T H E STAT S

● Hours hiking: 84 ● Steps: 413,000 ● People who asked me if I’m mad when I told them I was doing the whole path in 12 days: 13 ● Welsh cakes eaten: 18 ● Acts of unsolicited kindness from strangers: 12 ● Border crossings: 17 ● Times I screamed out loud and thought nobody could hear: 19 (mai nl y each time I saw another steep hill several hours into a sec ti on) ● Times I screamed out loud without anyone hearing: 17 (I think ) ● Castles: 11 ● Abbeys: 3 ● Topless male hikers: 23 ● Topless male hikers I enjoyed looking at: 2 ● 3D red dragon sculptures: 6 ● People speaking Welsh: lost count ● Clock towers: 22 ● Times I was told off by a farmer: 6 ● Greggs: 4 ● Blisters: 0 ● Open air urinations: 34 (I am suitably ashamed ) ● Days on which I wore more than 1 layer: 0 ● Days on which I wore my waterproofs: 0 ● People who asked me if I’m doing my Duke of Edinburgh Award: 7 (at 33 years of age ) ● Roadside and pathside naps: 25 ● Times I checked my work emails: 5 (and regretted doing so immediately) ● Major rivers visited: 3 (Wye, Severn and Dee) ● Pubs visited: 24 ● Postcards sent: 8 ● Pints: 41 ( a personal disappointment caused by falling asleep too early most evenings) ● Miles: 177 ● Pre-Elizabeth II post boxes: 27 ● Cinema experiences: 1 ● Hot tubs: 2 ● Red telephone boxes: 41 ● Hugs from fellow hikers: 4 ● Hikers I met with whom I’ll stay in touch: 7 ● Lasagnes eaten: 11 (that’s why people call me Garfield) ● Hotel rooms featuring a teddy bear: 1 (ver y helpful indeed) ● Hotel rooms with a bath: 6 ● National parks: 1 ● Different local BBC news stations: 4 ● Museums visited: 7 ● Things I forgot which I really needed: National Trust card, vodka and more books