Dressed to Impress

Today we received our Walking4Barney T-shirts courtesy of Shirley Gittoes at www.tgag.co.uk , thank you Shirley.

Unfortunately our Adonis like figures don't do them full justice but they certainly do the job. You can't see on this photo but they are all personalised on the back with our names and proud relationship to Barney i.e. "Martin - Barney's Daddy" all the way down to "Ellie - Barney's Sister" and not forgetting "Sean - Team Magician" ... don't ask long & expensive story!

Death of a Support Vehicle

Driving the walk seems to have scared our trusty Volvo estate to death. She hasn't been too well recently but we encountered proverbial straw that broke her back, well turbo actually! Which has left us with a major problem with no support car for the walk.


However, we have been saved by the fantastic donation of a 7 seater by Enterprise rent-a-car. Special thanks to Kate Wigglesworth for sorting it all out for us, we are very very grateful, especially Suzanne as she would have been walking with us carrying all the kit!


Throughout the planning of this event we have hit hurdles in getting help from organisations due to their "policies on charities" we are very grateful to organisations like Enterprise and Premier Travel Inn who have provided great support for us at a local loevel without being dictated to by HO policies. Thank you.

Still a long way!

Yesterday saw another drive along the route to make sure it still exists and my diversions around some of the earlier identified treacherous stretches weren't as equally as perilous. It was nice to drop in on the hotels on route Dormy House in Bourne (thank you Shirley) and the Premier Travel Inns at Norman Cross, St Neots, Stevenage and South Mimms.

Day 1 (14th June) - is still very hilly and anyone familiar with Somerby Hill, Grantham will be feeling our pain, one and a half mile of seemingly vertical climb. But passing through some lovely villages with very inviting pubs (much to Sean's delight).
Day 2 - Long trek down the A15 to Peterborough very busy road with minimal pavement, fairly perilous first few miles. Then my nemesis, getting into Peterborough, with two different A15's it makes it very confusing, hopefully at walking speed we will be more successful in going the right way!
Day 3 - Fairly straight forward day nothing too dangerous to note haven't investigate Huntingdon entirely due to the oneway/ringroad system but thankfully on foot not an issue.
Day 4 - No matter what I tried for this leg it is still as long and boring via any route! With no major towns to pass and no ability to collect (licensing issues) in the few we do it will be a long day! But I hope a few pit stops will keep the spirits up.
Day 5 - Probably the best day as we pass almost directly from one town to another from Stevenage to Welwyn to Hatfiled so much more interaction with people. Thanks to the Galleria in Hatfield the Bear and helpers will be stationed there most of the day collecting as we trudge past. Then the evening will see the entire team descending on South Mimms Services thanks to the Welcome Break guys.
Day 6 - I have no idea on this route we shall save this surprise for the 19th June... we like a challenge!

If you find yourself at a loose end please pop along to see us all company will be warmly received (especially if accompanied by food/drink!!!) This LINK will take you to a page containing maps and a detailed itinerary with estimated timing along the route. We look forward to seeing you a couple of miles walk will do you good!!!

Message from Sands

Neal Long, Sands Director says:

“To undertake the equivalent of 6 marathons in 6 days is a truly remarkable feat, and we wish Martin and his team the best of luck. Walking4Barney is a tremendous tribute to Martin’s son Barney and the funds raised will help us here at Sands continue to support the many families across the UK tragically affected by the loss of their much loved babies.”

(Issued as part of the W4B Press Release)

Melia Publishing Services

We'd like to say a big thank you to Terry Melia of Melia Publishing Services for his generous donation of £150.

We know Sands will ensure all funds received as part of the Walk will be used directly for research projects.

Teddy Bears Picnic

If you go down to the woods today...

On the 5th June Dappledown House Nursery, Honington will be holding a Teddy Bears Picnic for their children in aid of Walking 4 Barney, we'd like to thank Louise Hotson for her kind offer to arrange and host the picnic. I will be making a guest appearance as "Barney Bear" with Suzanne.

Lets hope not too many run away screaming like our son Rohan did up until about 4 weeks ago when the mascot arrived. If you have any children also petrified of people dressed as animals let us know and we can lend Barney for "Face your Phobia" therapy sessions!

Route Itinerary, Maps and Photos

We now have a page that provides details of the walk with detailed itineraries, maps and photos along with other useful information. http://www.babybarney.org.uk/w4bdocs.html

Boredom

Walking, as pointed out by Sean in the last post, can be extremely boring. The scenery doesn't change quickly enough to keep your interest as you wander aimlessly around the countryside or city streets.


However, it became even more boring since I took delivery of my treadmill to extend my daily distance without spending more than my usual 15 hours a day out of the house.
I now complete my 12 miles looking at a plain white wall scenery that doesn't change at all, other than spotting all those bits I missed when painting a few weeks back! But at least you don't get idiots stopping dead in front of you as you "power" along the street!



I have, therefore, been forced (necessity being the mother etc.) to invent the "Notboredwalkinganymore3000" that is until I have exhausted my DVD collection, but there are copious amounts of Tweenies and Sponge Bob in the playroom!

Happy wanderin' and enjoy those audio books Sean!

Training Update

OK.... so I am steadily increasing my distances and am up to around 6 or 7 miles at a single go (hey, I came in late to this!). Should be around the 10 mile mark by next weekend so I'm fairly hopeful that the distance shouldn't be a problem, I just get bored with it all!

Even with an MP3 audiobook on the go, I find myself getting distracted... maybe that's how joggers get started? They start off as walkers and just start running to get the blasted distance done!

Oh - and I've found that my flippin' jeans keep falling down, so I have to hike 'em up every 50 yards or so. Of course, I'd like to put this down to my continuing fitness regime and dedication to honing my physique but it's more likely to be a simple case of cheap, ill-fitting clothes from Burtons. I would just like to reassure my fellow walkers that this paricular issue will be well and truly sorted by the time we embark on the walk.....