#65 OOPS BEN, WHERE’S YOUR (WATERPROOF) TROOSERS?

Rain, rain not going away… welcome back to dreich, drookit and LEJoG Day 65 Day 65 pre-amble Back to those Scottish phrases again for this one. I guess most people will be somewhat familiar with the song ‘Donald Where’s Your Troosers‘, by Andy Stewart, from 1960. Well I certainly wasn’t until Simon Mayo started playing […]

#61 OWER DREICH AND DROOKIT

Welcome to LEJoG Day 61 – drying out slowly Day 61 pre-amble Obviously Airplane II: The Sequel isn’t as good as the original Airplane! But there are some memorable moments, of which one is the “Over Macho Grande” sequence. Watch in full (it’s under a minute) to understand the full context, but the key exchange is: […]

#60 HELLWALKING

Abandon hope all ye who enter… LEJoG Day 60 Day 60 pre-amble Most of the time I just call it walking. But yes, my hobby developed by scaling mountains and hills. So “hill walking” makes it sound slightly more challenging. In the Lake District especially, those hills and mountains are often called “fells”. And I […]

#56 A HALFWAY SERIOUS UNDERTAKING

Welcome to LEJoG Day 56, and all the best to Joyce and Colin Day 56 pre-amble The final stretch of the Pennine Way, from Byrness to Kirk Yetholm, is without doubt a serious undertaking. Trailblazer suggests that it will take 10½ to 13 hours of walking, and it includes almost a mile of vertical ascent. […]

#53 CONFESSIONS OF A NON-PURIST

Bless you all and welcome to LEJoG Day 53 Day 53 pre-amble Right, while first making it clear that I have no wish to mock Catholic sacraments… I wish to make a confession. It has been 11 walking days since my last confession. That is, since the last time I strayed from the official route […]

#48 HIGH DRINKS

Because after the amuse-bouche, the feast and the cheeseboard, you might fancy a few drinks. At the highest pub in Britain. Why not? Day 48 (Saturday 20 July 2019) Hawes to Tan Hill (16½ miles) Cumulative: 670½ miles Facts: Time on walk: 5 hours 55 minutes. Average speed: 2.79 mph. Weather: Grey, overcast; rain from […]

#47 CHEESEBOARD

Welcome to LEJoG Day 47 (Gromit) Day 47 pre-amble The third instalment in my little food analogy. After the feast you might expect a dessert, but some people (notably my uncle) go for a cheeseboard, right? Especially if they’re heading for the capital of Wensleydale… LEJoG Day 47 (Sunday 26 May 2019) Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes […]

#46 FEAST

Welcome to LEJoG Day 46 – tuck in Day 46 pre-amble Certainly the best day walk on the Pennine Way so far, and arguably the best walk of my LEJoG to date. I’d go so far as to say if you don’t enjoy this stage, you’ve no business being a distance walker. With the caveat […]

#44 THE LONG GOOD SATURDAY

Welcome to LEJoG Day 44 Day 44 pre-amble Exactly 52 weeks after another long Saturday walk, it seemed right to have a callback to Day 15. That was a long hot day, this was a long good day, here’s the reference. It’s that simple. LEJoG Day 44 (Saturday 4 May 2019) Haworth to Gargrave (19½ […]

#43 OUT ON THE RAINY, WINDY MOORS

Welcome to LEJoG Day 43, Mr Lockwood Day 43 pre-amble Let’s play charades. It’s a book. And a song. And indeed a film. First word… yeah, skip that. Second word, one syllable. Rhymes with bites, frights, tights, flights and quite a few other things. Yes, I’d be disappointed if Lionel or Una couldn’t get “Wuthering […]

#42 THE HIKER’S GUIDE

The Hiker’s Guide. I hope you find it useful. Day 42 pre-amble Not sure you need to be a hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional being to work out today’s theme from the blog post title. If you know, you know, but the answer is below. LEJoG Day 42 (Thursday 25 April 2019) – The Hiker’s Guide This must […]

#37 MY (WET) PATCH

Welcome home to LEJoG Day 37 Day 37 pre-amble Yes, this is my manor (guv’nor). Today’s route included: the classic walk from Dovedale to Milldale, which virtually everyone who’s ever visited this area has probably done at least part of, and which I’ve done more than a dozen times. a long stretch on the Tissington […]