I am horse I am rider I am swift journeys I am the trailrider I am the trailblazer I am the well-worn traveler I am quick passage I am saddles and tack I am hats and chaps I am leathers I am breeches and stirrups I am safety belts and helmets I am safe travel I am cars and bikes I am ships and boats I am planes and rockets I am Sleipnir’s Hooves I am Sleipnir I am Grani’s…

The Olympic Games offers a quadrennial opportunity to shine the spotlight on some sports that would otherwise languish in obscurity. One such is race walking, which made its first appearance in the 1904 Games with a half-mile race that was part of the early forerunner of the decathlon, the ten-event “all round championship”. In Paris there will be events over 20 kilometres for both men and women…

273 am Sunderland Point to Heysham

The next day my hubby drops me off at the car park where I ended my walk yesterday. Pott’s Corner according to my map, but Middleton Sands according to the road signs. It’s a strange place, temporarily transformed into a construction site (more drainage works?) overlooking marsh and fringed with caravan parks. That’s Morecambe Bay ahead and those are Cumbrian hills in the distance. (more…)

266 am Preston to Freckleton

I am worried about today’s walk from Preston to Freckleton. The obvious route – along a major A road – looks unpleasant and potentially dangerous. So I have mapped out a tortuous inland route, involving footpaths that might not exist in reality, and minor roads that may turn out to be not-so-minor. My walk begins, however, as a pleasant stroll through parkland. (more…)