graciethesilvester-blog - Tumblr blog

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Blisters and More but oh so Close

Its Sunday and do you know what that means…only 3 days to go!!!! 16 full days of walking down and we are finally nearing the end. Hopefully my body keeps together; Thanks to Dad, our first aider, I have been able to walk through some of the worst blisters I have ever seen (they are several layers deep).

My grandma came to visit yesterday which was a nice change. The ice cream was delicious by the…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

13 day in already!

I am so sorry for the lack of post but I hope you have been following me on Facebook. No word of a lie, I have done 13 days of walking already. Now there is only a week to go which feels like nothing after everything I have had to endure.

I have had cramps in every part of my legs, pain associated with stretched ligaments, and not to forget the blisters!

But despite that, most of my days have…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Walk stats (Google fit)

Day: Saturday 12th May 2018

Miles: 16.18      Steps: 43,943     Time: 7h 17m     Calories: 2,180

This walk wasn’t as long as the last one but still quiet hard; Who knew Cornwall had that many hills? For some reason, I wasn’t as motivated either which made the walk less enjoyable. That didn’t stop me, however, from finding the most gorgeous views… and walking through a field of sheep.

And lets not forget the traditional unusual factor of this walk… say hello to my little friends!

I found this one while having lunch in Saltash.

And I found this one after walking down a hill that turned out to be a dead end. She did make the way back up slightly more cheerful.

I walked in so many circles on this walk, makes you appreciate the beauty of Google maps. However, if I didn’t walk were my feet took me I would have never found these sights or these dogs. I would have never found the charming village of Forder, the place I made circles around. Perhaps it was God telling me I haven’t seen it all yet. You see, there is #beauty in the unknown; there is #beauty in being carefree and spontaneous. I have to say though, it is not for the fainted hearted.

A Dogtastic Day by the Sea Walk stats (Google fit) Day: Saturday 12th May 2018 Miles: 16.18      Steps: 43,943     Time: 7h 17m     …

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Walk stats (google fit)

Day: Saturday 5th May 2018

Miles: 19.65      Steps: 51,326     Time: 8h 34m     Calories: 2,180

Thats right, almost 20 miles! That made me want to do a boggy dance singing “I did it, aha aha, I did it aha aha, oh thats the way aha aha I like it” but of cause, I didn’t because, as I flopped down on my bed at 9:30 in the afternoon, it felt like I had had my life sucked out of me. I even had to sit down in the shower because I was too exhausted to stand up.  I can’t forget, either, how painful the night was; I had to put wet towels around my legs just so i could sleep. That actually worked mind and now I have a proven method.

It might seem like I am complaining a lot here but I don’t regret it one bit. Which is a good thing considering I have 300 miles to walk still. It did however make me re-elevate my checkpoints. Stay tuned to find out what that looks like. My mum has devised a cunning way to show proof of my walk mileage, talk to people in the processes and have a keep sake to take home, which I think is pretty awesome.

Anyway, back to the walk. I have to say. this walk was one of the most interesting walks anybody could ever go on because, I kid you not, I saw two wild otters, three wild pheasants, probably trespassed twice, definitely trespassed once (shusssssh, don’t tell anyone), I got side track down a road that even Google didn’t know was cut in two and made into dead ends, I jumped over two streams (and two fences) and went the wrong way a couple of times. Who ever said I wasn’t adventurous is a lier.

This definitely was not the way

But going wrong never stopped me getting the best views…

The Chaos Before the Storm Walk stats (google fit) Day: Saturday 5th May 2018 Miles: 19.65      Steps: 51,326     Time: 8h 34m     …

[graciethesilvester-blog]

The Talent showcase: a case of bad but good

The Talent showcase: a case of bad but good

Last Wednesday was the night that was going to change everything. I woke up that morning believing that the number of donations would tenfold and with so many people coming through the door of the venue for my talent showcase we were going to have one of the coolest night ever! But…barely anybody showed up. Am I sad? No. Was I sad? Oh, yea; that day was one of the most stressful days of my life…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

It's Radio Time!

It’s Radio Time!

If you haven’t guessed by the title, I am going to be on the radio talking all about me and my 300-mile walk. So remember this: Wednesday 18th April @ 9:30am on Branch FM. If you are local to Dewsbury and surrounding areas, you’ll find Branch FM on 101.8 FM but if you are not, then listen live at branchfm.co.uk Adding to this, an official date for the walk has been set. You may have noticed the…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

My Wembury Adventure

Walk stats (google fit) Day: Saturday 24th February 2018 Miles: 16.99  Steps: 45,584  Time: 8h 20m 35s  Calories: 3460 What a beautiful journey this one was, though we almost got lost on quite a few occasions. Oh yes, it wasn’t just me this time as my good friend Beth joined me which means I had somebody other than my mind to talk to. We first walked the erm-Plym trail to Wembury and then took…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Success! I Cycled to Ivybridge and Back

Success! I Cycled to Ivybridge and Back

Cycle stats (google fit) Day: Tuesday 13th February 2018 Miles: 21.27     Average speed: 5.54mph     Time: 4h 46m 34s     Calories: 1,286 This journey was…interesting. For one, it was the first cycle ride of this length that I had done on my own. Cycling on my own meant there was no one to keep me motivated, make me happy when there was yet another hill. I even decided to go a different way back…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

It's Competition Time!

