Day 8: The Longest Walk Yet!

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Apologies for the emotional post last week, but we're back to normal now, and today I’ll be talking about day 8 of the walk!

Day 8 turned out to be our longest day yet, covering 23.4 miles. While the distance was tough, it was also one of the most fun days we’ve had. However, there were some awful terrains to walk on, but I will get onto that later.

The group we had for day 8 was so much fun! We had the core 7 of us (minus Kevs as he was sadly still recovering!), and Ed, Pernille, Gaynor and Alanna (mum’s friend) joined us. It was another day of a small group of walkers, but we all bonded so much, and the day seemed to fly by because of it!

Before we even set off, Dad and I had to make a quick pit stop at the podiatrist to get our blisters sorted. They were bad enough to need professional help! It was a grim experience, especially for the poor doctor, Sarah, who had the task of popping our blisters, applying cream, and bandaging us up. Sarah’s grandfather had passed away from pancreatic cancer, so when she heard why we were walking, she generously donated to our page and has kept up with us ever since. Moments like this really brought home the impact of what we were doing, and how pancreatic cancer has affected so many lives.

The walk began from Shrivenham, and it was a beautiful day. We walked for a couple hours before a well-deserved break. This was a real highlight because of the huge box of pastries from Gail’s that Alanna had bought for us. Honestly, we ate about two or three each (yes, we definitely overindulged!) and I think we all felt a little sick after, but it was totally worth it.

All smiles after the break!

After the sugar rush, we set off again for the next 5-6 miles before lunch. The scenery was beautiful, but the terrain was rough. Some of the fields we had to walk through made each mile feel like it took double the time. But we kept our spirits high, and a lot of the conversation led to a sing song of our ‘group anthem’ or innocent bullying of me (which is very common in my family!)

We eventually found Tom, after what felt like days of walking, and all that kept us going for those last few yards was the smell of steak on the barbecue! The man never disappoints! He’d prepared steak sandwiches with caramelized onions—honestly, they were incredible! The difference in our moods after that first bite was mega – from pure exhaustion to pure joy. I can’t thank Tom enough for always having our backs and cooking up these amazing feasts.

 Running to Ease the Pain (Who Knew?)

After lunch, we only had about 10 miles left, and by this point, we were all in high spirits. Some of us started running to ease the pain in our feet—it sounds crazy, but it actually made a difference! Running for just a few minutes felt surprisingly easier than walking, and we all had a good laugh while doing it. But, of course, we quickly returned to our slow walking pace. It was the thought that counted, right?

 The Final Push

The last few miles were just following a road, and it felt like it was never ending, until we came across the sign for ‘Malmesbury’ and we knew we didn’t have long to go.

Not only did we see the sign, but from behind us we heard ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)’ blasting from the radio. We turned around and Tom was driving up the road, with the windows down, blasting our song on full volume! He’d pulled over with cans of cocktails, beers, and prosecco as a last-minute pick-me-up—talk about perfect timing! We were all over the moon, and to this day, sipping prosecco on a random road in Malmesbury will remain one of my favourite memories from the whole walk.

A little boogie!

The sight of the hotel gave us such a boost – the only problem was, it was at the top of a very steep hill. The desperation to sit down was so huge by this point that we all decided the best thing to do would be to sprint up the hill! I have no idea where that burst of energy came from, but it could have been the booze! We all dashed up this hill and when we reached the top, we were greeted by the absolute loveliest hotel staff.

They brought us into a private lounge area and had prosecco waiting for us. They clearly knew the group they were catering for! Not only that, but the hotel had made us a ‘Barry Island Cocktail’ specifically for this walk! All I will say is they were delicious and very strong! Before dinner, we sadly had to say goodbye to Ed and Alanna. This meant Emilia and I were back to sharing a room, and I bet Donna was quite glad there would be no risk of getting slapped in the morning!

We all had a shower and got into some clean, comfy clothes before meeting for dinner. We had the most fun evening. Fran’s best friend’s daughters joined us for food which was so nice, and we may have had a lot to drink! A bowl of pasta and unlimited Barry Island cocktails was the perfect combination, but after a 23-mile walk, probably not the best way to rehydrate.

It was quite late, and I was trying to be sensible and go to sleep, but Gaynor and Donna refused to let me leave, instead I was given another cocktail! It was the perfect end to such a fun day. And getting into bed that night was the best feeling! But we definitely weren’t aware that day 9 was going to be our longest day due to a few mishaps!

Thanks for reading.

With love,

Rhiannon