Our previous post talks a bit more about the event.  Here, our marketing manager, Rowen, recalls the day.

I didn’t sleep much the night before the walk.  I knew I had to be at the start very early and I didn’t want to sleep through my alarm.  Instead, I ran through all the possible things that might go wrong over the course of the walk, or that might make it tougher than the distance itself.  I might get blisters.  Or worse, slip and twist my ankle. Or break my leg!  What if the heatwave hadn’t finished and came back for one final hurrah?  Would I have enough water with me? Did I definitely put my walking boots in the car?

Of course, I needn’t have worried about any of it.  It was still dark when I got up and as I arrived at Hudson’s Field for the start of the event, there was just enough light to see the mist still wrapped around everything.  As I listened to the safety briefing, I learned that there were in fact many things that could go wrong that my mind had not even considered the night before, so my stomach took over the worry duty and I began to feel a little sick with apprehension.

As we set off, heading into Salisbury, I was struck by how quiet everything was.  I’ve been to the city many times before but I’d never seen it like this.  Delivery drivers and stallholders were busy getting ready for the day ahead and it felt like we were intruding almost on a private moment. Like arriving at someone’s house before they’ve dressed or done their make-up.  Having no-one around meant a very clear view of the cathedral though.

The route took us out of the city through Harnham, out past the racecourse, and seven miles from the start, we had our first refreshments stop in a clearing in the woods.  I’d worked up both a sweat and an appetite by that point, but was definitely still feeling pretty buoyant.  Some of the paths were narrow footpaths I might not have found on my own (grateful for excellent signage from the organisers!) and others were wide tracks over farmland, with very occasional road crossings.

Although there were hundreds of us on the walk that day, I was walking alone, which gave me plenty of time to think about the cause and the great work the Alzheimer’s Society does.  It was inspiring to see so many others out there too, many walking in memory of a loved one.  Finding myself at points in the huge openness of the south Wiltshire countryside without another person in sight was also thought-provoking and very moving.

I made the mistake of sitting down at the last rest stop.  With five miles to go, my legs decided that anything over 20 miles was good enough and stiffened up completely.  I could see walkers ahead of me climbing a long hill, and I knew I still had what people were referring to as “the steps of doom” to come, so my legs not co-operating was probably the perfect distraction.  Someone had told me to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and I’d get there in the end, so I repeated that to myself getting up the inclines.

The last couple of miles were by far the longest!  Coming down towards Old Sarum and then being able to hear the noise of the PA system and the cheers back at Hudson’s Field carried me over the last few hundred metres.  The relief and sense of achievement I felt was immense, and I am so proud of myself for completing my biggest physical challenge yet.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at the Alzheimer’s Society for a tremendously well-organised event.  I believe there were around 800 trekkers that day, and the cheery faces and words of encouragement from staff and volunteers along the route really did make a difference.  Thank you too to everyone who sponsored me.  I raised a little over £300 to support research into Alzheimer’s and I’ll be thinking about that on World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September.  My Just Giving page is still live if you’d like to donate. 

And finally, thanks to all the incredible carers who do such a great job supporting people living with dementia, and especially the team at Avon Court who inspired me to take on this challenge.