A couple of video's from the past 5 days

Chicken Bakes does the Pennine Way.

Starring: Chicken Bakes

Python Microwave does the Pennine Way.

Starring: Python Microwave

Day 10: Standedge to Pecket Well

Approaching Pecket Well (Image courtesy of panoramio.com)

Today we awoke to the sunlight filling our tents. Once we emerged from our tents the wonderful owners of the Great Western Inn presented us each with a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea. A wonderfully British way to start the day. Anyway, after packing our bags and saying goodbye we set off again, back onto the Pennine Way. We had our hearts set on getting to a sandwich stall that had been highly recommended by several people. As we crossed the first hills, which rolled into low mountains, the grey sky broke and illuminated us in a wonderful warmth. Continuing on in the fantstic weather we covered 8/9 miles before we were informed that the stall had closed for the day. Still we pushed on, our spirits held high by the weather and the stunning views, stopping occassionally to enjoy the sights. It started to become apparent that it is flying ant season, walking for miles with nothing but ants beneath our feet or in the air around us. When nearing Hebden Bridge we ran downhill for the last half mile, mainly to get a break from the ants.

Arriving in Hebden Bridge Isaac and I had just one thing on our minds...food! We settled for the ever so healthy burger and chips option and then set off to find the campsite. Unfortunately finding it proved more difficult than expected and we ended up on a dark road on completely the wrong side of the valley. With it being pitch black, and with us not wanting to walk back down the dark road, we ended up pulling over the first car that we saw to ask for advice on what to do. The driver turned out to be a lovely lady called Sally who said that we could camp at her's for the night, in her garden, which was just around the corner. When we had pitched our tents we where invited inside to meet her partner, Ben. They both took us through possible routes for tomorrow, on their map, and offered us the use of their bathroom facilities. Two days in a row we have been shown amazing hospitality which we are very grateful for.
So, here we are, camped up in Pecket Well where we will rest for tonight, looking forward to tomorrow.
-Josh-

Thank you Sally and Ben!
Josh, what have I told you about flagging down cars?! Oh. Nothing, huh? Well, I guess that one never came up for some reason but... well, it could be intimidating for the driver and it could be dangerous and should only be used in the case of emergency... but I'm grateful to Sally and Ben and pleased that you guys have somewhere safe to pitch your tent tonight.

Are you sure those flying ants weren't really faeries? That river and woodland, which run between your current location and Widdop, on the Pennine Way, look like the perfect environment for faeries and enchantment. Very pretty.
Sleep well, guys.

-Paul-

Day 9: Crowden to Standedge

Looking back towards Crowden (1) (Courtesy of panoramio.com)

Leaving Crowden

Looking back towards Crowden (2) (Image courtesy of panoramio.com)

Image of The Great Western Inn (Image courtesy of panoramio.com)

"After a day resting up in Crowden Isaac had recovered from his heat stroke and we where on the road again. But last night we took advantage of our situation, chowing down into some pot noodles whilst sitting on chairs we'd each made. Isaac's, a rock with a pillow on top. Mine, a stool made of sticks tied with long grass. We then finished up with a game of cards played on a wooden table complete with wind shelter that I had made. How very posh!

Anyway, back to today. Upon leaving the campsite we met up with Pennine Way again, heading into a gorgeous valley. As we walked we challenged each other's media knowledge with a game involving remembering celebrity names. (Oh dear! Oh dear oh dear oh dear! - Dad)

After climbing the first mountain that we hit the path followed on to the very edge of a cliff with a good thousand foot drop to our right. Thankfully we weren't walking the cliff edge in the rain. We pushed our way through the wind until we moved down to flatter ground. Unfortunately down there it was no more forgiving as we found ourselves in the middle of wide open moors filled with bogs and marsh, reminiscent of the bog in the film, Labyrinth. Just 5 minutes into the moors and the heavens opened on us. We were soaked so quickly that there was no point putting on our waterproofs. It wasn't before long that we had both mistaken deep bog for reliable path, and filled our boots with repulsive smelling sludge. With no choice but to carry on we persisted down the moor and eventually escaped the rain. Further down the path, when stopping to wring out our socks, we met a couple of young teachers from Bristol who are also walking the Pennine Way. We walked with them the rest of the way to Standedge where we found a lovely pub, called the Great Western Inn. Luckily the owner said that we could camp for free in the back garden.

