Trailblazing Prep: Planning the West Highland Way and Kickstarting with the North Down Way
Start: 10:20
Finish: 16:00
Duration: 4 hrs and 30 mins
Distance: 20.00km
Elevation Gain: 300m
Route Type: Point to Point
Weather: Warm, around 15 degrees C.
Companions: Jurassic Explorers squad, and future WHW squad :)
We start punctually from Farnham, passing immediately by the sign marking the beginning of the North Down Way.
There's a light drizzle and a bit of mud, but already we sense that the day holds some pleasant surprises :)
I'm carrying a backpack of nearly 11 kg as training for the WHW, proceeding calmly but at a steady pace, accompanied by my new friend.
At one point, the trail is completely flooded and impassable, resembling Vietnamese rice paddies (at least as I imagine them, having never been there). We decide to detour onto the road passing through Seale, where we stumble upon a small and charming tearoom, so we take the opportunity to have lunch there.
Afterwards, we continue along the designated path and manage to have another break with tea and scones at the Watts Gallery after Puttenham.
Instead of continuing all the way to the River Wey, we ascend Hog's Back and then triumphantly march to the Britannia pub for a well-deserved pint.