Oiling the wheels and sourcing the maps....

           

Walk preparations are moving into a higher gear and with only about 5 weeks to run till we roll down to the Bournemouth starting line, there is an increasing sense of urgency to complete all the tasks that are associated with an extended absence from home-----driving licence to be renewed, ditto Ontario health card, both of which expire mid-year.
Planning is completed as far as routing is concerned. Thank goodness for Google, although their maps, walker version, are, it is stated, still in beta. I have collected a 2½ inch pile of them with budget hotels, bed & breakfasts, hostels etc. duly located in each town. Figure it is easier to have these plotted and priced in advance, than to wait till I arrive in strange streets with tired limbs and likely soaked in cold rain and be forced to make a weary search. To date, I have been using a 1986 Ordnance Survey map book for motorists and have noted, for example, that the A27 main road, east of Portsmouth has been bodily ‘transported’ about 5 miles to the north and rebuilt as an ‘almost’ freeway---not very hospitable to the hiker. The old road is still there and has been re-numbered. Like to find these things out in advance, as they are only minor inconveniences when driving, but can pose a lot of extra walking for the long distance hiker after miles pounding the concrete. Looks like I shall soon be investing in some up-to-date paper UK maps.

I’m ‘Giving 110%’ to Trillium through my
“4 Million Step Walk” because I can.
Donate Now: www.trilliumhealthcentrefoundation.org