Walking a lap of the M25

A microadventure documented through microblogging (Twitter).

  • Coldest snap in 30 yrs… Perfect timing to set off to walk a lap of the M25! I leave at dawn tomorrow. Think it will take about 8 days.
  • 3 hours into walking round the m25 we’ve stopped for our first bacon butty and cup of tea
  • Tucked up in bed just off junction 3… 8:45 AM Jan 6th
  • Fox tried to nab food last night. Chilly night in bivvy bag.
  • Told off for being on private land by man with shotgun
  • Bread and ketchup for lunch near junction 6: living the dream
  • Dark now. Headtorch on. Cold. Hoping to reach junction 8 in a few hrs to camp
  • Starving! Headed into a pub by junction 8. Barmaid gives us free beer!
  • Ronan and helen, two people we met in the pub, have invited us to stay in their house! Heroes!
  • Anyone live by the m25 and fancy letting me stay the night?! Bloody cold and wet in a bivvy bag…!
  • Found a tea tray on reigate hill. Sledging descents should speed us up
  • thank you for heroic offers of coffee at junction 10. But we don’t have time for fun!
  • Extra large chips and cheese in leatherhead’s finest kebab house
  • Slow day so far. Almost sunset and less than 2 junctions walked.
  • 3 more junctions to walk before sleep. We only have 8 days to complete walk so cannot slow down…
  • Sitting in the snow as cars rush by. Eating a mars bar and feeling glum. 2 hours more walking to go.
  • Had two beautiful days trek through leafy kent and surrey.
  • Camping at intersection of m3 and m25. Heathrow planes circling.
  • Matt – thanks so much for inviting us in to your house for sausage sandwiches!
  • Printing out Google Map zoom-ins at Matt’s house to get us past Heathrow airport. Not a good place for the usual fence hopping..
  • It’s quite a buzz to lie on ground under flight path as planes land at heathrow
  • Free brandy and garlic bread at a kind pub in rickmansworth
  • Live band in local pub (“these boots were made for walking”). Someone’s allowed us to camp in their garden.
  • Found broken kids’ sled. @roblilwall towing his pack on it. Good training for south pole.
  • Less fence jumping today. Commandeered shopping trolley for packs and accelerating towards junction 21
  • Grr… I lost our map. Hard work trying to get through dark, rural hertfordshire without one. Idiot.
  • Enjoying warmth in deserted south mimms service station. Never considered it an oasis of luxury before.
  • Slept in bushes in car park at south mimms service station. Handy for getting breakfast in morning!
  • People avoid my gaze in service station. Without my pack i look like a homeless man.
  • Grey sky, slushy paths, damp sleeping bag, sore feet, a little whine and a moan.
  • The prospect of cooking super noodles in a cold field has been trumped by a turkish chippy near junction 26
  • Free chips! Walking on now. Hope to sleep in epping forest tonight.
  • Camping 10m from the noisy road. Imagining the trucks are waves on the shore to lull me to sleep…
  • Cup of tea at a stables in essex. “my son’s mad like you. A hot drink will do you good”
  • Asked directions from two essex geezers shooting pigeons in a slushy field.
  • Hopped a fence and striding across a golf course.
  • Marching on together into our final gloomy dusk. My own bed and a hot shower beckon…
  • Finished the m25. What a walk!

For some “proper” writing about the experience please click here.

Or listen to Rob giving a micro-talk about the trip:

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