So that is us for now. New blog tomorrow and hopefully some pictures. "

-Josh-

----------------------------------

Just be extremely cautious when you do hit those beautiful, edge of the world, vistas, especially with those cumbersome backpacks and gusting winds! Looking at Google Earth indicates several more days of moors ahead so be sure to stick to the path and keep a rope handy, just incase. I can't see any cliff edges near the path so that should be some relief to anxious parents, watching from afar. I'm sure that you will both be sensible. Have a good sleep and a dry and exhilerating journey tomorrow, guys.

-Paul-

Day 8: Crowden (A day of rest)

Today Josh and Isaac decided to stay put in the campsite at Crowden where they spent last night. The scenery is stunningly beautiful and today's weather was almost like summer. Josh's shoulders where starting to get sore a couple of days ago and Isaac has developed a beauty of a blister on his heel and is feeling the effects of a little too much sun, wind and rain, so a day taken to relax and recover in this environment will do them both good. They intend to move on tomorrow and cover as much ground as possible, without over doing it.

The camera on Josh's phone is still playing up so he is a little upset that he was unable to capture some of the highlights of yesterday's trek. At the moment the boys are in a valley, where reception is poor, so they have to go for a walk to find a signal but will try to remember to text me their position every day from higher ground.

-Paul-

Day 7: Snake Pass Inn to Crowden

Snake Pass to Crowden (Image courtesy of panoramio.com)

I have just received a text from Josh, who tells me that he and Isaac are now on the Pennine Way, a little south of a town called Crowden. I believe that the weather is much more pleasant today so I am hoping for some beauty shots sometime tonight or tomorrow.

I have also just received a few words from Megan which I am posting here:

Megan's Goodbye:

I never thought I would walk from Manchester to Sheffield on my own two feet! Or feel the pride of walking the whole of High Peak in a day, with the rain soaking me to the bones, or stand right in the middle of a cloud and enjoy the walk up there... but thanks to these guys, (and the kindness of people we met along the way), I've done it, and loved it! Thanks to Isaac's hilarious sheep impressions, to keep me entertained, and to Josh's amazing determination and support to keep me going, they've given me an experience I'll never forget and have learnt a lot from.

Good luck to your continued journey up, guys, (rather you than me!). You should be very proud of yourselves. I certainly am.

Lots of love,
Megan x

Oh, Megan! You've got me all choked up now. That was lovely!

-Paul-

Day 6: Sheffield to The Snake Pass Inn

Snake Pass. (Image courtesy of panoramio.com)

Josh and Isaac awoke warm and snug. A day's rest at Megan's parent's house was just what they needed to thoroughly dry out from the previous few days of 'glorious British summertime'. This morning they would say farewell to Megan, and her family, and head back towards the Pennine Way to start their journey northward. They were keen to get back on the trail and start ticking off the miles. Outside, the weather seemed to be suggesting that they make other plans. Torrential rain hammered the ground and the rooves of Sheffield and the sky showed no signs of relenting it's attempt to damped the lads' spirits... but they were determined to leave no later than 9:00 a.m.. They checked their waterproof covers and prepared for another day of deep sea walking. Very kindly Megan and her dad, Ron, offered to accompany Josh and Isaac to the A57, which would take them back into the mountains where they could pick up the Pennine Way trail again. So they thanked Megan's mum, Anne, for all the washing, cooking, love and care that she had shown them, said their goodbyes and stepped back into the great outdoors. An hour or so later and they were saying sad farewells again as they thanked Ron and Megan before steeling themselves for the trials of a long wet walk up and down the rising terrain. The rain persisted all morning but the scenery grew ever more beautiful as the day wore on and lifted their spirits. At some point in the afternoon the rainclouds must have realised that Josh and Isaac were going to enjoy this walk, whatever the weather, and finally relented.

