So this is it. The moment is upon me. I leave tomorrow on the 1.27pm train from Sheffield to London, from there to Paris and from Paris on the night train to Hendaye, arriving at my starting point around 7am on Tuesday the 5th of August from where the walk will begin in earnest.
I cannot describe the feelings of anxiety and stress which I have right now. The bag is packed, passport and tickets are all here and safe, I am set.
We have raised £189.10, meaning a gift aid supplement has been received of £42.05. At £150 I sent off the forms for Atos Healthcare to double the sponsorship received, meaning the grand total to day stands at £381.15! This is a great achivement and way past any expectations I had to begin with of how much we could raise. Well done and thank you to everyone who has donated and is still planning to do so.
I really don't know how easy it will be to stay in touch and update my blog while I'm out there so please, don't worry if there are periods where you don't hear anything. I will be keeping a journal and will update the facebook group and this blog when ever I get the chance.
Well what more is there to say. I will be thinking about everybody here and I already look forward to the next time we all meet when I get back, so keep the beer cold. Goodbye for now.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Getting Nervous
Well the tickets are here, the maps are here. The passport isn't but hopefully will be as I only sent it off to get renewed 2 weeks ago! Disorganized or what? I have now handed my notice in at work. My last day will be Thursday 24/07/2008. I will really miss Atos Healthcare, where I've been for 4 years, I have made some of the best friends of my life there, but it is time for pastures new and I must not have any regrets.
From reading www.walkingthepyrenees.blogspot.com, I see the weather is improving (If you can call, it getting incredibly hot, improving!) Some of their way has been blocked by avalanches, snow and washed away bridges so I will have to see if these have been cleared when I get out there. It sounds like they're having an adventure anyway.
Good luck to Colin and company, I can't wait to trace their steps.
From reading www.walkingthepyrenees.blogspot.com, I see the weather is improving (If you can call, it getting incredibly hot, improving!) Some of their way has been blocked by avalanches, snow and washed away bridges so I will have to see if these have been cleared when I get out there. It sounds like they're having an adventure anyway.
Good luck to Colin and company, I can't wait to trace their steps.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
The facebook page so far!
Thank you so so much to Henry for being my first sponsor! And also to Chris for paying for my ticket from Paris to Hendaye. I really do appreciate it. Please follow there example and be generous. Even if you can only spare £1 it is all for a good cause.It has just been confirmed that I will be appearing on BBC Radio Sheffield at 11.30am on Saturday 17/05/2008 to talk about the trek and try to raise more sponsors for Sustrans. This is very nerve racking as I was not expecting much of a response when I e-mailed the local radio stations but it is also a great opportunity which I cannot pass up on. I will only be on for about 10 minutes but please listen in.Big news! The company I work for, Atos Healthcare, have now confirmed that they will match sponsorship to the charity Sustrans up to £200!This means that until and if we reach £200, for every £1 you donate via the www.justgiving.com/davidbryan website, Atos Healthcare will donate £1. Please think about this, it is great support from Atos so please take advantage of it.Well there we go, I've been on the radio. The worst part was listening to the tape of it afterwards and realising I said 2500 degrees instead of meters! At least that's out of the way now and hopefully will help to raise awarness and sponsership. Please let me know what you thought of the interview and listen to it again tomorrow on http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/radio_sheffield/I have recently found somebody else who is doing the walk. He began on Sunday the 24th of May meaning he should be back before I leave. It will be interesting to find out what he encounters on his journey. Please read his blog here: http://walkingthepyrenees.blogspot.com/One thing it does state in his blog is that walking the Pyrenees is the equivalent assent to climbing Everest 4 times!Walking the Gr11 is almost equivalent to climbing Snowdon everyday!Speaking of which I am planning a hike in North Wales to help me train and prepare. Lasting 4 days and averaging 10 miles a day from Friday the 4th of July to Monday the 7th. If any one is interested in joining me, please let me know and we can begin organising it.
