Orwell Challenge Walk 2019

It was time for the Orwell Challenge again. Last year I did the 25 miles, (read about it here) and I hadn't walked that far again since. But today I was back. Would I do the full distance again? I wasn't sure.

This was the route.

I arrived a bit earlier this year, but there was still a queue. Even so I was on my way before 7:30 a.m. I saw Cath from the Bury St. Edmunds Ramblers and Barry from Joyce's walking group behind me in the queue, but I wanted to walk at my own pace, so I didn't wait for them and walked on my own. As the sun rose higher it got warmer so I stopped at every checkpoint for a drink and to refill my water bottle.

After almost exactly 2 1/2 hours I was at the 4th Checkpoint and the 9 mile mark... and the decision whether to do the 19 or the full 25 miles. Yet again I chose the longer route, although by 22 miles I was wondering if I shouldn't have when I was due to lead a 9 mile walk tomorrow.

Most of the time, up until the final section where the 3 routes merged, I was pretty much alone, although there was one couple who were walking just a bit faster than me who stopped a bit longer at the checkpoints and then overtook me before we got the next one a few times. In the end they finished just in front of me.

Here are a few of my photos.

Poppies by the car park.

Queuing to register

Our first sight of the Orwell river.

We walked under the Orwell bridge. That's the Suffolk Food Hall in the distance, last visited on the Bluebell Walk.

The tide was out.

Where is everyone?

This was a bit of an unexpected sight along the river shore - somebody had dropped a jelly baby.

A lot of the river shore walking was on seaweed - rather slippery at times and a bit pongy too. I was glad when we got to the end of that.

But the views along the way were lovely. You can see the cranes of Felixstowe in the distance here.

Checkpoint 4, Fishponds at 9 miles and decision time. It was still only 10 a.m., so the 25 miles it was...

The next checkpoint, Cordys, was just over half-way and the furthest distance from a previous checkpoint at nearly 4 miles from Fishponds. A big chunk of that was the stony path up from Trimley Marshes,  which was a bit hard on the feet.

Apart from the repeated stretch between the two halves of the figure of 8 walk, the rest of the route was inland. I paused to photograph these foxgloves.

The most picturesque checkpoint was the penultimate one, Decoy, by the gamekeepers cottage.

And, yeah! I made it! About 10 minutes quicker than last year despite stopping for longer at the checkpoints.

Here are my route card and certificate to show I did it.

 

You can see more of my photos here on Flickr, and more details of the route here on MapMyWalk.

P.S. I caught up with Barry via email to ask how he got on and found he had finished just a few minutes behind me, having done the full 25 when previously he had not done more than 16 miles. Well done Barry!