The Walking Idiots, Part 2: Crowthorne to Windsor (Redux)

One of, if not the advantage of doing a 20ish mile hike is the bragging rights. It is, however, a mixed bag in terms of the responses you get. For every “Mate, that sounds great, I’d love to try that,” there’s at least one “Why?” Or “You didn’t even do it for charity? Sounds like a waste.”

Oh well. Some people get it, some don’t.

(These winners do. This is how we got there. Bear with. It might take a while, but we’ll get there. It’s mostly worth it.)

(… Okay, I’ve mostly put this image up so it becomes the thumbnail when shared on social media. The next image is rather shite for said purposes. Not like these handsome devils.)

The important thing is that – for us at least – was that some of the right people got it.

Hike I was a success, or at least that’s what we told everyone.

However, we knew we wanted to do it again, but better. Little things. Not getting lost at the start would be nice. Not having to run over a busy A-Road I feel would be a perk. No bleeding feet, cheers. If we could not have a member of the crew flee us at the earliest opportunity to get laid I feel this would be an advantage. And best not bring up that detail about one of us having cancer.

So the two lessons that came out of Hike I were these: 1) Bring good footwear. Seriously. Anyone joins us wearing trainers, we turn that fool around. 2) We instigated something called Pete’s Law (TM) which basically stated if you have a medical condition that might inhibit you doing something like this, it’s best you don’t come. Turns out these hikes are kinda gruelling, we’ve a limited window of time to do them in, and if you can’t complete it, how the hell are you gonna get back?

No man left behind, my arse.

So with these two detailed points set in stone, we recruited for Hike II. The first point of order was who would come. John and I were in, obviously, but poor Pete was unavailable because of chemo, and Ross was AWOL.

Fortunately for us, our new recruits were more than welcome additions, and some of my best mates. In fact, several of them had taken great offence at the fact we’d done this Hike without them – hadn’t even considered inviting them, even. Whoops. At least they’re still not bitter about it. Still, this at least justified that Stand By Me feeling I got in Hike I – I’d been friends with this lot half my life. And so…

Hike II: 28th February, 2015. Attendees – John, Rob Golding, Mat Gunyon, Alan O’Connell, and me.

This was a chance for Alan and Mat, who were upset not to be included in the last Hike, to get to do it, too. Alan could have come, but managed not to show up. This is a very Alan thing to do. Rob, on the other hand, expressed no remorse about missing Hike I, and just wanted to go for a walk. Pretty reasonable.

Prep: walking boots, sucker. No problems there, Sports Direct did very well out of us there. A mild spike in Karrimor sales (mostly the same brown pair) was detected in the Berkshire and London area. Great.

Pete’s Law? Nah mate. All good to go.

Date?

Ah.

See, it was a little tricky last time, but pretty amenable. We had underestimated one problem: Mat.

I’ve always known Mat Gunyon to be a pretty sociable bloke, but I had no idea how much until we tried pinning him down for a date to do the Hike. I think we even initially discussed doing this one at the end of 2014, but we couldn’t get a date agreed until Feb ’15. (An example of how busy he gets – and the slightly questionable reasons as to why he’s unavailable – can be found in the planning of Hike V. “How you fixed for weekends in April, Mat?” “Can’t do it mate.” “You what?” “Can’t do it?” “Nah mate. My birthday is the first weekend, Grand National is the second, then it’s Easter.” … right.) I say most of this in jest, Mat. And with love. Honest. I will, however address your availability in Hike III.

Anyway, we got a date in the end and we’re good to go.

Then John starts worrying about the weather.

It was February, remember, and an 8 hour walk in the pouring rain is about as much fun as amateur genital surgery. We keep a hawk-like eye on the reports, the date growing closer and closer, until this happens, with only a few days to go:

If you’re struggling to make this out, the blue is not the coast, it’s the land around where we’re meant to be walking. And is predicted rain. Lots of rain. The red line is our route, in a tiny, dry nook of sun.

Clearly, some higher power has acknowledged the importance of the Hike. It wants us to complete it. You know, like how Frodo was meant to have the Ring, according to Gandalf. (That’s right, the Tolkien references are back. Remember, these are crucial to the Hike, if only for the sole reason they annoy the living piss out of John. I’ve gone too far to stop now.)

So we set off. Delayed start – the Waterloo Hotel had closed by this point, so we have breakfast in a cafe in Crowthorne High Street, but it only had one hot plate, so it takes an absolute effin’ age, and we’re all getting antsy to set off. Food done, we go.

This time, we had duties assigned – John was our leader and navigator; Mat our medic, complete with first aid kit, (as if we’d even need that); Rob, as someone who films investitures and other such things, our photographer; I was in charge of, um, morale (God knows why); and Alan? Alan was not given a task, because most of the time he is a danger to himself and others, and is best given the least amount of responsibility possible. One time we all went out on the river in a nice, quaint English boat trip, and he nearly crashed the goddamn boat. We don’t know how. We suspect he was also savagely hungover on the day of the Hike, but didn’t tell anyone because he was worried John would tell him off. This is also a very Alan thing.

So you’re probably thinking, Dear Reader, that this is the same route again – Crowthorne to Windsor – what’s the point, and what’s the point in reading this, unless I’ve given you a bribe, or you’re related to me in some way and feel obligated to read this. So what was different?

Well, for one thing, this:

That’s right, we had a selfie stick. This Hike was so 2015. You can see that Rob (front centre, the one who’d be referred to as the pretty one if we were a boyband, which we totally could be) was already embracing his documenting duties to the fullest. This is us posing on a bridge over the A322, the road we nearly killed ourselves crossing last time. Yes, there’s a bridge. No, we didn’t plan it last time. Yes, we ran out in front of traffic for nothing.