Saturday, 17 May 2008
BBC Radio Sheffield
Well today I had a live interview with Howard Pressman on Radio Sheffield. After being fed some of the nicest vegetarian food I have ever tasted, I had a 10 minute interview. I thought it went ok although there were a few ums and arrs and I managed to say degrees instead of meters!
It was an excellent opportunity to have been given by the BBC and followed letters and e-mails I had sent out to the local radio stations, papers and equipment and medicine suppliers. The response from the rest of these has been fairly low as most already have designated charities which they will sponsor. I have realised that it is harder to get support if the charity you are doing this for is a relatively unknown one and one which people do not realise effects them directly.
I chose Sustrans because they are one charity who are trying to tackle one of the bigger issues facing our society, the fact that oil will soon run out and climate change will soon be unchangeable, an issue which people have a real tendency to simply ignore. We need to start walking instead of driving and get on our bikes, even in the winter. And we really need to make an effort if we are going to make a difference.
When I was in school I remember a teacher telling me that it would be my generation who it fell to to sort out the mess that the previous generations had made. What he told me was correct and that time is upon us. It's down to us, so lets not follow in our predecessors footsteps. We must sort this out now.
Since my last post, my employer's Atos Healthcare, have agreed to match any sponsorship raised, up to £200. This is a great boost to my cause and I greatly welcome their support. So please take advantage of this and follow the link to www.justgiving.com/davidbryan where you can donate and keep in mind that if you give £5 Atos will give £5. It all makes a difference.
It was an excellent opportunity to have been given by the BBC and followed letters and e-mails I had sent out to the local radio stations, papers and equipment and medicine suppliers. The response from the rest of these has been fairly low as most already have designated charities which they will sponsor. I have realised that it is harder to get support if the charity you are doing this for is a relatively unknown one and one which people do not realise effects them directly.
I chose Sustrans because they are one charity who are trying to tackle one of the bigger issues facing our society, the fact that oil will soon run out and climate change will soon be unchangeable, an issue which people have a real tendency to simply ignore. We need to start walking instead of driving and get on our bikes, even in the winter. And we really need to make an effort if we are going to make a difference.
When I was in school I remember a teacher telling me that it would be my generation who it fell to to sort out the mess that the previous generations had made. What he told me was correct and that time is upon us. It's down to us, so lets not follow in our predecessors footsteps. We must sort this out now.
Since my last post, my employer's Atos Healthcare, have agreed to match any sponsorship raised, up to £200. This is a great boost to my cause and I greatly welcome their support. So please take advantage of this and follow the link to www.justgiving.com/davidbryan where you can donate and keep in mind that if you give £5 Atos will give £5. It all makes a difference.
Monday, 28 April 2008
Preperation.
I now have myself a new bag, new waterproof jacket, new boots, a tent, sleeping bag, wind up torch and the guide book arrived today, 1 month after I ordered it. "Through the Spanish Pyrenees: GR11" By Paul Lucia. I have heard that this book is not 100% accurate and I will not be souly relying on it. I have found a 1:250,000 OS map covering the entire route but still need to find some 1:40,000 or 1:25,000 which I would be able to take with me and hopefully use to plan a route with.
I have now e-mailed my brother in Orleans to ask for his help in organizing transport to Hendaye and back from Cadaques. It will soon be 3 months from the date I plan to depart. If I book train tickets soon then I should be able to get a cheap fare. I must soon create a facebook group and a charity page at www.justgiving.com and start the drive to raise sponsors for Sustrans and I think this will be the next step. By doing so will also mean effectively handing my notice in at work although I have already discussed this with my team leader, it may be news to the boss and everyone else.
