I haven’t done any blogs for over a year now. Not because I had nothing to say – Lord knows it’s been a bit of a year – but because I’ve spent most of my spare time out walking in the wilds of Northumberland. Everything from dodging the cattle in the fields at Matfen to avoiding speeding cyclists on the pathway along the river Tyne. But it was all part of my “training” scheme for the MacMillan Mighty Hike.
And I wouldn’t have risen from my pit at 5:30 on a Saturday morning, travel to Alnwick Castle on a cold grey morning and then walk 26 (TWENTY SIX)*** miles to Bamburgh Castle in all sorts of weather unless I had a very good reason. And, like many of my fellow walkers, I did indeed have a very good reason.
A group of good friends and I assembled in what would’ve been the the shadow of Alnwick Castle if the sun had bothered to be out for the warm up. The organisers ran through the health and safety aspects of the route while we all fidgeted with our backpacks and stamped our feet, and I paid just the right amount of attention until I heard my name over the loudspeaker.
“Where’s Steve Mobbs?” came the voice from the ether. My friends on the team closed ranks, trying to protect me from any embarrassment. (Yeah, right!) They actually dobbed me in it, and to a man/woman pointed in my direction. But it worked out okay. The organisers wanted to thank me for mentioning the Event when I was on Radio 2’s Ten to the Top back in February. I told you it has been a bit of a year didn’t I?
We all shuffled off at 7:50 in a well signposted Northerly direction. I tried singing the first couple of lines of High Ho, It’s Off to Bamburgh We Go, but we reached a bottle neck in the first five minutes and it didn’t seem right to carry on with that song while we were all queuing at a stile. At least the sun was out by now, so we all started to warm up.
The idea of taking part in the event came from my friend Sarah, as we sat in Wetherspoons in Hexham last year. I foolishly said that I would do it too, and Sarah took me seriously. Then all sorts of people got involved. Jannette did a lot of the organising, Sarah, Karen and Sandie held fundraising events up to the big day, while I sat back and ate cake at the Coffee Morning and won prizes at the Bingo Night. The team grew and grew, mainly but not exclusively from my friends in the Hexham Amateur Stage Society. I did come up with the team name though. Given our love of Musicals I thought Hexham Guys and Dolls fitted just perfectly, and everyone agreed. So I did contribute something after all!
So up we went, through the woods, not making eye contact with the cattle or sheep in case they attacked, and out towards the coast at Alnmouth where the first of three pit stops awaited. The Event volunteers were there, dishing out oranges, cereal bars, water and sympathy to those who required it. Not us though, (at least, not the sympathy). We were all in good spirits and raring to carry on until the next stop and the promise of lunch, on a windy hill, 7 miles away.
I should mention that, along the route, some people had come out of their houses to cheer us on. At one house in Hipsburn, three people were in their garden clapping as we went by. They had a banner up with – if I remember correctly – a Liverpool FC badge and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” written next to the name Diane. Then a little girl got very excited when we walked by, as she stood with her family outside her house near Seaton Point, beside a table which offered water and apples to anyone who wanted them. She was trying her best to give them away.
There are so many kind people in this world. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Little signs all along the route pointed out the direction to take and indicated every mile passed. Marshalls were posted at points where we had to cross a road. Now you might think that we are all adults and are perfectly capable of doing that by ourselves, but after you’ve walked so far, and you’re chatting away in a group, it’s not a surprise that your attention might wander. So they were a welcome sight.
Talking of chatting, that’s exactly what we did. I got the chance to speak to everyone in the group at some stage other, which only enhanced my enjoyment of it all. We were all friends but some of them I hadn’t seen for months so it was a great opportunity to catch up. We did think we’d be singing our way round but that never materialised. Just as well because we usually charge for public performances!
Lunch approached. Well, we approached lunch, to be more accurate, with great enthusiasm. The food is all provided by MacMillan as they want to make sure you have enough calories and water to keep going, and boy did they achieve that! There was always plenty to eat at every stop.
The green MacMillan flags fluttered in the strengthening breeze on the hill at Howick, as the temperature dropped and the blisters started to appear. We all sensed that it was going to be a bit more challenging from now on, and so it proved.
I managed to avoid blisters, and I’m not boasting about it. I only mention it here as advice to anyone going on a hike; get yourself some “Thousand Mile Socks.” They certainly worked for me. I think that anyone who developed them and still managed to finish the walk deserves an extra medal. Jude, I’m looking at you!
The third stage, from Howick to Beadnell, proved to be the hardest for me. Not only was it the longest section at 9 miles, but the heavens decided now would be a good time to try and put us off. The skies darkened and then emptied their contents all over us. Out came the waterproofs, but to the team’s credit we ploughed on, undeterred by our change in fortune.
At Low Newton, one member of the team fainted, to everyone’s concern. Thankfully she was caught before she hit the ground and – astonishingly – after ten minutes she picked herself up and carried on! More than I would’ve done I’m sure. I will always be impressed by Edie’s determination.
One of the waterproofs deserves a mention of its own. Karen’s poncho made an appearance under the darkest sky any of us have ever seen. I was quite jealous, truth be told.
But with dark skies came the rainbows. And by the time we got to the last pit stop at Beadnell, the sun was back out at the end was in sight. There was a pretty spectacular rainbow on our last mile or so, and Jude dished out a celebratory Gin in a Tin to swig as we approached the final castle at Bamburgh which by this time looked golden in the evening sun.
People who had finished before us drove past us as we approached the final stretch, and there was a lot of beeping and waving at us, all in the spirit of comradeship. The whole spirit of the walk was one of togetherness and this illustrated it nicely.
For all our tiredness and pain, we gathered together when there was only 100m to go and actually ran across the finish line. My wife Rachel and stepson David were there to meet us, and I found it all a little emotional to be honest.
A few weeks ago, I was walking along the Spetchells in Wylam, wearing my MacMillan Green top when I was stopped by a woman who asked me if I was doing the Hike. When I said I would be, she said she’d look out for me. I don’t know who she is, but she became the first person to ever present me with any kind of medal, and she remembered me.
After a hot meal, again provided by MacMillan, Rachel drove us home. And by far the most difficult part of the day was trying to get out of the car when we finally got back home, one hour later. Everything locked up, but after a shower I had the best nights sleep in years.
So there we are. An incredible experience and despite the challenges, and the painful joints for the following couple of days, I genuinely enjoyed it.
I did it in memory of my good friend Ian, my Uncle Peter and Auntie Pat, all lost to cancer. And I did it for someone else very close to me who has recently been diagnosed with this bastard of a disease.
Would I do it again? Despite the early start, the biblical rain, the aching limbs and the desperate tiredness, yes I would.
In a heartbeat.
The total raised by the team at the time of writing was an incredible £6,314!
Special thanks to everyone who donated to this effort.
Ruth Whiteside
Sheila Coates
Alan and Karen Mobbs
Jane Kennedy
Yvonne Heminsley
Angus Robson
Louise Grieg and Clare Rossi
Pam Lawrence and Lesley Laine
Liz Sterland
Jenny (via Rachel)
Sue Adie and Bob Barton
Gill Clare
…and all those who wished to remain anonymous.
If you would like to donate there is still time. Please go to:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/stephen-mobbs-1735756127386?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
***Printed in word form like the old teleprinter when the football results came in and someone had scored a scarcely believable number of goals. Eg., Newcastle United 0 Crystal Palace 7 (SEVEN). Just an example.
Steve's Journal 