ventilation hole in my shorts. Nice.
The amount of soil moved to make these ramparts and the ditches on these old forts. Incredible, utterly incredible.
@easy, here a pic. I use the helmet holder to carry the thermarest and sleeping bag. The inside in rammed, I have a real battle getting the bladder back in once it's filled, even after sucking the air out of it to compress it a little.
On the top, that's a power bank and solar charger. The white bag is rubbish, not passed a bin yet.
First town I've spotted since I began and that's the M4 in the distance. I'm crossing that on the bridge later.
Hardly seen a living sole today. A dog walker and a young couple that have hiked from Goring.
I'm tired and my feet are aching like mad but I love this. I want to ride it one day, as much of it as you are allowed to anyway.
^^Thanks, I'll try that!
Got to detour into Bishopstone or Wanborough. There's a tap later but sod all places doing food and I ate my emergency flapjack at breakfast. I'm ok for Easter though! Miracle.
Popped in from my new life to see how things are going. This thread made me happy. All change, but not too much. Looking forward to the next update, Poops.
Love this area - being going there since very young. 20 years ago me and my then g/f ran from the White Horse to Goring as part of a sponsored walk. 20 miles.
Found a pub, found a pub! 3 mile diversion but I found a pub... That also does food...
So in total:
4 points of Guinness zero.
2 packets of salt and vinegar crisps.
A cottage pie with trimmings.
Cheesy chips.
2 slices of lemon cheesecake (they took pity on the state of me and gave me the last slice they had for free.
Camelback topped up and 5 packets of scampi fries to take away. For breakfast. I can't smell any worse to be honest, so scampi breath isn't an issue.
Oh, their toilet had Pure air freshener spray on top of the cistern. So I 
freshened up a bit with some of that under my pits and cybernetically enhanced crotch area.
Jobs a goodun but I might actually have to change clothing tomorrow. I'm attracting flies.
