Yesterday was my first PT session with Sporty Spice. It started well…..she has just got some new Labrador puppies and at 8 weeks they are adorable so I spent my pre session 10 mins just fussing the babies!

Ok, so then we DID exercise. Not, however before she did some “before” measurements. Oh boy! Apparently my BMI is in the healthy range, however my waist and hip measurements (especially hip) are size 14 heading to 16 and my body fat ratio is high so that’s the target to reduce.

I may have misquoted my height, as I thought I was taller, which means my BMI will be higher, but who is counting really?

The scarier part is my metabolic age, which is in fact 63! Erm, and that’s a shock, it confirms I need to look after my internal body far better.

So, an hour then of lunges, squats, dumbbell lifting and kettle bell swinging and I ached all over. I’ve homework to do each day and a recommendation to just eat healthily, no need to diet, just up the veg and reduce the ingredients aiming for simple food. Less ingredients in food good which is perfectly sensible.

Last night was very simple, some roast chicken and salad, washed down with half a bottle of wine. Red. So that’s healthy right?

Ok ok so I need to reduce the wine a little, but I did have an excuse, it being the eve of a number change – did I mention Birthday?

Making the most of my break between jobs, and boosted by our success at hiking 51 miles and still being able to walk (blisters aside) I have decided to get fitter. I’ve committed to actually going to the gym and have just secured a personal trainer for a weekly hourly session to keep me motivated and to help me stay committed.

My first session is next week with my trainer who I have nicknamed Sporty Spice, the resemblance is remarkable and rather entertaining. Lucky girl is half my age and full of energy, and she gets to try to train me! I’ve warned her how fast I get bored and grumpy.

She is convinced I can find my abs somewhere – I’ll be amazed if that’s the case, but hey, worth a shot.

Now, to start my training regime Mr Fogg and I are off for a slap up meal out. You know, to boost my metabolism and all that!

AND Dad and I have already planned to finish the Wolds Way Walk – 15 miles from East Heslerton to Filey is our last section and we plan to nail it in a day! The August dates are scheduled so watch out Filey here we come!

Ah the trauma of a blister. Don’t let anyone ever tell you “but it’s just a blister”. We have done so so well on our 51 mile hike over the past few days only for today after the 17 mile up and down journey yesterday to admit that I need to rest my little toe.

I’ve a rather large blister where the little toe should be and a very hot foot this morning as said blister has pulsed and throbbed right into my foot. So, sensibly we called Mum to get a lift home.

So, now it’s a long soak in their foot spa -ahh bliss.

What a walk so far though – and we still plan to finish the final two legs this year.

The scenery around East Yorkshire and on the Wolds is amazingly beautiful. As is the history. Our last stop was East Heslerton. It’s a really old village with remnants of Neolithic inhabitations as well as Roman and Anglo Saxons. Who knew this for at the side of the A64 was of such special archeological importance

So, action man Dad gets back home this morning and says, right, I’m off to cut the grass, then the hedges.

Me? Well I’m blister sitting and gonna read a book!

Today was to be our mammoth challenge of 17 miles from Thixendale to East Heslerton and we seriously were unsure we could do it and questioned the terrain. But seeing as it was Sunday we thought “we shall overcome” or could it have been, “she’ll be coming around the mountain” (on all fours!!).

And boy o boy was it a fantastic journey, definitely up hill and down hill, across ancient earthworks, through tranquil woodlands and even a deserted village with NO cafe and definitely no loos.

But when in the country, do what comes naturally. No wonder dad stayed in front and never wanted to look behind him.

Finally, in reaching our destination, after descending a 1 mile hill, our landlord was impatiently waiting at the village gate as he was going to be late for choir practice and needed to ditch us at the closest open pub. This happened to involve a smelly journey in a stinky car (not us!! He is a farmer) to Seamer where we could enjoy the delights of the dreaded Sunday Carvery.

Cue beer and Prosecco.

So now we are awaiting our chariot to return to collect us in The stinky car so I can go and have a very much needed bath and Dad can finally peel his boots and socks off his worn out and rather hot feet!

So in numbers:

17 miles today

51 miles since we started!

20.5 miles left to do

5 blisters

2 giant packups complete with buttered fruit loaf slabs (yum)

2 bananas

2 protein bars

1 stinky car

One cow pat stood in (guess who)

So, a good day and good night all!

Saturday was THE hardest walk we have done so far, not so much due to terrain or distance, but heat. It started with a vertical climb up out of Millington to get back on the Wolds Way and ended with a downhill shuffle on the road to Thixendale as our tired and very wet bodies could simply not face another up, down valley walk.

