7^th April 2014

Well its been hell the last two days! So lets start from the beginning. Although I thought I would find this section easy for some reason it really has tested me morally and physically. I woke inside a ww2 bunker only to discover it had rained that night and the roof directly above me was leaking, all over my sleeping bag  not much o could do about that so I had breakfast and munched some biscuits dot had given me back along. Good old dot a lovely gesture from a lovely lady. I packed my things away and headed along the thames as far as I could. Along the way I found myself in the middle of a quarry full of soft wet, sticky clay. It wasn't nice I can tell you. Hard work moving with the 20 kilo pack and to be honest a little worrying as I wasn't sure if I would sink up to my neck in it. I carried on though taking each step slowly and carefully. Eventually I emerged on the other side and continued on my way. After a short while I realised both feet were soden which is cause for real concern. Prolonged wet feet can breed fungle infection, foot rot or in extreme cases a severe problem with the muscles tensing up and extreme pain. I've always said you must look after your feet and your feet will look after you. No choice though I had to carry on. A few hours later after hitting dead end after dead end, which meant going back the way I had come and seeking a different route I noticed a tingling on my left heel. This is a sure sign that the wet boots were starting to cause issues. I stopped and took my boots off to let them breathe and to check the condition of my feet. Wrinkled like a prune! Not good, this had to be addressed as a matter of urgency as witgout the ability to walk I would not be able to complete the challenge. Drastic circumstances require drastic solutions, I removed my boots and socks and attached them to my pack, I would have to continue bare foot. It was cold but at least the fresh air could do its best to help keep problems at bay. Then I hit another dead end, friggin typical. I hadn't made much head way and only had 48 hours to reach my resupply pickup point in Southend. Luckily I had passed a small track a few hundred meters back and figured it was worth a go. There was a car parked in front of the gate so I approached and knocked on the window. To my, and most definitely their surprise a young couple, getting dressed quickly, opened the door and said hi. I asked if I could get through down the lane, but they weren't sure so I thanked them and decided to give it a go.

The lane was narrow and twisty but it seemed to lead somewhere so I kept going. A little way along after a few bends I came across a house. Cautiously approaching the habitat I realised it had been abandoned. The windows were broken and a bush had grown over the front door. I peered through one window and spotted a double bed, a reminder of what I had left behind. Strangely enough there was also a hoover in there. I couldn't help but wonder if the previous occupant had suddenly past away and nobody had claimed the property. There was also a barn with corrugated steel sheets flapping in the wind, an eerie sound and spooky atmosphere. Time to leave I decided so I carried on along the track until I spotted a small shack. As it turns out it wasvan abandoned bird hide. I can only assume the owner of the derelict house was also a twitcher (bird spotter). I went over and opened the door. It was dry inside and as the wind was starting to pick up I figured it could make a reasonable place to hold up for the night. There was no roof so something had to be fashioned just in case it rained. I took out the fly sheet from my broken tent and attached it the shell of the hide enclosing me inside and makinf quite a cozy little home. I took out my wet gear and hung them up to dry, had dinner freeze dried chilli co carne and drank my evening brew. As the light faded I noticed some exceptionally large spiders, so I grabbed a hammer that was laying next to an old pair of mini binoculars and made sure they wouldn't disturb me during the night!

I'll tell you about today a little later once I have found somewhere to camp...