Matt Warren
Even though we’re using a company to move our main cases on to each stop, we still needed to think about every eventuality. We head to Minehead on Monday, and on Tuesday morning, it all kicks off. The challenge begins—legs, lungs, blisters and all.
Before we get to the actual walking, though, we’ve had to tackle something nearly as tricky: packing. And as it turns out, that’s been a bit of a mission. There’s something weirdly stressful about trying to pack for a long-distance adventure where you’ll be facing unpredictable weather and also working on the road. Oh—and trying not to spend a fortune on the way.
We did some quick maths and realised if we weren’t careful, we could easily blow £4,000 just on food over the course of the challenge. That’s… a lot of flapjacks. So we made the call early on to buy a lot of our snacks and lunches in bulk. It’s already saved us loads, but it did come with a small catch: space.
We now have a lot of food. Like, borderline embarrassing levels. Sure, it’s cheaper this way, and we won’t be at the mercy of overpriced shops, but trying to squeeze it all in alongside waterproofs, layers, spare socks and everything else has been a real game of pack-and-hope.
And of course, the British weather has been eyeing us suspiciously. We’ve packed for rain, sun, wind and general sogginess—layers, waterproofs, dry bags, more socks… Still, we’re hoping we’ve struck a decent balance.
Then there’s the work side of things. Since we’re both working on the road, the laptops had to come too. There was some debate about this, not going to lie. Laptops aren’t exactly designed for being chucked about, but we’ve packed them carefully, carved out space, and promised ourselves to keep coffee—and flasks—far, far away from them.
Packing for a challenge like this means thinking hard about what really matters. It’s been a mix of practical thinking, creative stuffing, and a few compromises (RIP to the luxury pillow—you didn’t make the cut). But overall, we’ve managed to fit in the essentials: food, layers, tech, and a small hip flask for the low points.
Next stop: Minehead. And then it’s boots on, heads down, and get cracking.
