Last month Bryony Young (who is currently away at University) came back to the Island to take part in Walk the Wight. She was kind enough to pen her experiences to share with VB readers. Ed
Setting off at Carisbrooke castle to walk to Alum Bay I had no idea what the day would be like. I am a 18 year-old student who rarely moves from my bedroom so walking 14 miles was a challenge I was looking forward too.
I set off at Carisbrooke with my Dad, whilst my 70 year old Grandad, was walking the whole 26 miles from Bembridge. We climbed up to Tennyson Down with the chalk and mud under our foot making it slippery and muddy to walk on. My shoes were starting to look like I have been walking for some time.
Once we reached the top I asked my Grandad, why he was walking 26 miles at his age. He answered “I am not sure, but people think I am mad!”
He can’t quite remember how many times he has Walked the Wight, but he thinks it’s at least ten times. “To watch it grow has been really nice and it is much better organised now,” he says.
The three of us carried on walking along Tennyson Down, the weather was looking bright and the views were of many sheep and lush green fields.
We reached Brighstone Forest and it was nice to feel sheltered from the wind which was gradually picking up, the forest was very pretty and there were lots of bluebells and wild flowers around. My legs and feet were feeling fine but I could start to feel the difference between walking on grass compared to chalk or stone.
I was chatting to my Dad, Mark and making sure my Grandad, Roger, was keeping steady with our walking pace. Mark had done no training compared to Roger who had walked 10 – 12 miles to practice.
“I always practice as it makes it easier and prepares you for the event,” he says.
We reached Mottistone Down, as the rain started to fall I began to question why I was doing this in the wind and rain, but my thoughts quickly moved to the hospice.
All of us were trying to eat our sandwiches with our ice cold hands. We decided not to stop long as there was still a way to go. The rain turned into hail as we were climbing up the hill which felt like needles on our faces.
The rain soon cleared and the views from up here were worth waiting for, you can see both sides of the Island from Compton Bay to Yarmouth perfectly. Reaching Freshwater Bay was a landmark to be proud of, with only the last push to go.
Mark and Roger were starting to suffer so I pushed on with a friend I’d met along the way. People ahead of us looked like peas in the distance and we knew that we were one of them.
Coming into Alum Bay I was feeling proud of myself and my family. We were all feeling an ache somewhere but we knew that the about £100 we have raised for the Hospice was going to a good cause.
