The blog / The journey

1027 miles in hours, steps and calories

I’m going to walk a thousand miles this summer. That fact makes me feel unequivocally good.

I’ve walked 200 miles before, on the coast-to-coast path across Cumbria and Yorkshire (read about that here, if you like). It took two weeks, and we figured out – my walking buddy, Sarah*, and I – that we walk at around two miles an hour, over the day, including breaks and periods of ambling. So, I can assume that I will be spending 500 hours this summer just putting one foot in front of the other. I’m not ready in many ways (donkey hates me, website’s a bit thin, Facebook account not set up yet, kit not yet purchased, missing four maps from the set, not yet sure whether to go clockwise or anti-clockwise, etc), but in terms of the simple act of walking, I am raring to go. Especially as a burst of uncharacteristically forceful February sun just flung itself into my studio.

Nice old map of Wales

Nice old map I found in a bookshop. Pre-Google. pre-Amazon, musty and delicious

167 fish & chips

Walking uses something like 100 calories per mile, so I’ll burn 100,000 additional calories over the walk. That’s 167 portions of fish and chips, or 556 welsh cakes, or 600 bowls of porridge. According to this man, a human being runs at about 40 miles per gallon of ordinary food, so I’ll be needing 26 gallons of food.

Two miiiiillion steps

The average person’s stride is two and a half feet, so that’s 2000 or so steps in a mile (not taking into account that I’ll often be doing mincy steps up narrow paths, or sideways leaps across puddles, or walking back to get the munching donkey). So that’s two million steps.

People sometimes ask, once they’ve asked all of the the other frequently asked questions, whether I’m going to do any training, and the answer is no. I’ve got two million steps and five hundred hours of walking to do – surely that’s plenty!

 

* Sarah had a baby. I’m acquiring a donkey. That’s all.

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5 Comments

  1. Holly Thomas says:

    Hi Hannah!

    Nao told me what you were doing, I’ve only just managed to get in touch with my landlord but he’s very happy for you to put Chico in the field by our house for a couple of nights if we’re any use to you. We are close to Offa’s Dyke but I’m not sure how close. My address is Stabl Ucha, Pontfadog, Llangollen, LL20 7AR. We are positioned 3 miles from Chirk along the Ceiriog Valley, 1/2 a mile before you reach the village of Pontfadog. (That’s by road, just to give you an idea if you’re looking at a map). Like I say, I have no idea if we can be of help, but if we are close enough to your route you are VERY welcome to come and pitch up on our lawn and put Chico in a (pretty big) field, or there’s also space to tether him/set up your corale. We could even give you a bed if you’d like that! And we have running water.. oh the luxuries..! Have a great time and I’ll hear from you by email if you want to come and stay.

    Love Holly.

  2. Holly Thomas says:

    It’s hollyrosethomas@gmail.com, just to make sure you got that. Or 07988831332 XX

  3. HI HANNAH,

    Just a very Brief Good- luck Message,
    When are You around in Cardigan area with
    Chico ? ? Would love to lend my support
    etc. etc.
    Vick.

  4. Hi Vick, thank you! Not until October, I reckon – a long long way to go first! Hx

  5. Holly – thank you! I’ll text you now!

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