After walking about 50000 steps, burning 6000 kcal, climbing the equivalent of 114 floors and crossing a highway on foot 😱, I arrived in Dover via Shepherdswell. I feel a bit hurt, especially my legs and feet, and I might have a couple of muscles cramps here and there but I got to the destination 😄.
I quite enjoyed the first part of the hike when I was walking through yellow corn fields and flowery landscapes in the middle of nowhere. However, when I was about 40 minutes away from Shepherdswell (where people walking the trail would normally stop to sleep the night), severe cramps suddenly started hitting my right leg. I also ran out of water and was hungry as a wild wolf. When I arrived in this tiny village of less than 2000 people and I saw what was probably the only convenience store in town, my heart started racing as if I was glancing at an oasis in the middle of the desert. I restocked with food and water and found a kids playground in the middle of an open field as the best spot to recharge my energy and swallow a multivitamin pill. Weirdly enough, after eating a mere tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, my body didn't want any more food.
Once I started walking again, I had over two hours left to walk to get to Dover. Due to the cramps in my right leg I started walking very slowly, almost hopping towards the great white cliffs :). I had moments of great agony and pain and every tenth of a mile felt like an eternity. I tried to focus and just think about taking it step by step. My backpack was also significantly heavier due to the food and water I was carrying; probably closer to 15 kg.
I managed to arrive at my accomodation only a few minutes before the check-in closed 😥. Once in my room, I took a hot shower and threw myself at a sweet, fresh and comfortable bed ☺️.
The plan that I have for tomorrow (or should I say today) is probably about twice as intense as what I did today. I am thinking that I don't want to risk serious injuries and go game over even before the fun begins in France. I am now considering some alterations to tomorrow's plan. I also need to remember to do some stretching (so important!!) to potentially recover from those nasty muscle cramps and not get any new ones.
I need to take a ferry from Dover to Calais early in the morning. I absolutely need to get some well deserved sleep now! 👋
Comments