Spent a wonderful night using the sherpa van site and e mailing the 8 hotels etc that I plan to use for the walk. Have a tent etc in reserve as I have been told that the 2 dogs may prove a problem.Night one stay has come in at £60 for dinner/bed/breakfast with £12 for dogs. This is a bit up market (first night and all) but if I can pull the whole trip in at £400, this equates to the same as wifey will spend on a week in the sun, which is ok. Wonder when the other 7 replies will come in and if the tent is going to be needed. Am no stranger to wild camping (3 months on Corsica after the Legion etc)but at 53 I fancy a gentle stroll before the Loch Ness marathon in October !

Thanks for that Steve. I was thinking of 10 hours walking per day in total which should be about 10 days for the trip, plus a couple more for getting lost and finding myself again, or minor detours.

Have had a practice at putting the tent up on my todd,7 mins 44 secs without pegging. I reckon I should be able to crack 5 with a bit of effort,and 12 mins to pull it down, should be reduced incase I need to make a quick getaway.

Now I have to learn how to one pot cook......I fear a diet of noodles coming on.

£400?
I was hoping for less than £200,if she lets me go on my own.
She is used to it by now.
26 years behind the bell sir,the last 15 as a trucker away all week. So she will get a couple of weekends free to raid the shops, but she'll have to walk. I'll have the car.

So where do I start?

Erm? This all sounds a little worrying - not only do you sound new to LDP walking - you sound new to walking - period! I would suggest your first stop might be to get out doing some long day walking - and then progress on to doing some weekends to see how you adjust to carrying a big load and camping. You might also want to buy a good guide book - because most will have some notes in them about what to take.

Tent.Check - yes sounds like you have a tent - but you want lightweight and something that isn't going to collapse when its bucketing it down. As others have said a £7 Tescos job sounds a bit iffy to me. Check it out in your garden when its raining a lot and see what happens?

Me. Check - you've said you need to get fit - probably a good idea - although if you can get through the first 3 or 4 days of an LDP, it normally gets better after that.

Likewise for the Erms - are they ready for this?

Food. How much? - A lot people don't take any - just buy stuff on the way - depends what sort of money you have. If you are carrying and cooking your own food - you will end up with a very heavy rucksack

Clothing.Ditto. - as little as possible. When campaing - I take one shirt for walking in (yes it gets quite smelly but then its only me and the sheep) and one for the evenings; one pair of trousers (lightweight with detachable legs and quick drying material); a fleece and a lightweight breathable raincoat; three pairs pants; four pairs walking socks (and one pair of sealskins). I add in one luxury item which is a pair of sandals for the evenings - its murder having to wear your walking boots when not walking in the evening. I also take a camping towel - which is a lightweight thing that is about one foot square - but works very well. Then you've also got your sleeping bag - again as lightweight as poss - and a carry mat if you want one.

Boots. How many pairs,and what type. Erm? If you are asking how many - you really do need to get out there for a weekend with full pack to check out how you get on. I don't think anyone goes out with more than one pair of boots. You would be advised to go to a proper walking/camping shop to get some advice from someone who knows what they are talking about regarding boots. Its down to personal preference - my last two pairs have been Raichles and they've served me well - but I'd a little worried about going out in a pair of £7 Tesco's jobbies.

Wild camp or Campsite? This depends on you. Wild camping can be great if you like solitude and you don't mind being a long way from civilisation. But then you need to find the right place.

First aid kit.Check.

Money.How much? How much you got?

Camera.Check Phone. Check. Yes - but you need to bear in mind that chargers are pretty heavy and you won't find anywhere to plug them in on the top of Haystacks.

Good luck mate!!! And best wishes to the Erms! Is Mrs Erm any good at getting you to do a reality check?

I started with that view but soon came around to thinking that to enjoy the walk to its full B&Bing was a good idea. But maybe I'm getting soft in my old age.

I wrote about my conclusions after walking the first week of the coast to coast here including my thoughts on how much underwear to take!

I didn't take any cooking gear. It's not just the stove, gas and utensils, it's food and water. All mounts up. You go through villages/towns with shops almost every day, and can get a cooked meal every evening. I know it's a matter of opinion, but I didn't fancy B&Bs much. I decided the sense of achievement would be so much more by carrying all my own gear and using no public transport. But it will spoil it if you're pack is too heavy. Take it out for a few days, loaded up, and see how it feels

Definately go on trial overnights, walking the distances and taking the gear your aiming to use. As many as it takes to feel comfortable about the trip.

It certainly pays to iron out any difficulties before you go. You will refine your kit, toughen your body up and prepare youself mentally for your trip.

I'd also do the 'three piles' ritual every time you get back - Make a pile of stuff you used every day, a second pile you used occasionally and a third pile of stuff you didn't use. (Put the 1st aid kit in the first pile!) Next time, just take the first pile.

Hi there

Go to this website(www.dibabasontour.com)and click on walking holidays to see my experience of The Coast 2 Coast walk. You may find something helpfull.

Sijid.

"The added bonus being that a fiver a night on a campsite is a sight better value than many of said B&Bs in the lakes."
- yes, which allows more money for your beer.

Thanks Bliss.
You are totally right about being new to ALL this.
I am reasonably fit. Have managed some 7/8 mile walks, and it is always me that carries everybody elses gear when we do go, so I know I can probably do the miles, with the weight.
I won't be using the tesco £7 job, it was just for the young un to put up in the garden to have a sleep out with a friend or two.I do have a proper tent, but it does come in at 2.5 kilos, but I can't afford to buy a new one.
I have got a decent pair of boots, so will make do with them,and a pair of trainers for popping down the "local",as required.
Solitude, comes with the job,so am used to that.
Food. Good suggestion, but will still want to make myself a brew in the mornings,and in the evenings,and I don't use milk, so only water required,and tea bags.
Clothing. Never thought about it that way. But absolutely right.It's only me and my nose.
And I do use a good deodarant that can keep me pong free for a couple of days.
Wild or not, I suppose I can alternate, I don't want to spend too much, I want to raise more than I spend.
Not sure the erms would be able to manage the whole trot, as Mrs Erm is the one that had the Big C,but she came through that, and still suprises me with what she can manage.I think she wants to come too,and I don't want to be the one to tell her she can't. She does walk more than me anyway.
Little erm, well who knows what the little blighters can manage.
Thanks again for your insight, and I hope to see you out there one day.
Take care.Any other useful tips really will, be appreciated.