Chateau de Chambord [photo: Frog + Princess Blog]
Ireland or France?
And I need to make a decision soon (not a bad problem to have really).
My original plan for a walk this Summer, was to walk around the coast of Ireland.
And although the total journey would be well over 1,000 miles, each day I was planning to walk a more manageable 8-10 miles.
But two things may have changed my plans.
The first of these is my overall walking ability:
Roads with any kind of elevation are becoming harder to walk along. And I only expect that this new situation will get worse for me as ataxia progresses. So, ideally, I am now looking for a more level walk.
The second reason is more practical:
In Spain last year, on the occasions where I could not arrange “couchsurfing” accommodation, the hot nighttime temperature allowed me to sleep on isolated beaches.
However, the weather in Ireland/France will not be so warm, so for this reason I will carry a lightweight one-man tent with me this Summer. And simply camp when necessary.
The extra weight, which I will have to carry, will mean that I can cover less ground each day (but has the advantage of allowing me to stop whenever I want).
And, while researching my coming walk along the Canal du Midi, I have now found a route in the southern half of France which follows canals and major rivers (the Canal du Midi, the Loire, the Canal d’Orleans, the Canal de Briare, the Canal du Centre, the Saone & the Rhone – so an extremely level walk). So no hills – or traffic!
And as the weather will be a wee bit better in France than in Ireland, France is now emerging as the preferred destination for my walk this Summer.
As pressing decisions go, I guess that this is a good decision to have to make 🙂
