I started walking the South Downs Way, with Domino my Cocker Spaniel, from Winchester to Eastbourne on Friday. The 105 mile walk is in aid of my charity Wessex Heartbeat and specifically for Heartbeat House. The house provides a conformable and supportive home right next door to the Cardiac Unit at Southampton General Hospital for the relatives of people being treated for heart conditions. The reason for choosing this particular part of our services is due to a conversation I had with a guest only a couple of weeks ago. She told me that they live on the Isle of Wight and that without Heartbeat House she could not be with her husband as they could not afford the daily ferry crossings. I don’t thing I need to say anything more.
The first day from King Alfred’s statue in the heart of the capital of Wessex, very symbolic for Wessex Heartbeat, to Exton was about 13 miles and went through some stunning scenery and iconic hamlets. For this first leg I was accompanied by a cohort of staff from Domino’s Pizza. My dog is called Domino as she is black with one white spot and Domino’s Pizza are sponsoring her! It was a glorious start to the walk with two excellent pubs on route. I don’t think I can expect that from now on.
Yesterday I was not able to walk as Wessex Heartbeat had its first Dragon Boat Race day on Southampton Water. What a great event, lots of fun. I was impressed with the speed of some of the boats and the great team names such as Skipper Heartbeat and Dragon Hearts. Unfortunately for Domino’s paws and my feet we have to make up the distance today, walking from Exton climbing Old Winchester Hill, HMS Mercury and over to Buster Hill. I then need to sneak through the border guards in to West Sussex and home ground. I think that from there I will climb onto the Ridge Way and over Harting Down. By then I should have cover around 18 miles and have Beacon Hill looming up in front of me. If I make it alright I can have a little rest with the ancient dead on the Devils Jump before the final sprint to the Cocking Gap. All in all I’ll have to cover about 25 miles and my feet feel sore in anticipation!
If you’d like to help my fundraising efforts, I promise that there will not be any photos of blistered feet at the end, please visit my site www.justgiving.com/dcfmyers
No comments:
Post a Comment