Dirk Walks: First full day on the Ridgeway

SATURDAY: Walking to Sparsholt Firs We were supposed to wake up at 5am today, but we had a lie in because we had a late finish last night. So we were awake at about 7.30.

7.46am: First sight of camp site. (We arrived in the dark).

We took our time and had breakfast and brushed our teeth before packing the tent.

8.59am: More than three hours behind schedule!

We had been walking for about ten minutes when we saw what would have been an ideal place to camp last night. It was level and sheltered and even had a bench where we could have had our breakfast.

9.30am: On the other hand, we might have been squished.

9.42am: Turn left.

Because of our late start, it was after ten-o'clock when we arrived at the place where we hid the food on the way from Swindon. It was a nice surprise when we unwrapped it because we made the parcel a couple of months ago and forgot what we put in it. Please ask your friends to sponsor my walk here. A food parcel from Luton Foodbank makes a real difference to people in difficulty and is so much more important than mincing about in a rucksack.

10.26am: HOW much cling-film, Dad?!!

We had a snack and drank lots of water, then put the rest of the stuff in Dad's rucksack and carried on walking.

11.07am: I went jellybean because we were about to walk next to a road.

We had to be careful walking next to the road, but mostly there was a wide verge. We promised ourselves a pitstop when we got back on a proper path.

11.39am: Special thanks to the two cyclists who whizzed past our resting place and did amazing skids so the dust went in our faces. Wish I was as cool as you.

12.23pm: Me with a wind farm in the background.

12.44pm: We passed a bunch of flags in the middle of nowhere.

1.34pm: Took some time out to just be really really ridiculously Goodlooking.

After topping up our water bottles (and soaking our hot heads) at a tap at Idstone Farm, we walked on to Wayland's Smithy and got there at 1.45pm. There was quite a lot of people there because it's not far from a car park. But we had the place to ourselves after a while. Dad just lay there not moving. He said he didn't need an ambulance or anything, so I went exploring.

1.56pm

2.42pm

We had planned to camp near here, and we arrived an hour late. But we started walking three hours late, so we had caught up very well. We decided to just have our lunch and a rest, then do some more walking. As it got near 4-o'clock we reached Uffington Castle. It was a long steep walk up to the top but I still had plenty of energy to run about like a mad thing when we got there. We saw a man with a big kite. He was nearly lifted off the ground when the wind blew hard. I went off and found the Uffington White Horse while Dad stayed and guarded the rucksacks - which involved bravely sitting on the grass taking photos.