Day 4 - The Best Day!
- Rhiannon Eaves
- Mar 3
- 4 min read
Hey everyone, I hope you are all doing well! Today’s post will discuss day 4 of the walk, which was my favourite day! It might have something to do with the fact that this day was only 10 miles! And also, because it was Lottie’s birthday. Lottie is Donna’s daughter and one of our dearest friends, so it made the day even more special.
We were joined by so many people on day 4. Probably the most we had across the span of the 12 days (other than the end). We had Emilia’s boyfriend and his family join, a lot of Lottie’s friends for her birthday (who all rocked up in the Walk for Pia merch which was amazing), and we had loads of mums’ friends as well.
Having such a large crew made the day feel extra special. The atmosphere was incredibly upbeat right from the start, and I think people underestimated how much having others join us would help. The core 7 of us had been through so much together, and while we leaned on each other and relied on each other for support, having others there brought a refreshing new dynamic. By the end of the day, we all became such a close-knit group.
The Walk: Short but Sweet
Because it was our shortest walk of all of them, we didn’t want to take too many breaks. The plan was always to get to the pub at the end as soon as possible and have some birthday drinks and celebrations for Lottie. So, our first break was after 5 miles, when we stopped at this café near Windsor. The best part of that break was we all got ice creams and hot chocolates and sat under a marquee for about half an hour.
The walk itself was absolutely beautiful. We followed the river for most of the route, which offered stunning views and acted as a lovely distraction from the walking. Plus, we got super lucky with the weather—it was sunny and perfect for a stroll. By the time we were on the outskirts of Windsor, we had completed about 8 miles, and everyone was on such high spirits.
One of my favourite moments was when we walked along a stretch of road, and nearly every car that passed by honked their horn or cheered us on. It was such an uplifting feeling—it just gave us another insight into how much support we actually had.
Walking through Windsor was my favourite. We walked towards the castle and through the town and it was all so beautiful. We took way too many pictures of all of us at the castle and it was a gorgeous way to end the walk.
Pub Time!
We reached the end pub pretty early in the afternoon, which meant we all decided to get drinking! Probably not the best idea after 4 days of intense walking, but we were all having too much fun! We were in the pub garden for hours but after about 2 pints of cider, I felt so tipsy! So, we ordered pizzas and chips and all just sat in the sunshine. Shoutout to Ollie who joined at the pub and brought some serious good vibes!
As the afternoon went on, the group began to shrink as people left or made their way to the hotel. By the time the evening rolled around, it was just me, Donna, Emilia, and Ed left, having a couple more drinks. When it started getting dark, we realized it was probably time to head to the hotel!
Donna and I were sharing a room that night, and neither of us could be bothered to go to dinner with everyone, because we were so tired. So, we thought we would walk to Waitrose and pick up some snacks and nibbles for dinner. We didn’t realise how hungry we were until we stepped foot into the supermarket and basically bought everything! How we managed to walk there and back, I will never know!
Back in the room, Donna ran me a much-needed bath, and once we were both clean and, in our PJs, we curled up in bed, watched Britain’s Got Talent, and ate our snacks. It was the perfect, low-key evening. Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, our friend B stopped by with some homemade carrot cake and Rice Krispies treats for the core walkers. The temptation to eat them all was very strong!
The funniest part of the evening, though, was when Dad and Uncle Fran came over for blister clinic. If you remember from Day 1, “blister clinic” was a nightly ritual where Donna would tend to everyone's blisters, and it always took place in her room. As the walk went on, Donna had more and more “clients”—but on Day 4, it was just me, Dad, and Uncle Fran. My feet were in the worst shape by then, and Dad and Donna spent about 30 minutes carefully treating each of my blisters. Honestly, it was one of those bonding moments that lives on to this day. Something I will never forget is when dad popped one of my blisters and got squirted in the face by puss! It was truly revolting but we couldn't help but laugh.
Looking back, day 4 always sticks out when I think about the walk. There are so many reasons, but the main one is that it was just so much fun. After mum passed away, I never thought I’d be able to laugh and feel genuine happiness again. But day 4, with all our loved ones at the pub, was full of joy. And it was even more special because we were walking for her. 80% of the conversations and laughs were about her, and hearing everyone talk about mum with so much love and fondness, made me realise just how lucky I am that she is my mum.
Thanks for reading this one. See you next week!
With love,
Rhiannon
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