Day 11 – The Best Surprise!

Hey everyone, can’t believe I am already talking about day 11 and we are nearly at the end! It has been so much fun reminiscing about one of the best but most difficult times in my life. Day 11 was definitely one of the highlights, and I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact we were almost done… well, maybe just a little! We also had the best surprise we could have asked for, but I will talk more about that later.

For this day, we were joined by all our regulars—Gaynor, Alanna, Laetitia, Pernille—and also by the whole Hansen clan, including 10-year-old Alfred, our friend Bronwyn from Dubai, and some family from Wales, including Auntie Nicola (Kev’s wife) and our cousins Tasha and Sophie. It was the perfect group to help us push through and get even closer to Barry. By this point, many of us were seriously fatigued, and some were nursing injuries. But with only two days left, nothing was going to stop us, and having such an amazing team with us made all the difference.

You might think that, since we were nearing the end, the mileage would get easier—but nope, that was not the case! Day 11 was a solid 21.7 miles, and by the end, the core seven of us were really looking forward to not having to walk again for a while!

We kicked off the day in the best way possible. We all met in the hotel lobby in Newport, full of energy, and as soon as we stepped outside to begin, Tom (in classic Tom style) had our walk anthem blasting, lifting our spirits. Not only that, but he also had a couple of bottles of prosecco to get us started! So, with a slight skip in our step, we set off.

The walk was stunning—I'm not just saying this because I’m from Wales…, but honestly, it was one of my favourite days in terms of scenery. Maybe it was the familiarity of it all, but I loved every minute. That said, I was in immense pain! My feet had swollen up terribly, and I had lost count of the number of blisters I had. On top of that, my groin was absolutely killing me. But I wasn’t alone in the pain department—everyone was struggling. Emilia had hurt her knee, Donna had an ankle that was double the size of the other, and both dad and Fran were nursing terrible blisters!

But we refused to let the pain get to us. By this point, dad was on a mission to finish, and out of nowhere, he picked up speed and zoomed ahead of all of us! I stayed behind with Fran and Paola, adopting the “slow and steady wins the race” mindset.

At our first break, we found a lovely park to rest in, and there, we were met by Tom with fizzy drinks and sweets, as always! During this break, I called my cousin Loz because she always knows how to cheer me up. She told me she had a surprise for me and after we hung up, I got a video from her—Sam Warburton, sending us good luck for the final leg of the walk! For anyone who doesn’t know, my dad is the biggest Welsh rugby fan, and that means Emilia and I are too! Sam Warburton is one of our favourite players, so receiving a message from him gave us all the biggest boost to finish the day strong.

Sam!

After that break, and with all of us beaming with joy thanks to Loz (who knows Sam’s brother-in-law), we set off again. With about 5 miles to lunch, we thought the next couple of hours would be a breeze, but we were quickly proven wrong.

We took a few wrong turns, which led us through a dodgy area of Wales, and it was here that the injuries got worse—especially for Emilia, whose knee was really acting up. Those who know my sister know she’s not one to complain, so when she said she needed to sit down on the side of a random street, we knew it was serious! Me, Pernille, and Gaynor stayed behind with her because we didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in such an area. After a short rest, Emilia got up with pure determination in her eyes and charged ahead to catch up with the others for the lunch break. Her resilience truly inspired me that day—she’s my rock, and even in a moment of pain, she was still so strong.

When we finally reached the lunch spot, everyone else was already there, and we immediately started tending to our injuries. Emilia got a knee brace, and Gaynor and Donna helped tape up my groin, while we also tried to manage Donna’s massive ankle.

Despite the pain, the day turned around when Tom shared one of the funniest stories from the whole walk. Unfortunately, none of us were there to see it unfold, but apparently, Tom went to get his hair cut in Splott (a random place to get a trim, right?). When he finished, he realized he had no cash to pay the barber and ended up negotiating two bottles of beer from the back of his car as payment! Only Tom and only in Splott would something like that happen. That story had us all in stitches.

We pressed on, but after the break, I realized my groin and knee had seized up badly. Klara, being the best friend for 24 years, came to my rescue. She knew exactly how to motivate me: Disney! We shared headphones and queued up a Disney playlist. For about 3 miles, we belted out songs from Frozen, Tangled, and so many others, turning the walk into a mini party! Emilia, Mathilde, and Bronwyn joined in, making it an unforgettable moment. So, thank you, Klara!

With about 2 miles to go, we passed a big Sainsbury’s and decided we deserved some tinnies! Emilia, Mathilde, and Jan went in and came back with bags full of alcohol—classic! They brought tinned cocktails, Prosecco, and wine, and we drank our way through the final 45 minutes of the walk around Cardiff Bay.

As we neared the hotel, Emilia, dad and I were unexpectedly pushed to the front of the group. We had no idea why until we turned a corner and saw the hotel, and our nearest and dearest were standing outside! They’d made us a huge sign and were all cheering and crying. It was such a beautiful surprise, and honestly, it was probably just as emotional as the last day because we had no idea they’d be there. I went straight to Loz and burst into tears on her shoulder, and then Alex, my best friend, appeared, which just made the waterworks flow even more. It was the best feeling in the world, and it reminded us of how incredibly lucky we are to have such amazing support.

That night, I shared a room with Alex, and it was just the best. She gave me a massage because I was sore beyond belief, and being a future doctor, she took great care of my blisters. We went down to dinner, and baskets of bread were all over the table—a very carb-heavy meal to refuel!

Ending the day surrounded by loved ones was so special, and we were all buzzing knowing we had just one day left. The last day was an absolute whirlwind of emotion, and I can’t wait to talk about it next week.

Stay tuned!

With love,

Rhiannon