It’s Competition Time!

I have been walking/cycling a lot lately, and I thought ‘why am I not using this opportunity to spread the word about walk300?’. So I decided I needed a hoodie (because I realised that’s what I usually wear for this kind of adventures). Better yet, I decided to let you, the general public, design it. So I got to work, and this is the poster I created for the competition. How cool is that?! If I…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

What am I Fighting For?

What am I Fighting For?

⇐ This is me, and this is a picture taken in the slums of Kisenyi, Kampala, Uganda with the street kids that live there. Branches of life international efforts are primarily focused here, and I had the privilege to see all that they are doing in June/July 2017. I was first surprised by how crude the surroundings were and speechless at the line of kids sleeping in front of that green container; It…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Walk stats (google fit)

Day: Wednesday

Miles: 14.6  Steps: 38,483  Time: 6h 12m 37s  Calories: 1,647

Walk details

Getting to Tavistock wasn’t the only thing that failed, in fact, I originally planned to go to Plymstock. You can see in this picture how much of a detour that it took.

How did I do that, you may ask?

By first going the wrong way and then sticking with it. Perhaps not the best idea because most of the time I had no idea where I was. At one point I even found myself staring at a wall of brambles, and that was after walking around in circles. Not the best start.

Literally, it was a wall.

I finally found myself at a crossroads having to decide what direction to take, and I madly thought I could walk 15 miles to Tavistock in 5 hrs to get the bus back in time for a Christian union event. I may have been able too but, as you will find out by reading on, nature had other plans.

Continuing with the story, I found myself walking the 27 cycle route and I must say what this route is mystifying with features such as 3 large bridges with views stretching for miles and a tunnel so long that I was in the pitch black for a creepily long time.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I managed to get to Yelverton at about 5pm and even though I was in a serious amount of pain, with the back of my left knee starting cramp up, I wasn’t ready to go home. Knowing I couldn’t make it to Tavistock in time, I decided to see how far I could get before I had to hop on the bus and go home. The only problem was that I didn’t factor in the earth orbital patterns. i.e it got dark. This isn’t usually a bad thing but for one I was on my own and two, I was walking past Horrabridge onto a path with no lights. Suddenly feeling freaked out, I decided it would be best to go home. I check my phone and found out where the nearest bus stopped was. It took me all that time to then release that you actually need change to get on a bus. Now I was really freaking out because where the hell was the nearest cash machine. To make it worse my phone was on 9% battery.

I decided to trust my God, say a little prayer and wait for the bus. Those few minutes were some of the most nerve-racking of my life. Then the bus turned up, I told the driver of my situation and if he could take me to the nearest cash machine…and, to my relief, he did. It was a severe face-palm moment when he stopped at Yelverton and pointed out the cash machine right next to the co-op where I brought chocolate from an hour earlier. But that didn’t matter; I was able to get cash and get home safely and on time for free food and a christian talk about freedom and how just doing what you want isn’t always freedom. Go figures.

My failed walk to Tavistock Walk stats (google fit) Day: Wednesday Miles: 14.6  Steps: 38,483  Time: 6h 12m 37s  Calories: 1,647…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

I've got an itenery!

I’ve got an itenery!

      *The TBA is where a stretch between towns is too large and thus location depends on accommodation available.

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Beauty of the Unknown

Yeah this is going to harder than I thought; Yesterday, I walked 16.5 miles. I was hoping for 20 but by the 12th mile I was aching so bad, by the 14th I was wavering and by the 16th I hobbled onto a bus. Today I am still hurting. My knee feels like its twisted, yet i still feel good because its Christmas and I managed to walk further than I have walked in a day before. You know when even when…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

Fading

​I am up there, Somewhere in the clouds. But round and round a darkness shrouds. Slowly disappearing. What would I become? I hear the end with the beat of that bass drum. “Dum dum dum dum dum Here I come”. How can I stop it? Stop what? I don’t know. It hurts, it hurts. Its scary. It’s gone. “Do you remember?” they ask, “Do you remember?” But the light, It is dying. Like an ember it is flying Away…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

My Fundraising Journey

So today I have my very first official bake sale. I say officially because the last time we tried we failed, being unable to successfully book a spot in our SU. Because of this, we sold all of our delicious goodies to family. Thank goodness for family. I have to say, bake sales are actually quiet enjoyable. Not only can you laugh as you make a real mess in the kitchen but you get to play at being…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

My struggles (part 2)

My struggles (part 2)

I have been feeling really down lately, bar the few days I had with my sister when she came down to visit me in my new life at Plymouth (more on that later). Being unhappy is not like me. I am flamboyant, ecstatic just to live…but I had become a sloth; I didn’t want to move but then I would get annoyed at not moving. I was bored, I was angry, I was upset at what my world had become. Questions…

[graciethesilvester-blog]

New Beginnings!

Boo! I’m here. Thought you lost me, did you? Well never! So what’s been happening… University for one. My life has now officially started but by God is it expensive! To be frank though, so is life. Makes me realise how attached we are to money with the worst of my worries orbiting around this…well this concept; money is really just a piece of paper or numbers on a screen, yet we give it so much…