As the tent shows no sign of appearing, I think it prudent to start investigations into more reliable forms of shelter (more reliable than the United States Postal Service.)
I have tried various websites for Hostels, B&B’s Guesthouses and Hotels but they all seem to advertise themselves rather than the places to stay. In the end I ended up with good ol’ Google and am now slowly working my way up my route.
I have decided not to book anything up before I leave Land’s End apart from the First Night in Penzance, in case it all goes tits up. The idea of trying to re-book four months of accommodation after tripping over on the first day and taking the second day off with a twisted ankle just doesn’t bear thinking about!
So I am writing a long list of possible places to stay on my route. The criteria for inclusion on my list of places to stay include:
Distance from proposed stopping point.
‘Comfiness’
Atmosphere
Closeness to pub
Price
There is certainly not a bottomless pit going on here, which is why the non-appearance of the tent is just beginning to get me down. I need quite a few possible places to stay at each location as I will generally be booking a bed just a day or so in advance, which could be very tricky! However, the tent (when it finally arrives) gives me a wonderful safety net.
After getting to Bath things should get easier as there are more places to have a wild pitch where it is nice and quiet and I can get away nice and early in the morning. The South West does need a pretty comprehensive list of ‘possibles’ though!
The other places that need careful thought are the Easter holidays and the two bank holidays in May. From my place on the settee in front of Jamie Oliver at the moment, they just look impossible to sort – so I shall just have to take pot luck!
How people worked all this out preparing for their LEJOG’s before the days of the internet, I really have no idea! But thinking back, John Hillaby just shipped up at a pub and somehow either found a bed for the night from the locals or kipped high on a hill under a hedge. Not a bad plan and one I think I may make use of from time to time.
I have tried various websites for Hostels, B&B’s Guesthouses and Hotels but they all seem to advertise themselves rather than the places to stay. In the end I ended up with good ol’ Google and am now slowly working my way up my route.
I have decided not to book anything up before I leave Land’s End apart from the First Night in Penzance, in case it all goes tits up. The idea of trying to re-book four months of accommodation after tripping over on the first day and taking the second day off with a twisted ankle just doesn’t bear thinking about!
So I am writing a long list of possible places to stay on my route. The criteria for inclusion on my list of places to stay include:
Distance from proposed stopping point.
‘Comfiness’
Atmosphere
Closeness to pub
Price
There is certainly not a bottomless pit going on here, which is why the non-appearance of the tent is just beginning to get me down. I need quite a few possible places to stay at each location as I will generally be booking a bed just a day or so in advance, which could be very tricky! However, the tent (when it finally arrives) gives me a wonderful safety net.
After getting to Bath things should get easier as there are more places to have a wild pitch where it is nice and quiet and I can get away nice and early in the morning. The South West does need a pretty comprehensive list of ‘possibles’ though!
The other places that need careful thought are the Easter holidays and the two bank holidays in May. From my place on the settee in front of Jamie Oliver at the moment, they just look impossible to sort – so I shall just have to take pot luck!
How people worked all this out preparing for their LEJOG’s before the days of the internet, I really have no idea! But thinking back, John Hillaby just shipped up at a pub and somehow either found a bed for the night from the locals or kipped high on a hill under a hedge. Not a bad plan and one I think I may make use of from time to time.
Alan, you've really got to give your tent a full 2- 3 weeks. Books from the US to me take 2 weeks and I expect a bulky package will be poked and proded by customs and security at each step of the route.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed
Steve