One more problem to solve is that of food. The way I see it there are 3 options; One person I have heard of simply carried bread and cheese with them on the walks and only ate cooked food while staying at places. This could be done as bread and cheese would provide pleanty of carbohydrates and would also be easy to carry and prepare, however I intend to do some wild camping and could not rely on finding somewhere to eat properly very often. The second option is to carry a camping stove and things like sausage and beans or boil in the bag paster etc. This would be filling and not to difficult to prepare however a camping stove would add to my weight and fuel could be difficult to get hold of in places. The other option is military style ration packs which contain a light weight cooker with them and provide everything a person can need during a day or even longer in an emergency. These are large however and could take up a lot of space. It would not be possible to carry many days food at a time and replacing them could be difficult along the way as they are difficult to get hold of unless ordered. It is a problem I shall give some thought and do more research into.
I have now e-mailed my brother in Orleans to ask for his help in organizing transport to Hendaye and back from Cadaques. It will soon be 3 months from the date I plan to depart. If I book train tickets soon then I should be able to get a cheap fare. I must soon create a facebook group and a charity page at www.justgiving.com and start the drive to raise sponsors for Sustrans and I think this will be the next step. By doing so will also mean effectively handing my notice in at work although I have already discussed this with my team leader, it may be news to the boss and everyone else.
One more problem to solve is that of food. The way I see it there are 3 options; One person I have heard of simply carried bread and cheese with them on the walks and only ate cooked food while staying at places. This could be done as bread and cheese would provide pleanty of carbohydrates and would also be easy to carry and prepare, however I intend to do some wild camping and could not rely on finding somewhere to eat properly very often. The second option is to carry a camping stove and things like sausage and beans or boil in the bag paster etc. This would be filling and not to difficult to prepare however a camping stove would add to my weight and fuel could be difficult to get hold of in places. The other option is military style ration packs which contain a light weight cooker with them and provide everything a person can need during a day or even longer in an emergency. These are large however and could take up a lot of space. It would not be possible to carry many days food at a time and replacing them could be difficult along the way as they are difficult to get hold of unless ordered. It is a problem I shall give some thought and do more research into.
Monday, 21 April 2008
The idea.
Working in a very boring and yet stressful office job and craving adventure and escape, I began to save up some money in October 2007 with the intent of getting away for sometime in the summer and finding a new job when I return.
About a month ago I began to seriously look into this. What would fulfill my passions for hiking, the countryside, photography, writing and at the same time allow me to help raise awareness of the depletion of oil and climate change? The idea of an epic journey around Europe seemed like the perfect chance and I began my research around the end of March.
After reading the inspirational blog of Iain Purdie, who walked 1000 miles across Europe and raised over £2000 for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, I knew that a long trek was what I was going to do.
I spent several nights reading blogs, journals, guide books and studying maps and Google Earth before I read about Barrie Fairhurst and his journey across the GR11 trail. I have since been in touch with both of these people and thank them so much for their advice so far.
The GR11 is a trail running from the Atlantic on the West of the Spanish Pyrenees to the Mediterranean on the East side, a distance of around 450 miles.
It is my intent to walk the route's entire length in the months of August and September 2008 and raise money for the charity Sustrans which promotes sustainable transport and raises awareness of climate change and the depletion of oil recourses. From now on I will document my efforts in organizing and then walking the GR11. Please watch this space.
About a month ago I began to seriously look into this. What would fulfill my passions for hiking, the countryside, photography, writing and at the same time allow me to help raise awareness of the depletion of oil and climate change? The idea of an epic journey around Europe seemed like the perfect chance and I began my research around the end of March.
After reading the inspirational blog of Iain Purdie, who walked 1000 miles across Europe and raised over £2000 for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, I knew that a long trek was what I was going to do.
I spent several nights reading blogs, journals, guide books and studying maps and Google Earth before I read about Barrie Fairhurst and his journey across the GR11 trail. I have since been in touch with both of these people and thank them so much for their advice so far.
The GR11 is a trail running from the Atlantic on the West of the Spanish Pyrenees to the Mediterranean on the East side, a distance of around 450 miles.
It is my intent to walk the route's entire length in the months of August and September 2008 and raise money for the charity Sustrans which promotes sustainable transport and raises awareness of climate change and the depletion of oil recourses. From now on I will document my efforts in organizing and then walking the GR11. Please watch this space.
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