This week, I give one of my semi-regular updates on preparing to walk Hadrian’s Wall as we pass an important (to me) milestone. 

Apologies for the lack of a podcast this week. A scheduling snafu meant we didn’t have an episode to release this week. But it’s been a busy week, and I now have 4 podcasts in the can with more due to be recorded in the coming weeks. We’ll be hitting episode 100 in just a few weeks!

Highlights from the member forum this week:

This week, I passed a somewhat important milestone. 100 days until I leave for my trip to Britain to walk Hadrian’s Wall. My lifelong dream is almost here. Am I ready? Absolutely not. Will I be ready? Maybe.

I’m an optimist!

Training has been going well. I’ve been walking most days; last week, I even managed to take a long walk in the rain to test my waterproof fortitude (lesson learned: I need better waterproof gear). Weekends are for long walks, as that’s when I have the most time to do one. However, according to my training schedule, I need to start adding a mid-week long walk (e.g., 4+ miles).

I’m still not where I should be with distance. Knowing that the kids’ summer vacation starts soon, and what I have on the docket for work for the next few months to be able to leave for a few weeks in August, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be distance-ready before I start the walk properly. It matters that I walk as often as possible, and then get up the next day to do it. I will be pushing myself in August, but that’s the point! If this were easy, everyone would do it!

The good news is that my health his imporving massively. I don’t mean to brag, but the weight is melting off as I seem to have found a balance between diet and exercise. I’m snoring less at night (Mrs. Anglotopia is pleased) and in general, I feel so much better. I need new trousers! I’m starting to wonder if all the hiking gear I got for Christmas will actually fit come August.

Next weekend, I plan to attempt my longest walk yet. I’ve found a trail nearby that runs from Niles, Michigan, to South Bend, Indiana, that’s ten miles long. It’s a former railway line converted into a leisurely trail. It so happens that the end of the trail is near my favorite approximation of an Irish pub. A steak and Guinness pie will be motivating me the whole ten miles!

Most of my daily walks have been on the streets around my house with my dog, Hudson. I’ve finally gotten comfortable enough to wear my AirPods, and I continue my quest to listen to This Sceptered Isle while I walk. I’m up to the Hanoverians, so I’m closer to the end of this iconic radio series than I am to the beginning. Though there are several ‘sequel’ series to get through.

Yesterday, I also watched a one-hour show about walking Hadrian’s Wall hosted by Robson Green. He’s done the walk before in other shows, so this one was a quick one on the walk, as in the series, he goes around the world and samples the ‘greatest walks.’ I say sample, because thanks to TV editing and the way they’ve clearly filmed it, he did not actually walk the whole wall. I was annoyed they didn’t even show the bits in Newcastle. It was interesting enough, but I was a little disappointed. The show is called ‘World’s Most Amazing Walks with Robson Green.’ It’s streaming on the BBC Select streaming service if you’re interested.

Also, in the last week, I came across a chap on Instagram who is walking the entire 600+ mile South West Coast Path in England, and documenting it with a daily reel (the walk usually takes three months with daily walking). His name is Sam Cully; you can view his profile here. His videos are quick and show a lot of beautiful scenery. He’s mostly camping at camp sites along the walk, occasionally staying in hotels. He’s raising funds for charity while he walks, and people have been very supportive, leaving him bags with snacks in them along the path. His reels are also giving me a lot of ideas on how I will document my own walk in August.

Walking Hadrian’s Wall isn’t just a personal goal for me; it’s also important for the business that is Anglotopia. My walk is being sponsored by Macs Adventure, so they need to see a return, and I’m hopefully very close to landing an additional sponsor for the 10-episode podcast series I plan to release. So, while I’m walking, I’ll be recording everything I can along the way, but I’m still figuring out timelines on releases and all that. There’s something to be said for releasing stuff while I’m actually walking to generate hype (the trained marketer that I am can’t NOT consider this aspect), but I’m also aware that I will be pushing my body in ways I never have anymore. I’m not sure if I’ll have the energy or will to edit reels and podcasts when I get to my hotel every night and crash. 

So, for now, I think my plan is to release bits and bobs while I’m walking as time allows and then plan to edit and release things properly when I get back. There will be months of new content (possibly years, I was releasing new content from our last trip more than a year after it took place!) At the end of the day, the social media algorithms won’t care when I actually release the stuff, and I don’t post anymore for them; I post for all of you. 

I also need to think long and hard about the gear I’ll be bringing with me. I have a ‘proper’ big camera for pictures, plus video equipment, microphones, etc. I’m conscious that any gear I need I’ll have to carry with me. That’s easy enough on a walk a few miles long. But carrying a full-sized camera and lens, a tripod, plus battery banks, a separate video camera, and my phone for 12 miles… doesn’t appeal. But then the pictures I take are the ‘bread and butter’ of Anglotopia. I’ve thought about investing in a smaller camera, but with less than 100 days to go, and quite a bit to still pay for related to the trip, I doubt I’ll have funds to invest in more equipment. Don’t worry, though, I’ll have a plan in place before I leave!

Personally, I’m getting really, really excited. This goal has been off in the distance for so long; it’s wonderful that it’s less than 100 days away. I’ve avoided getting buried deep into all the guidebooks, but now it’s time to really get reading, study the maps, and get my mind mentally there. I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am to soon be in England, walking in the countryside and exploring new places. I haven’t been to Britain since October 2024, which for me is far too long. I need to finalize the plans for the ‘rest’ of the trip. Once I finish the walk, I have another week in Britain before returning home, most of which hasn’t been planned in detail, as a lot of it was up in the air (splitting the time between Yorkshire and London). Time to start nailing down places and dates. 

Thank you for following along. We have so much more to go!