She Hikes The South West Coast Path

With less than a month to go til I get started on my coast path adventure, the planning has begun in earnest! Camping spots identified, rest days planned, now all I’ve got to do is wait and see what the weather throws at me.

In amongst the planning and preparation, it can be all too easy to forget to make room for excitement! This is the first step (or the first several thousand steps!) towards completing a lifetime goal of mine. So this weekend I’ve been allowing myself to just revel in the thrill of this adventure.

However, I can’t deny that the preparation itself all feeds into a sense of excited anticipation- I’ve always been an avid list maker, and there’s something about trying to make my pack as light as possible that I find incredibly satisfying. Trying to work out how many pairs of socks is too many, undoubtedly over-packing food supplies (as if I’m heading to Antarctica as opposed to heavily populated Devon) and cramming blister plasters into every pocket. I realised I might be taking it all a step too far when I found myself weighing different toothbrush options on the kitchen scales, however…..

And so for now, as I proudly inspect the neat pile that’ll become my pack, I’m just going to enjoy the feeling- like I’m lying on my surf board, waiting for the wave.