25th – 29th May 2012
Below are notes from a diary which I kept while me (Simon) and my dad (David) undertook the Two Moors Walk in memory of my sister Dr. Jenny Bucknell.
The Two Moors Walk is a hiking journey across Exmoor and Dartmoor over some pretty unforgiving terrain; and is just over 106 miles, assuming you don’t add any by taking wrong turns!
We raised money by going out around local businesses to raise awareness and collect, while also using Facebook and family and friends. I’m into Track Racing, so I also managed to raise around £500 on our Honda forum thanks to generous fellow members. In total we raised £3200.
Day 1
Today has been a bit of a shock to the system, with both of us setting off carrying 35kg each, consisting of camping equipment, lots of water and an abundance of food to keep us going until the first rendezvous point.
We soon came up against our first obstacle, which highlighted the fact we had done no training – a long steep hill, where we had to adjust our backpacks accordingly and contend with the searing heat, as it seemed we had picked the only week of summer where the sun was out.
We have done well today, covering approximately 20 miles while stopping for food and much needed breaks, and not to mention collecting some pictures of the near perfect scenery. Now an early night to prepare for day 2!
Day 2
It’s been a hard day today. We ended up hiking from 8:00am all the way up until 9:30pm! We struggled to find a suitable spot to pitch our tent for the night, so had to drag ourselves further along the route in order to find somewhere flat enough.
We’ve been up against strong side winds today while making our way up Dartmoor. We reckon the gusts were about 50mph, but the worst thing was that they were side winds and due to the size of our bags we were constantly trying to stop ourselves from being spun around! This took it’s toll on Dad, as later on he was complaining of pain in his hip – which makes him sound old but was just down to the fact we were fighting to walk straight. On the upside though, we have covered over 22 miles!
Day 3
It’s been another grading day, still the same persistent searing heat, and still as much to carry. Unfortunately, we got lost today – well, it was probably my fault! We were following a stream and followed it too far so ended up coming out on the wrong road, which meant we had covered an extra 2 miles. This was worsened by the fact it was so hot, and the gradients were near vertical!
When we eventually got to a place called Chagford, we found we were a bit out of our depth walking through a very upmarket town with huge back packs in search of food. Even the local Spar was posh, we couldn’t have stuck out any more!
An old sporting injury popped up today, so I now am having to walk with a limp to match Dad’s.
Also, we took another wrong turn today. However, it was somebody else’s fault as a kind landowner had cut down the sign we were looking for, which happened to be right on the edge of our map too. Thankfully a kind local pointed us in the right direction.
Day 4
Today has by far been the worst day due to large rocks to clamber over and still the same persistent heat. The blisters on my feet have become too painful to ignore, along with every other ache and pain! I’m not very good company when trying to deal with tiredness and the added aches. I realised too, that with all this time just walking I’m thinking too much and getting quite down in the process.
Despite all of this, we reached a place called Withypool. We nearly had to crawl down the last hill as our heels don’t feel like they are part of us anymore.
We still kept the pace today and got another 22 miles notched off of the total – so not bad considering we didn’t do any training.
Day 5
After all of the hard work we have done the previous days, today we only – I say ‘only’ – had to cover 19 miles to get to the end. This consisted of two very steep climbs and more clambering over hard uneven ground, which put even more strain on our weak and battered ankles.
Despite the pain we battled on, fuelled by adrenalin and the thought of what we were doing this for. The end was now in sight.
At 4:25pm, after descending, then ascending, then descending again, we made it into Lynmouth – the finishing point where all the pain paid off. It has all been worthwhile due to the money everyone has do kindly donated. We completed the 106 mile journey in just short of 5 days.
When we signed the book at the finish, it was clear to see just how well we had done. Other entries in the book previous to ours all saying they had done it in 8 or more days, while staying in accommodation rather than carrying it!
Absolutely over the moon with how fast we managed to do it, just hope Jen would be proud.
Simon Bucknell
