Firstly, i am sorry that I still don't have any photos. i've been so busy trying to navigate and push myself onwards that i keep forgetting to take any photos- will try much harder when i'm 'through the woods' and have more companions with me over the weekend.
I couldn't have asked for better weather today - beautiful sunshine which steadily got warmer until i was sweating nicely and wishing i had packed some sun cream (it seemed such a stupid thing to carry in October!) I pushed my route back to where i ended up last night - although i have to confess that i chickened out of going back to the dodgy pub! Starting from Finedon, i marched up the A6 towards Kettering full of positive thoughts and determination. Lots of lorries tooting at me and people waving from their cars which cheered me up until I started thinking that perhaps they weren't waves of encouragement but disbelief that i had chosen to walk along the road!
Problems started as i took a wrong turning in Kettering. I have no paper maps (i'd need to carry a sack load of Ordnance Survey maps to cover my route!) on me but choosing to rely completely on my gps and route app on my phone - all of which uses a lot of battery. i still don't know how i managed to get it wrong but the upshot was that i went even more wrong and found myself on the hard shoulder of a not-very-nice road. Ben, patient and reassuring as ever, wisely told me to think again as it really looked dangerous on his computer. My feet were really sore by this point and the blisters started to hurt. The thought of walking all the way back and retracing my steps was too much. So, rather than sitting on the side of the road sobbing quietly, i decided to retrace my steps by bus for a mere 5 minutes - i decided that taking the bus 'backwards' wasn't cheating and this was an emergency as i was losing time and daylight! Still, i was disappointed in myself. I went wrong again and wasted time trying to get back on my route out of Kettering (which I am sure is lovely but i do not intend to go back for a long time!)
I walked through the outskirts of Corby and passed lots of hoodies, all of which i wanted to hug as i saw the magic road sign for the Uppingham Road. I had covered a lot of ground and my walking was turning into a shuffle as i tried to ignore the awful pain of the blisters. Even switching on my now-fixed Ipod didn't make me go any faster and i limped along - not good considering how much more mileage i've got to do. Following the signs to Rockingham, i took the decision to stop and not walk through any more pain or damage my feet any further. I was about 10 miles behind schedule but the sight of the delightful looking local pub in Rockingham was too enticing. Another day done but not quite - i must make up the time tomorrow and hope that with enough plasters, my feet will heal and not complain too much. Looking on the bright side, I am making steady progress and aint beaten yet!
On the issue of maps, I think what I would have done would have been to colour-photocopy the relevant pages of a higher scale map system such as a road atlas; this would have been a light-weight solution to the above mentioned problem. I would also have taken a solar-powered phone charger which would have been ideal for your circumstances, so you wouldn't have had to worry about draining your batteries.
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