But what an amazing walk. We trailed ancient earthworks at the top of Silvian Dale, traversed a Roman road (nothing to see), ambled across the tops peering down into Millington Dale, Nettle Dale, Pasture Dale (get the picture, lots of hung valleys and very dramatic scenery). Did we mention it’s bloomin hot?? Too hot for walking. We saw loads of wildflower meadows, wild orchids and amazing flowers and grasses.

We stopped for lunch at a valley called Horse Dale (no horses, just cows) and admired incredible scenery, before a very hot and long trudge to FridayThorpe.

Our lunch spot:

Who knew the petrol station at Fridaythorpe would feel so brilliant – they have AIRCON! Whoop!! So a refuel of water, rest stop and then 20 minutes sitting in the local bus shelter – which I have to say is the poshest and coolest we had ever seen.

Then it was the final 4 miles to Thixendale and boy were we tired. Too hot, feet hurting, more up down before we reached the road to Thixendale and said “screw it”. So we walked the 2 mile road rather than the 2.5 miles up down track. It’s not cheating, it was sensible in what felt like 39 degree oven heat.

Cue arrival at the cute pub at around 4:30pm, phew. How lovely, our host Steve brought us beer straight away and sat chatting. And the pub doesn’t open until 6pm.

Incredible little place here, so impressed. But no mobile signal at all and no WiFi, nada, zip. Unsurprisingly the that Mr Fogg called to check we had actually made it given the news was saying 35 degree temperatures during the day (sorry mum and Mr Fogg, we should have called but the large cool beer drew us in)

Dinner was rump steak, washed down with chocolate pudding. We think we earned that!

So early to bed tonight as Sunday is The Long Walk. Our hosts here kindly tell us it is 17 miles to our next accommodation. Ouch.

Numbers for Saturday:

3 blisters now

12 mile walk

29 degree heat

Heat Exhaustion.

So Day three for our intrepid travellers saw Mrs Fogg (aka WalksWithRucksack) and Pops (aka SherpaForMrsFoggsClothes) going from Millington to Thixendale, a journey of 12 miles on the hottest day of the year (37Degrees of the Celsius and rising).

Come 18.45, neither I nor Mrs Folky (aka HuskyVoice) had heard from our weary travellers, so time to track them down and make sure they are still alive, well you have to know when to claim on the life insurance don’t you?

Low and behold the two happy campers are sat in a pub enjoying a nice cool beer before a steak each, the joys of no mobile or WiFi!

Well here’s to you both and Day 4, Thixendale to Heslerton a paltry 16 miles, Enjoy.

And Hikers do the Wolds in 35 Degrees Centigrade. Let’s hope they got water!

The view from my bathroom window up to the Wolds Way

Oh but all I’m thinking now is “we’ve got to walk back up there tomorrow am”

Where is that pub again?? Opening time very soon

Now that’s a view

Bolstered by a hearty breakfast this morning we left Market Weighton with a spring in our step. The weather was overcast and cool and perfect for a walk. It started with trails through crop fields.

Today our 10 mile walk (I miscounted!!) would take us through the Londesborough Estate, across and through Nunburnholme, past Kilnwick Percy and down into Millington Bottom.

So far this has been the best of the two days. Rolling valleys, huge fields of maize, spring barley, kale and wildflower meadows with sweet grass ready for the farmers to harvest.

Londesborough is beautiful. Unfortunately the church is locked so we did not get to wander in. And there are no deer in the deer park either.

There were some long inclined today that really tested our stamina, but we did find somewhere dead quiet for lunch in Nunburnholme:

The views and heights today were pretty spectacular.

At one point today we only had 43 more miles to go to Filey.

And then we neared Millington. Oh boy. You walk on the very top of the hill and drop 120 metres in 1/2 a mile to Millington Bottom. And tomorrow we have to go back up to the top..,,

In the picture above, this is from Millington village. The hedge on the top of the hill is our path we came from and very top left of the picture, way at the top is actually horses, not dots. We walked down that left hand hedge line to the bottom.

So tonight the Gait Inn beckons. I think we need beer.

In numbers:

10 miles today

Another 29,000 steps (I think even the Fitbit gave up counting)

Still just one blister

And one slight groin pain for Dad

And both of us with very tired red hot feet

Oh and a stack of cashew nuts consumed, two protein bars, one banana, one pear and about our own body weight in water.

And tomorrow it’s going to be hotter….and we go all the way back up to the top. Yeah!!