Walking From Memory, A Walk to Remember

Let's DO this
Photo by Gesina Kunkel on Unsplash

Aren’t kids hilarious? In a cute and 'don’t come too close to me if you aren’t my child' kind of way, kids are brilliant. Especially when you are walking through Hyde Park on a beautiful early September morning. Watching as they find happiness in stomping through crunchy leaves (I mean, who doesn’t?) and waving merrily at the aeroplanes in the sky. Believing, without doubt, that the pilot is waving back. It’s a magical life as a kid.

On Sunday of last week, the second Sunday in September the sun was shining down on London. Encouraged by the weather, Londoners of all shapes and sizes ambled through the streets and delighted in the delicious scenery of Primrose Hill, Regents Park, Hyde Park and London’s streets. Dani and I embarked upon our longest walk yet and had the pleasure of spotting a little boy dressed in a gorgeous shirt onesie situation, entertaining his adult and all passers by, by waving happily to all aeroplanes he spotted. The sight came just at the right time too, because we were definitely flailing at that point. But more to come on that later.

Primrose Hill - the perfect photo spot

We saw many things on Sunday, during a walk which Dani aptly named “brutal”! As we left the streets of Golders Green and full of energy took the path to the Heath Extension, we were full of beans. Happily chatting away we smiled at passers by and kept walking through to Hampstead Heath, the beauty of North London. By Hampstead High Street our spirits were still high and we joyfully bumbled down to Belsize Park, passing some of the wonderful walking team - Shine for Shani. Primrose Hill was perfectly peaceful and Regents Park boasted happy families rowing and pedalling away. We saw ducklings, swans and birds a plenty. We saw scantily clad lads hoping for the last few rays before Autumn set in and fashionistas in Autumnal colours that made me want to go shopping for the latest garb.

Out of the park and back on the streets we charged towards Baker Street like women on a mission to make it to Selfridges in time for store opening. Except shopping wasn’t on our cards, unless you count the banana we bought for sustenance.

Hyde Park was waiting for us in all its glory. The streets were getting quite busy by now and we had walked over 10km by this point but we were still happily trudging forward. Hyde Park: a London Institution. Posh people, poor people, people pondering life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Tourists, locals, runners, walkers, Hyde Park is open to all.

Young and old people are drawn to the beauty and the vast expanse.

 

If I’m really honest, and it’s always best to be, I don’t think I’d ever walked the entire park before. Oh what I had missed! The gorgeous lake, the lovely memorial to Princess Di and the swimmers in the lido! The serpentine, the playgrounds and the little boats. So much to see!

  It was toward the end of our park promenade when I reached a strange peak between euphoria and boredom. The walk had been so refreshing, so beautiful and yes... so long. We’d been walking for hours and aside from a banana and a cereal bar we hadn’t eaten any real food. Dani’s poor foot had started giving her real trouble and we were both getting tired.

Princess Diana Memorial Fountains

Time and tide waits for no man and this walk wasn’t going to walk itself. So we reached into our inner Rocky and just kept going.

Out of the park and back through the streets we paced. Back through the other park we went.

As we approached Marylebone High Street it all came into focus. This is why we were walking, this is what we were doing.

At the top of Marylebone High Street sits the London Clinic. The hospital that treated our mom in her final weeks. The place that fills us with dread.

With our heads held high we pushed on, remembering that every mile we walk we do so in her memory. Every ounce of effort we put in is nothing compared to what she went through trying to fight cancer.

We survived the training walk, exhausted and drained. Questioning how we will make it for the final marathon, but we did it. 30km - the longest training walk yet and the furthest, the longest, the most brutal walk I have ever done. We are determined to complete this with the same attitude she had to life, if you are going to do something - do it well. This marathon is going to be a challenge but we will do it with all our might.

 

The final stats

Given the duration of the walk I have combined our top tips for this week, between Dani and I:

1.  Eat when hungry, small bland bits along the way - don’t wait till starving because you’ll probably end up like we did, knee deep in Nando’s and regretting it instantly.
2. Take nurofen before and during the walk. Don’t risk a pain in the bum.
3. Walking through parks is pretty but to keep your spirits up you need some variety. Shake up a long walk by mixing street and park for optimum enjoyment!

Thank you for reading this far, I am so grateful to both of my readers for keeping with the blog!

If you are (by some miracle) reading this for the first time... WELL DONE! And just a reminder, we are definitely not doing this training for fun. Each and every step means so much to us and every ache and pain is a reminder of the woman we lost. The woman we miss. The woman we wish was still here. 

If you, like us, have been touched by cancer, do take a look at our fundraising page. Every penny helps towards the fight against cancer:

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/lewis-girls