Ah well, live and learn.

So we set off up Devil’s Highway, through the Lookout again, and across the above mentioned bridge. We bump into some hikers who we share our exploits with and they express the opinion that a 20 mile hike in a day is perhaps not a reasonable idea. We laugh and part ways, realising that we do not like other walkers very much at all, judgmental bastards.

Crossing the bridge, we suddenly find ourselves stressing because the next part of our hike – we’ve now deviated from the previous route quite a bit – involves entering Swinley Forest near Martin’s Heron. Except there’s a chance it’s private land, is all fenced off, and if we don’t find an entrance into these woods, we either have to back track, undoing all our good work, or walk along the aforementioned A Road of Death until we find a way in.

Fortunately for us, we find an entrance, and enter a portion of woods that are somehow not far from where we grew up and spent many hours walking, yet have somehow never actually been in before. At least the hikes are educational, I suppose.

Anyway, we keep walking. While we do this, I should share that the other great change, which is sort of fortunate (for us) and unfortunate (for literally anyone else, including our wives/girlfriends) is that when we get together, some of the most ridiculous, inane, and filthiest lads chat comes out. Banter, innit. Lads lads lads. Except we’re not very good at being lads, in the traditional sense. We’re all nice boys.

Example 1:
“We should have got a pedometer for this walk.”
“A what?”
“You know, a pedometer. To track our steps.”
“A paedo-meter?”
“Yes. Exactly that.”
“Nick, you work for a major broadcaster, I’m sure you’re adept at knowing about sex offenders.”
Oh Lord.

Example 2: According to Rob, John and me, literally the funniest word in the English language, is chincocks. That’s right. Chincocks. It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s completely puerile. And hilarious. I know. It’s like we’re twelve.

Childish banter aside, we pass through Swinley Forest and cross a remarkable, semi-derelict bridge that goes over a train line. It looks like a relic of a bygone age, and Rob in particular – who is a train enthusiast, but don’t hold that against him, he seems like a normal – is enthralled. Then someone makes another dick joke and we’re off again.

Things take a turn for the worse when we’re passing through what appears to be some sort of private care home or hospital (we weren’t sure, thought it might be some sort of mental hospital but didn’t want to stick around to ask questions in case we were caught trespassing and were forced to turn around). John’s knee goes. Our leader, the main motivational driving force, was going to fall behind. We knew we would have to invoke Pete’s Law. Okay, it’s not life threatening, but it’s pretty hard going for him.

There’s only one problem – he’s the only one who knows the rest of the way. I might have done a version of this route before, but I’m a Twyford, and our sense of direction is shocking, and no one else has studied the maps enough to know the correct way.

Fortunately for us, Mat comes to the rescue. That first aid kit I was mocking, just a few paragraphs ago? Comes in pretty bloody handy, as he straps up John’s knee like improv medical treatment straight out of a Mad Max film. John’s good to go again, for the time being, at least.

The route continues, and we enter Windsor Great Park, the last run of our journey. John spends an absolute fortune for a coffee at Blacknest Gate, but it’s caffeine and we can’t fault wanting it. We’re slower, but not as bad we were with Pete, but John’s knee is degrading and making everything seem heroic, epic, and pathetic at once. We stop for a brief moment to watch enormous hares running on a nearby field, and when I see how John’s struggling, my mind starts to realise a Lord of the Rings joke that’ll really piss him off.

We approach the Copper Horse again, this time terrified that the gates just before it will be locked (we’re losing light now) and Mat and I are seriously considering throwing John over the gate if no other solution presents itself.

We make our way up the hill, John limping something fierce. We pause to take the selfie at the top of this post, and then John says he can’t get down the hill. Mat and I take an arm each and carry him down.

Bless.

Okay, it wasn’t all selfless, because partway down, I quote “Come on Mr Frodo, I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”

And that’s why Samwise Gamgee is the true hero of the Lord of the Rings. I always tear up at that bit.

Anyway, this is not well received, but he’s limping and holding on for dear life, so it’s listen to my nonsense or make his own bloody way downhill. He takes option A.

After that, it’s actually pretty much plain sailing getting to the end of the Long Walk, and once more to the Two Brewers. Unlike last time, however, the pub is bloody heaving and it’s freezing cold, so we defiantly drink our beers with as much pride as we can muster, before realising we’re starting to freeze to death, and sod off to another pub in Windsor where we continue to drink more and complain about the state of our feet. I’m going to illustrate this with two images, both taken outside the Two Brewers:

Not pictured: John’s knee, because it had actually fallen off.

I also manage to drop in, while buying a beer “It comes in pints,” so my Hobbit quoting is well sated. Here’s how smug I looked when I came up with this genius quip:

(Saving this photo on my laptop, I labelled this “Special Needs Victory Pint.” I slay me.)

Despite this, the juvenile humour is pretty much spent, mostly because we’ve spent the better part of 8 hours in one another’s company, and have run out of things to say. It’s okay to admit this; we’re all secure enough in our friendship to know when we’re sick of the sight of one another.

So that was Hike II: the one where it all came together. John says it’s the Led Zepellin 2 of hikes, because it’s more organised and distinctive, but every Zep fan worth his salt knows Zep 1 was still a pretty military organisation. If the metaphor continues, we’ll only have 6 hikes in total before we disappear up our arses and eventually one of us dies. Dark times.

I’m writing about Hike III next. You can’t stop me. The good news is it’s a different route, no Windsor this time, so it’ll actually be different. Promise.

I can’t guarantee the humour will be more grown up, though.