I’m already planning another assault on the 10-day solo C2C next May, learning the lessons of my first attempt.
Chief among these will be what to leave out of my rucksack to cut weight. I intend to abandon the heavy cooking gear because the luxury of the occasional hot meal when camping wild is more than outweighed by the down-side of having to hoik the bulky and heavy equipment and food around in my backpack - especially as most nights I plan to eat in a pub anyway. Instead, I’ll rely on picking up hot food as I pass through villages in the daytime, and eating sandwiches etc. on the few nights when I may not have a pub to hand.
I’ll also pay more attention to waterproofing my equipment, with a proper dry bag for clothes, a rucksack liner and a waterproof map case (I’m told Ortlieb are the best).
If money allows, I’ll also go for a lighter and smaller two-season sleeping bag rather than the bulky three-season Vango I have at the moment, which is a bit of a luxury.
Top priority, however, will be a new pair of walking boots. I’ve read some blogs from walkers who swear by trekking in fell-running boots and putting up with wet feet because of the lighter weight. But after my experiences, that’s one trade-off I won’t be making!