The boys just followed the A57 all day, and covered about 20 miles, coming to rest eventually across the road from the Snake Pass Inn. They spent the evening at the inn, where they dined, and were treated very kindly by the landlady. They also met a lovely group of people, (3 ladies and a man), who were kind enough to add their sponsorship to the cause. Josh and Isaac want to say thankyou to everyone who was at the Snake Pass Inn last night.

Josh managed to fix his phone/camera himself but due to poor mobile phone reception in their current location they will have to wait until tomorrow to send any pictures.

Details of today's blog were phoned to Josh's mum, Sue, which were then passed on to Josh's dad, (me), to be entered here. I hope that nothing has been lost in translation. I also understand that Megan will be sending me her own blog entry which I will add as soon as I receive it. I just want to say a big "WELL DONE" to you, Megan, for the terrific effort and spirit that you have shown in your trek across the Pennines, in some pretty unpleasant conditions! I know that Josh is very proud of you and will be missing you on the rest of the journey.

-Paul-

Distance walked today: Approx. 20 miles

Day 5: A day of prep

Well today we've stayed in Sheffield to prepare ourselves for the next 290ish miles. We are heading off at 9am tomorrow morning so wish us luck...

Day 4: Castleton to Sheffield

Well, today was our biggest day yet. After a few showers earlier on we where blessed with wonderful weather for the rest of the day. Walking up and down some gorgeous hills and mountain sides, making our way towards Sheffield. Our first stop off was in Bamford where we indulged ourselves with some pasties and clowdy lemonade from the local bakers aptly named, Bamford Bakery. After stuffing ourselfs we headed on back into the more green of areas. Not far away down a quaint little back road we stopped to admire the view of the peak district between the gap of two houses when the owner came out and invited us into his back conservatory to enjoy in full.
Before we knew it we where back in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the sun, the breeze and the tranquility of the surroundings. When heading through some fields our path lead us to a stream. Although there where a few rocks which allowed us to get part of the way over keeping our feet dry, with the weight in our bags we could not make the last leap so we resorted to tying our boots around our necks and going bare foot (check out the mind blowing, action packed video attached). After we where all across we sat on the bank on the other side, enjoying the sun and treating ourselves to a taste of the INCREADIBLE spanish beer, Estrella Damm before moving on.
Eventually we came out into the moors seperating Sheffield and the High Peaks. Travelling to the higher areas of the moors we found ourselves next to the greatest bench in the world with the most perfect view looking over the Peak District.
When nearing the very edge of Sheffield we stopped off at yet another pub (Norfolk arms) to congratulate ourselves on our efforts so far. Upon entering the pub we where approached by two men, Lawrance and James who were both keen to learn more about what we were doing and had done so far. After the £4 sting Isaac recieved for a bottle of Newky Brown, Lawrance kindly bought us all a drink. After a brief rest and devil stick session in the stunning beer garden while Megan tried and failed to warm herself up we headed on to Ecclesall in Sheffield.
We arrived at Megan's at just gone 9, just in time to digg into a lovely meal prepared by her loving mother. Yum Yum...

...Yum

Day 3: Hayfield to Castleton

Appologies to our millions of adoring fans for the lack of blog update yesterday. Unfortunately the phone with which we where taking photo's and video's was having problems and we where unable to send updates.
So, yesterday we made slow progress due to the heavy loads on our backs. We eventually made it to Hayfield and camped up in a wonderful campsite for free, due to a conveniently late arrival. Today we left with haste and headed south east before bearing due east. We ended up covering 4 mountains through torrential rain reaching a maximum height of 1749 feet. Heading across the mountains our boots became flooded, our trousers drenched and our jackets soaked through. Our spirits dampened by the rain, we rested on a mountain peak to take in the beautiful sights before us. Climbing painfully over stile after stile we continued. The weights on our backs pulling our bags down along with our morale as rest seemed to remain a distant pleasure. Eventually however we saw signs of nearing Castleton and we slowly manoeuvred our way down a wet and slippery slate slope. Eventually we arrived in Castleton where we managed to get a room above a pub (The Bulls Head) to allow ourselves to dry our soaking clothes and rest our bodies. Tomorrow we hope to end up in Sheffield and prepare for the next leg of the journey.
For now thank you for following us and watch this space.

