The Ribbon Walk, Part 2

I guess I must have triple checked that I had everything with me. Walking shoes, socks, waterproof jacket, umbrella (just in case), car park pass, and of course, pink iced cakes, pink wafer biscuits and crisps (for the salt - not pink, though J had prawn cocktail flavour, which I don’t like).

We set off really early, and, once we’re on the road:

‘We’re going to get there early you know…’
‘We could always stop for coffee, that would make it a proper handbag walk’

So around 10.30am, while others were preparing for the walk, we find a parking space on a busy Saturday morning in Wetherby, and look for a coffee shop. Luckily, for a small town, it seems well provided for, and we find a nice little café, where we clearly should also have had breakfast.

We still make it to Harewood by just after 11.30am. It’s nowhere near as busy as I’d thought it would be. I had visions of us queuing to park, and to register, but there’s none of that. We’re just guided to a parking space, and then go over and register, and to find the third member of our party, realising that this isn’t going to be as hard as we’d thought. There’s a refreshment tent, and even more tantalising, a Pimms stall.

Then it’s time for a pre-walk snack. C, who isn’t familiar with the world of the handbag walkers, looks a bit bemused as we set out the picnic rug, and the food, on pink plates, with pink serviettes. We’re taking cake with us though, to eat en route.

We get booted up, and, as it manages to spit with rain for all of 30 seconds while we are picnicking, I have to take my jacket, which I proceed to tie around me, as it won’t fit in my handbag. As I’m also wearing a bum bag, to carry all the other things that won’t fit in my handbag, I create a sort of bustle effect. Or, at least, in my head I do. Thankfully I can’t see behind me.

For the first couple of miles, it’s a long stream of people, which doesn’t make for easy walking, as we keep having to overtake, and then, we also keep stopping for photos. We’re amazed to find that after an hour, we’ve completed 3 miles.

The first rest stop, with refreshments, is at 3.5 miles, and we stock up with fruit and more water. Soon after, we’re passing alongside Eccup Reservoir, and everyone else seems to have vanished. We wonder for a moment if we’ve gone wrong, then spot a pink arrow up in a tree.

We soon seem to have reached 5 miles. Halfway. Time was not that long ago when this would have been a very long walk, but we’re going well, and don’t feel tired. We never spot the 6 mile marker, as, after 6.5 miles, we arrive at the second rest stop, which seems an outdoor activity centre. We stop and sit in a children’s playground to eat our crisps and cakes, (on which the icing has melted a bit).

When we set off again one of the marshalls says ‘the worst bit is over now’. As we head into the woods, and up a hill, we realise he was lying! After 7 miles, a hill is pretty hard going, and it adds insult when we’re overtaken by a bloke who is running, but soon we’ve crested it, and emerging from the trees, can see Harewood House across the parkland.

The final mile is up the drive to the house, and then round the front of it. We pass the little shop, and at least two tea shops at this point, but can’t stop, for the finishing line is in sight. For at least the last three miles, J has been talking about Pimms.
We cross the line to cheers (bless them) and it feels good. We’re presented with our medals, and having posed for a celebratory photo, head for a glass of Pimms, which goes down very well. We also get a voucher for free food*, which is surprisingly nice, and then head back to the car, where we have mini bottles of pink champagne.

As we sit beside the cars, raising our glasses in celebration, I feel very proud of us all.

*which doesn't feel that 'free' when you've walked 10 miles for it!