h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This year a friend and I took part in Walk the Wight, a 26.5 very hilly mile walk across the Island from Bembridge in the East to the Needles in the West, which it claims is the biggest sponsored walk of its kind in Europe. It certainly was busy, with groups of walkers stretched and snaking all along the spine of the Island – I'm sure that the number of traffic lights on the Island must have tripled as every road the route crossed had a set of temporary traffic lights installed to aid walkers.

There were a number of walks as well as the full 26.5 mile walk, with two half-distance routes (Bembridge to Carisbrooke or Carisbroooke to the Needles), a child-friendly 4-mile walk from Freshwater to the Needles, the flat wheelchair and pushchair route (Sandown to Newport – some felt that using a mobility scooter on a sponsored walk count as cheating, but if it raises money for charity and gets people out and about, why not?) with many schools doing their own bit from walking round the school's playing field for the youngest children to full-on cross country routes.

My friend was very keen to take part as it is in aid of the Island's hospice, which is where his father died last year. He had been worried he might not be able to take part due to being quite ill at the start of the week, but aside from a few coughing fits and rest stops made the distance with only a few plasters. As the walk is along the Island's spine, it was predominantly chalk that we were walking on, which is not the kindest or most comfortable surface.

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I know what you mean about walking on chalk. After a while you start scanning the horizon and realise there isn't a blackboard in sight.

Congrats on this IoW achievement!

To paraphrase the Proclaimers:

And I would walk 26½ miles
But I won't walk a footstep more
I'll collect the medal for walking 26½ miles
And blag a lift back to my door

Bloomin' blisters!
Bloomin' blisters!
Aching ankles, Achilles, toes, heel, calf and knee.
Bloomin' blisters! (Bloomin' blisters!)
Bloomin' blisters! (Bloomin' blisters!)
Aching ankles, Achilles, toes, heel, calf and knee.

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And he does this for fun!

It's the warm up for the next challenge – run the 19.6 miles from the Island's northernmost point, Egypt Point, to the southernmost point, St Catherine's Point.

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Well everyone can see the "point" of that