Day Three

Thanks to Nicola for holding the fort and putting an entry on here so that everybody would not think I have disappeared.

Today’s walk was from Salles-sur-l’Hers to Auriac-sur-Vendinelle (all these places can be found on Google Earth).

The walk was without incident and was, unfortunately, 36 kms, which means that I have walked a total of 104 kms in the first 3 days of VBW. I could do with a shorter stage soon. I am averaging well above the 30 kms a day I set myself, which in itself is pretty demanding.

The picture is of a windmill between Belesta and Le Vaux. This is obviously an area for windmills. As I came into Le Vaux there were 3 windmills in less than 100 metres

These blog entries will appear late because I am finding it very difficult to get connection to the Internet. This is likely to be the pattern for the whole of this trip because we are travelling through such rural areas - also France is very hilly so there are lots of dead areas for telephone reception. So there will likely be several days without blog entries, then a rush of several, like this batch.

Day Two

These blog entries will appear late because I am finding it very difficult to get connection to the Internet. I have a dongle for the Orange Internet Everywhere service – I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it should be renamed Internet Nowhere. As I send this, it seems that I have enough signal strength for words, but not for the picture I am trying to place on here. I will add it when I can.

I walked nearly 40 kms yesterday. 34 of them were for VBW, from Puivert to Mirepoix. The rest were walking into town and back a couple of times, once in the afternoon to find an Internet café -because I had very poor reception with my dongle - and in the evening for a pizza.

Today I walked from Mirepoix to Salles sur l’Hers (we have a river Hers and a river His in this area), which was again 34 kms, rather than the 30 I had expected. So I am already 68 kms along my route.

I nearly had a disaster just as I set out from the café where I had breakfast before saying goodbye to Gay. I had walked on 50 metres when I realised that the koala attached to the brim of my hat was no longer there. I turned round and it was lying on the pavement outside the café.

Also on my hat I have a New Zealand badge. Our friend Denise of Alexandra, in New Zealand, gave Gay and myself one each to carry throughout VBW “so that we would know our New Zealand friends were with us all the way”. The koalas, again one each, were donated on Friday evening, when our Australian friends Ang and Paul gave a farewell dinner for us. Similarly, they are to remind us that our Australian friends are supporting us throughout the walk

Internet in the woods.

Hi Everyone, the surrogate blogger here. Nicola (Vic's daughter for those who don't know me or know of me). I'm posting as Dad and Gay's camps for the past two days have been in areas that have no Internet reception, and I know some of you out there are anxiously waiting for news. We have managed to exchange a few text messages while Dad is walking, however, and the news is that everything is going according to schedule. Total kilometres walked as of last night (end of Day 3) clocked up to 104. Dad hopes to pass through a town today, where he will look for an internet café and post his blogs for days 2 and 3 (already written and waiting to posted!) en route. This might be a regular occurrence during the walk, as the route is an extremely rural one.
Day 4 well underway, and when I spoke to Vic about 10 minutes ago, he wasn't even slightly out of breath, in spite of the fact that I know there are a lot of hills out there!!!
Go, Vic, Go!

Watching The Clock

It is said that Mussolini made the trains run on time. Vicini pulled into what was Mirepoix station, but is the campsite for our first stop, 4 minutes late, at 1334. I had given an estimate that, if I started VBW at 0800, I would arrive at the end of day 1’s walk at 1330. I didn’t know then that most of the well-wishers who turned up to see me off would walk with me for a kilometre or so, and that we would walk through the village, complete with Evelyn’s magnificent banner held before us by Gay and Ang.

That little perambulation undoubtedly added a few minutes, so I think the reputation of the …ini family as railway schedulers is still intact.

The walk through the village was a bit wasted really, because nobody was about. Even the bar was not yet open. We saw one old lady I didn’t recognise.

The pictures above, of the official start of Vic’s Big Walk, were kindly supplied by Ang, who retains the copyright. In addition to the small and hardy band who braved yet another cold morning, came the enterprising journalist Christian Morales, who will be placing a fascinating piece in the Independent and Mid Libre newspapers. There is already a story and pictures today in the rival newspaper Depeche du Midi.

Later, as I was legging it along the Voie Verte towards Mirepoix, I saw a runner coming towards me, going at a decent pace. I wondered what on earth he had on his head, but as he came nearer I realised it was a large black Catalan beret. I was surprised when he shouted “Good luck Vic, see you in August”. It was the redoubtable aforementioned Christian Morales.

Several people have said that one of the things that will happen during VBW is that I will meet new people, some of whom will become friends.. Of course I will. This week I have already met two journalists and a professional photographer. All excellent, friendly people.

Jettison

70 minutes to go!

And I wish the weather was better. At least it is dry this morning, which is more than we can say for the last few weeks. And the temperatures have been so low! Almost every morning since we came back from New Zealand before the end of March, the car temperature monitor has screamed "ice" at us, meaning the temperature is below 3 degrees.

We had a new twist on this yesterday. You remember that we had to spend half of the last day before VBW driving over to Pamiers - a round trip of 110 kms - to the motorhome dealer, because the water heater in V-Force One did not work.

This is what had happened. Apparently there is an ice detector in the vehicle as well. If the temperature falls to 3 degrees, it jettisons all the water from the fresh water tank! So then of course when you switch the heater on, nothing happens.

Soon I will be setting out on the madcap caper I have been planning and training for over the past 2 years. I am touched by the messages of support I have received over that time and especially yesterday - some of them very emotional. I will do my best to live up to all your expectations.

Battle Standard

Our friends and neighbours Evelyn and Ian live and work in Ireland and come here whenever they can. When I first started bruiting it about that I was going to do VBW, they said they would come here specially to see me off, and they would walk part of the first leg with me.

Unfortunately, although Ian arrived a couple of days ago, Evelyn did not because of problems ultimately caused by the famous volcanic ash from Iceland.

But look what she sent as a gift borne by Ian. She has obviously laboured long and hard over this banner. The details are applique. And look at that Columbia shoe!

Tonight our other friends and neighbours Ang and Paul are hosting a farewell dinner for Gay and myself, which was supposed to be attended by Evelyn as well as Ian, who will still be there. We shall miss Evelyn tonight and at the start of the walk, but the banner will be proudly displayed at every stop along the way. It will wave outside V-Force One like a standard outside a crusader tent.

Words Of Encouragement

1 day to go.

We are receiving many messages of support and encouragement today. Here is a particularly eloquent example from Rod and Caroline King, who we shall visit in Reading along the way.

Hi Vic n Gay,

Hope you have managed to get all the V-Force One teething problems out of the way.

Good luck to both of you as you commence your epic journey tomorrow.

We hope that all your physical and mental preparation holds you in good stead over the coming 10 weeks.

We also hope that the weather is as kind to you as it was to us on our recent journey:

That the terrain ahead does not present any unforeseen or unwelcome difficulties.

And, most of all that your body and limbs carry you safely to your ultimate objective.

Hope you enjoy the countryside and all the new acquaintances you are bound to make along the way.

In brief, enjoy you walk! (Drive safely, Gay). And see you at the end of June.

Very best wishes,

Rod and Caroline.