It looks like this is going to actually happen

The book The Dales Way by Colin Speakman (1994, Dalesman publishing) states that the length of the footpath from start to finish is 84 miles. However The Dales Way: A complete guide to the trail by Terry Marsh (2005, Cicerone publishing) claims that it is just 78.7 miles. This means that between 1994 and 2005 the Yorkshire Dales has shrunk by 5.3 miles. I blame global warming personally.

By my estimate, if the shrinkage continues at it’s present rate, by 2139 we should be able to walk the whole thing in just an afternoon. Plus Craig’s bad knee might have cleared up by then so he could come too. A plan with no drawbacks.

You really would have thought that the British Isles would be well enough mapped by now for people to be able to tell how far places are apart from each other. Perhaps we need to take one of those wheel thingies you use to measure distances on geography field trips so we can settle the issue once and for all. We could become famous, like Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon.

The positive response to the walk from the people I’ve asked to come along has been incredible. So far we have had a staggering total of eight people willing to develop blisters for a good cause: Myself, Dave, Oli, Paul, Mushy, Rich Bassinder, Rich Brook, and Sandip. Good eggs each and every one of them. We also have four definitely maybes: Jez, Jim, Craig and Greg.

And in case they need more persuasion, and because I left some people out of the rogues gallery on Tuesday, here are some more reasons why they should tag along.

The Yorkshire Dales is possibly the most beautiful of all England’s national parks. We will walk across magnificent limestone pavements, saunter alongside picturesque sparkling rivers, and stroll over gently rolling fields. The splendor of the countryside will only be broken by the periodic homely comfort of a village pub.

Plus you all work too damn hard. Just how many hours did you spend at work this week? Exactly. There will be no meetings where we are going. No powerpoint presentations, no driving up and down the M1 or hopping on and off planes. Sure, we’re going to have six or seven hours of walking to do each day, but we’re going to have about fourteen hours of daylight to do it in. Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

And finally there is of course the Joseph Salmon Trust. It is not perhaps the most glamorous of charities. There will be no cure for cancer, no rehoming of cute fluffy kittens, no rescuing swathes of Amazonian rainforrests. But it will help people going through one of the worst events imaginable, the loss of a child. Nothing anyone can do or say can reduce the pain of those first few days of bereavement. But hopefully together we can do something towards reducing some the burdens. Imagine the feelings of guilt if you were unable to afford a half decent funeral for your son, unable to buy a grave marker for your daughter. These are things people should not have to worry about during a time when all ability to cope crumbles.

Initially I was hopeful that we’d be able to raise a hundred pounds or so. But the sheer number and commitment of those that have agreed to participate has made me optimistic for something a whole lot bigger. We could really do some good here.

I’m planning on having a meeting in the Rat and Ratchett on Wednesday the seventh of November at 7:30. This will be to decide:

• How many days we want to spend doing it (five or six).
• The exact dates we’ll be going.
• What kind of ratio of camping/B&B’s we want.
• Sharing out some of the organization.

We need to get this sort of stuff decided as soon as possible so we can book accommodation. There’s going to be a few of us so if we leave it too late then some people might end up with nowhere to sleep.

I realize that some people won’t be able to make the meeting, but it would be great if as many people could come as possible. If you can’t attend then please let me know if you have any opinions on the above. I don’t want people to think this is going to be my project or anything, I really want it to be a group effort. Lets face it, if I’m left in charge we’ll end up walking to Dublin by mistake.

To everyone else reading this, I apologize that the blog has got sidetracked recently. Rest assured, it will return to the usual pointless banalities tomorrow.

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