A Tour Round Mont Blanc
WHEN Rachel Brown moved to Malvern from Shropshire four years ago to be nearer her parents, the last thing she wanted was to feel isolated in a PR job that saw her largely working from home, with only her dog for company.
Her brother came up with the answer: to access the meetup.com website, which lists all the clubs and activities available within your area.
Rachel took his advice, looked at what was on offer, and joined the Hereford and Ledbury
Curry Club, which she now runs, and the 3 Peaks And Beyond walking group.
The Curry Club meets twice a month at curry houses in and around the area, providing a nice opportunity for people to socialise.
Similarly, the walking group she joined has allowed her to meet with a group of around 12 likeminded individuals who enjoy the challenge of a 10- to 20-mile walk.
“I’ve always loved the outdoors,” she said. “I love being in the fresh air, feeling the wind on my face and even the coolness of drizzly rain. It makes you feel alive.
“I used to take my brother’s dog for long walks when I lived at home, and also continued to do five- to ten-mile walks with a boyfriend I had in my twenties.”
The group to which she belongs is “fantastic”, she says, “with a great leader” who is encouraging, designs walks which are suitable, keeps the pace just right, and has mountain-walking qualifications, enabling the walkers to feel secure in varied terrains.
This enabled the group to do the Tour de Mont Blanc in June 2018.
Up for a challenge, Rachel agreed to be part of the mixed group of 13, ranging in age from twenty-nine to sixty-one, who would do the intensive walk around Mont Blanc, which would take them through France, Italy and Switzerland.
“I gave myself six months to prepare,” she said, “which involved walking nearly every weekend.
“The training was necessary to ensure our fitness levels were at their peak, and I made sure that I practised walking long distances, going up mountains and carrying a heavy rucksack.
“I also made sure my walking boots were well broken in, to avoid blisters when I went on the challenge.”
Although generally an 11-day walk, Rachel’s group managed the circuit in nine days.
On average, the group covered 10 to 12 miles each day, with day three being a gruelling 20 miles and 12 hours of walking, and day five a marginally less intense 18 miles.
“We all had to do day three,” Rachel says, “but there was the option to miss day five, which some members of the group chose to do.
“What was nice about the challenge was that it allowed for individuals to make their own choices and, at points, to take diversions from the track, which were slightly easier.”
While day three remains etched on Rachel’s mind as the most challenging moment of the walk, the high points have far outweighed this.
The first thing she mentioned was the fact that the scenery is “amazing” and “beautiful”, and very different from that in the UK because of the backdrop of the mountains.
“It is so peaceful,” she said. “There’s silence, you feel free and are at one with nature.”
The terrain was varied, with the group sometimes walking across grass, and at other times requiring crampons for snowy and icy stretches.
The weather was lovely throughout, if just a touch hot at 26 degrees, making the stops for a coffee or a
Rachel Brown’s walking group has taken her through France, Italy and Switzerland. Lynne Hallett finds out more.
beer very welcome.
Rachel also liked the fact that this was an adventure and was proud that she made the effort to get there and pushed herself to the limit.
Interestingly, two of the walking group who had chosen to come at the end of the Tour de Mont Blanc to do the 4,000-metre
Gran Paradiso route in Italy instead, said they expected to find the group “broken” – instead, they were in high spirits.
On the last night the group had a celebratory dinner in Chamonix, rather than the basic meals at the refuges which were dotted around the route.
“Really we celebrated at the end of every day and shared jokes,” Rachel recalled. She added that her group is like “a family who look after each other”.
Everyone has their own particular quirks, but “no-one would have been left behind.”
They are now looking into their next big adventure, scheduled for 2019, which may be the Haute Route, from Chamonix to Zermatt, or somewhere in Corsica or Slovenia, which Rachel is secretly hoping for!
To sum up, Rachel said that there have been many benefits in belonging to her walking group and having this challenge as a goal, which gave her something to focus on.
She says that she lost a stone during training, dramatically increased her fitness levels and enjoyed the camaraderie of the group as they completed the circuit together.
Her message to anyone in their forties, fifties or above is this.
“Don’t write yourself off. It’s never too late to take up a new activity and do something for yourself that you can be proud of.”