Training diary - 2
After work last Friday, we left for the Brecon Beacons in Wales and a weekend of camping and walking. The journey down was pleasant enough and it gave us some time to discuss the challenge and fund raising ideas. En route we stopped at a service station to pick up some dinner and a few essentials for the weekend - beer, brandy, etc....
Farmer Giles was our host for the weekend and we were fortunate enough to share a field with a flock of his prized sheep. Having arrived quite late, we set up camp, had a hot chocolate, and climbed in to our sleeping bags.
We awoke on Saturday morning to a cold, damp, grey day. A cooker was lit for a cup of coffee and some porridge (definitely not a favourite of Tav and Anton!) before we set off for our walk at around 9 o’clock. The day was relatively uneventful. The low hanging clouds and rain denied us the spectacular views we were hoping to see and to pass the time away, games like "Would you rather...." and "Guess the number of sheep...." were played. And as it turns out, Tim would rather have a completely square head, than have lips so big they almost cover his eyes!???
We arrived back at the farm shortly after nightfall. We dropped off our day-bags and headed straight to the local pub for dinner and a few well-deserved pints after an 8 hour walk. However, the only pub in Llanbedr was hosting all the locals for an evening of 6-nations rugby so after one drink we decided to try our luck in the next town - the metropolis known as Crickhowell. In the hotel, we were treated to a splendid meal, accompanied with a warm log fire and a few cold pints. After dinner we discussed tent routines for an hour or so and then with heavy eyelids, went back to the comfort and warmth of our tent!
Sunday brought much better weather and after we had some breakfast and coffee, and packed the car, we went back to Crickhowell to walk along the canal. While we walked we discussed the race, planned further training weekends and played more of those silly games! It was a shortened day for us and at about 1 o’clock we were on the road back to London.
All in all, it was a successful weekend. It gave us some crucial bonding time and the chance to discuss aspects of the challenge in detail. We are now looking forward to the medical day in Reading on Sunday 20th February and a possible long weekend of cross-country skiing in Norway at the beginning of March.
