From Venice to Marseille: We’re at it again
Late last year the Fortitude team embarked on a virtual mission to walk from John O’Groats to Land's End. Having conquered it in no time at all – we completed the final mile in early January – we were left wanting more.
Where to next?
Since we were beginning this challenge in the middle of winter, the F.F. Plodders, as we are called, decided to go for somewhat of a warmer climate. Even though we were walking the route ‘virtually’, we thought it would be nice to imagine ourselves on some bright sunny trail in Europe as opposed to the Northamptonshire countryside in the cold and drizzle.
We settled on a walk from Venice to Marseille, clocking in at a total of just over 500 miles. And just to add a little bit of intrigue and healthy competition, we split ourselves into two teams – the Girls and the Boys – and go head-to-head in a walking battle. The prize? A tidy sum of £1,000 to donate to a charity of the winning team’s choice.
A puppy is an advantage
On 25th January we set out on our walking challenge. It was great fun working in teams and it definitely gave an additional bit of motivation to get out there, particularly with dark and cold evenings. Each week in our team meetings we pulled up Google Street View and had a look at the points that each team had got to – it was amazing to ‘stroll’ through places that many of us hadn’t visited before. And it’s probably as close to international travel as any of us will get this summer…
If there’s one thing that these walking challenges have taught us, it’s that having a dog is a huge advantage. In both challenges, Niamh and her labrador Murphy have put the rest of us to shame! Niamh (with Murphy) was the overall ‘top walker’, clocking up a total of 184.3 miles. Not far behind was Liz, with a grand total of 134.7. We’re trying to figure out what they’re eating for breakfast that makes them so motivated!
And the winner is…
Both teams made it to Marseille. But, as you may have guessed by the top walkers, Team Girls came out on top. They spent about a week sunbathing on the beach before the boys caught up, which was plenty of time to think about how to donate their ‘winnings’.
After some discussion, they decided to split the money equally between Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton, and Towcester Foodbank. They are two wonderful local charities, and we are pleased to be able to support them.
Next up, the Jurassic Coast
This walking malarkey is addictive! When we did our first challenge, we were all blown away by how much getting out for regular walks improved our moods and general wellbeing, as well as our physical health and fitness.
The second challenge has doubled down on the positive effects, and the eager ones amongst us are really keen to get another mission underway as soon as possible to keep up the momentum. Of course, we could all walk without the challenge element, but it’s much more fun and motivating this way.
Next time we are going to walk 1,000 miles along the south coast. This will include the stunning Jurassic Coast and the Cornish peninsula and on into Wales. It’s another mammoth challenge and we can’t wait to get going!