5. My Kilimanjaro Training - 4 Months in... : Hittin' Sussex 26km Balcombe - Horsham

Hi! 

Thanks a bunch for taking an interest in my Kilimanjaro Training and my latest post about how its all going - this time around after my 'gap filling boot time' bi-weekend training trips to my nearest 'hill' around Box Hill, I decided to venture out of county Surrey into Duke Harry and Duchess Meghan's royal turf of Sussex with the Saturday Walkers Club again (but it was on a Sunday forget the namesake). This time, it was going to be a 26km walk from Balcombe to Horsham and the adventure would be a change from my regular trudging ground of Box Hill, however nice and steep it is - still it would be a good opportunity for long-distance endurance walking and break in those new boots of mine that I'm giving the treat of coming to Tanzania with me.

In just three months time!!!     

Yep, thats me there in the red hat, wandering behind through the forest of Sussex...

4. My Kilimanjaro Training : 3 Months In - Guildfords Alice in Wonderland, St Martha's Hill and I'm Peter Finch....

Hi!

Thank for checking in on my latest training for my challenge of climbing to the summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa this October. With three months into training and summer well and truly here in the UK, I am taking full advantage of the longer days and was given a great tip-off for a good challenging walk up to the top of St Martha's Hill in the central region of the Surrey Hills in Guildford. I'm paying full attention for my own good to listen out for the magic words of 'steep hills' or 'difficult' in any part of Surrey - so having already done Box Hill and Leith Hill, I armed myself up with my new walking poles (ones that are going to withstand the perils of 8 days of Kilimanjaro terrain) I headed out into the Surrey Hills for a day out of exploration up to St Martha's Hill.

3. My Kilimanjaro Training - 3 Months in - Box Hill 8 Mile Hike

Hello and thanks for dropping by to check in on my latest Kilimanjaro 2019 training journey.

My nearest what I call 'hilliest hike' to me is Box Hill in the Surrey Hills 'Area of Outstanding Beauty' so I've been jumping on the train for the cheap journey out here a few times to get more boot miles in as I search around for new hikes to add a bit of scenic variety to training for the big mountain in four months. The hike I come and do here is the Box Hill Hike which is a demanding circular trek covering 8 miles over the 230 acres of Box Hill. I'm pushing myself to take on long walks with anything with the words 'strenuous' 'tough' or 'hard'....

The National Trust map....'It is strenuous, climbing steep hills and dropping down into deep valleys. The ground is rough in places and includes steep slopes, slippery paths and many steps'............

........ perfect. 

2. My Kilimanjaro Training - 2 months in - Saturday Walkers Club - Holmwood - Leith Hill - Gomshall

Hello!

Thanks for dropping in to look at how my Kilimanjaro trainings going. With 5 months still to go I've needed to branch out nice and early to practice walking in much tougher terrain if I'm going to get fit to take on the big mountain!

This summer is going to be all about walking, walking and more walking! at least two/three days a month, so what better time to start than a good spring walk out in the wilds of the rolling Surrey hills of England. 

So I began seeking out different places to get some hill walking in around London and came to know about the Saturday Walkers Club which organises free country walks about an hour or so by train from Central London. Feeling that it would be nice to venture into new territory to get some hill walking in, the walk would take us 17km from Holmwood through the Surrey Hills to Gomshall up 294 metres of the wooded hill to Leith Tower - one of the highest points in the Surrey Hills and the South East of England, couldn't beat that for a bit of uphill practice!

Here's a mid walk video from the top of Leith Hill Tower....

1. My Kilimanjaro Training - 2 months in....Gyming it up and Richmond Park

Behold the almighty Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest dormant volcano in Tanzania standing at 5,895 metres above sea level and my next adventure. 

In October 2019, I will attempt to climb to the top of 'The Roof of Africa' over 8 days using the Lemosho route with a full team of porters, other climbers and guides. This is a personal physical and mental challenge I've always wanted to attempt and I'm sure will be the toughest and greatest adventure yet. 

I sometimes wonder what on earth I've got myself into!

Why Travel and Kindness is the best thing the Doctor can't prescribe

I have to admit, when it comes to gloomy winter time, I go back to animal instincts and prefer to be in hibernation mode...until I start getting cabin fever. 

At the start of every year I like to make a winters outing to two travel events The Adventure Travel Show and The Destinations Show, both held at Olympia, London.

I go purely to spend the chilly wintry day or weekend listening to other people, people with inspiring spirits of adventure and can-do attitudes as they regale tales of journeying around the world for all sorts of different reasons and needs - a real pick up from the dark, dreary days of British winter.

At the shows this year, there were a couple of talks that I felt were worth talking about in this blog post and the message that I myself have inwardly felt as I've embarked on various adventures in my short life so far.

'Travel is my medicine'

Reduce your Plastic Footprint : Water-to-Go Drink Bottles

Greetings readers! 

Happy New Year! Been a while since I've done a blog post over winter. I've been trying to work on my new creative writing travel book among other things including trying to cope with my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) but to try and banish the winter blues, I wanted to share this super cool product I came across which I've wanted for a while.....

I was attending travel writing seminars with Wanderlust Travel Magazine at the Adventure Travel Show in London last month (and if you like Adventure and you like Travel there are some really cool and inspiring talks in the theatres) and on my way around the labyrinth of orange stands, tents and an aeroplane flying dog (there really was - check end of post) a rather interesting water demonstration was going on at one of the stands which of course piqued my curiosity - don't you just love a good demonstration?

Saving For Travel Tips - Working For Your Travel Funds Before You Go

Working For Your Travel Funds Before You Go.

Some useful Notes and Suggestions on Working Before You Go.

Ok. So you've done your research, asked your questions and signed up to a ethical turtle conservation program you've always wanted to do in Costa Rica, done the rounds of appealing for sponsors for you to coach football to orphaned children in Ghana for a few months, had a stab at fundraising for that and downsized your clutter load for any bits of pieces you could exchange for some cash.

​Now, unless you've got a Working Holiday Visa, you'll need to pay for placement companies for your niche volunteer experience or living costs on the road before you leave - time for some elbow grease and work to suffice your travel funds nicely before you go. 

Saving Tips For Travel - Lifestyle

Lifestyle


Some useful notes and suggestions on saving without living like a pauper....or a robot...

Saving Tips for Travel - At Home

At Home

Some useful notes and suggestions on saving from the comfort of your own home... 

Saving Tips for Travel - Set Yourself A Goal

I know I hear you groan, but if you want to have great adventures and explore the world, you'll need to save up a bunch of cash (That is if you don't want to hitch hike to the ends of the earth and volunteer for free accommodation all the time). But unless you are planning to work whilst travelling, I think you'd like to have some spending money to do some cool stuff on your adventures of course. With a slight change of thinking and attitude towards money, you don't have to make huge sacrifices or suck all the fun out of your life completely whilst you're saving!

16 Interesting Places I've Crashed for the Night Travelling ZZZZZZZ

Huh 'Yawn, Yawn' yes hostels, back of camper vans, hotels, couchsurfing, Air BnB, camping grounds - I'm sure everybody who has travelled ovenight has stayed in official and comfortable accommodation to lay your head.

When you're travelling you've got to crash somewhere for the night, and it isn't always going to be in said places - but that's the whole experience right? Now I'm not one to regularly shy away from a unique adventure to test my tolerance; but thinking about the situations and journeys I've taken over the years - here's a list of interesting places I've found myself crashing to catch some zzzzzzs (and not always warm and comfortable either!)