Day 2: Broadbottom to Hayfield

Enjoying our first taste of high ground.


















... seconds before the sky fell.



















Isaac experiments with Megan's idea of using kitchen scouring pads as shoulder pads.


There will be no retreat when the feat affects the feet.

Day 1: Stockport to Broadbottom

Leaving Stockport

Isaac and Megan

Josh and Megan

After heading out into horrendous rain, but armed with waterproofs, we walked off towards the urban horizon of Manchester. After about an hour we began to enjoy a bit of greenery in our surroundings. A further hour and we were well on the Trans Pennine Trail. At this point the weather was playing with us, the sun coming out just long enough to entice us out of our waterproofs before ducking behind a nice, big raincloud again. Eventually, however, the sky stopped leaking on us and we managed to zip our trousers down to shorts and stayed warm and dry for the rest of the day. About one third of way into today's walk we came across a plum tree from which we retrieved several tasty plums. After scoffing them down we headed off again ...sort of. Using my expert navigation skills, (that, may I point out, with the assistance of my dad, never failed me last year), I managed to get us a bit lost. After speaking to a lovely man, who sold us some nice, cold cans of Coke, we decided on our best route from there. A few miles later and we arrived in a small village called Broadbottom. By this point we felt as if our legs were made of rock and that our 30 kg bags had doubled in weight so we set up camp in a perfect, little campsite just outside of the village. After setting up our tents and tending to our very sore feet and muscles we tucked into our warmed meals. Our weary spirits raised by the warmth, food and luck, (with the change in the weather), we called it a night. Now, relaxed in our beds, we aim to rest our bodies for the walk tomorrow.

Distance covered today: Approx. 14.5 miles (including backtracking).
Weather: Poor to start but turning dry and warm later.

and we walk

 Well this is it the beginning of Hike for MND 2009. We have spent the morning in Manchester, packing, unpacking and repacking our bags. We have finally decided on suitable pack orders and after adding a further 5kg to my previously 26kg bag its going to be an interesting start heading out into the heavy downpour outside. 

 We aim to achieve around 12 miles a day from here to Sheffield to ease us into the walking pace with 31KG on our backs. 

Now we walk...

                      ...INTO THE WILD

                           

Good luck from the lil-sis

Weigh in time

Prescott has decided to join the party

This is how much we each weigh with our bags on

Leaving tomorrow

Well Myself and Isaac have met up in london and are tomorrow heading off to Manchester where we are meeting Megan and preparing for our hike the following day.

Keep Even More Up To Date

Well we are almost there now. Tomorrow we shall be meeting in Stockport, Manchester for our last night under a solid roof for almost a month.

To bring you up to date on what has been happening, the last few days I have been ill will whatever flu or bug is going around at the moment that is NOT related to pigs. However, I am very much on the mend now and looking forward to getting out into the open.

Although I will be trying to keep this blog up to date as much as possible, I may not always have time or battery power to access my e-mails from my phone. However, will be updating my Twitter account hopefully at least twice a day via text. Add me on Twitter to follow us, my Twitter account is: joshforwood

Look forward to hearing your replies on the blog.

Regards

Josh

The route as planned

Well here it is, our planned rout. Standing at 328miles

Follow us

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here, then please comment on this post with your email address and
i'll add you to our forward list.
Josh

A quick thanks

I'd just like to say a quick thanks to everyone who has voted so far on our donations page. With three weeks to go before we set off on the hike, we have already managed to reach 11% of our target.

Thanks again to everyone who has so far donated, and please keep them coming for this very needing cause.

Thanks

Josh

Its all about image...

This year, with thanks to my co-walker Isaac, we have a logo. Let us know what you think.