As part of my ‘100’ training I was planning to run the Kennet and Avon canal from Reading to the Severn Estuary (although, as I have subsequently found out it is made up of a river, canal and river – more on that later). A 4-day window of opportunity was identified and accommodation booked up for early April. However, it struck me that the River Thames runs through Reading to the Thames Estuary and hence there could be longer, more satisfying and complete challenge to run from the Thames Barrier to the Severn Estuary. This would be my second ‘Coast to Coast’, having run the 190 miles from St Bee’s Head to Robin Hood’s Bay in 1992.

However, as we age, we need to balance realism against expectation; it’s called common sense. While I would have liked to have completed it as a single continuous trip, at @175 miles in total and with slightly creaking knees this wouldn’t be sensible (and finding a suitable gap in an increasingly busy schedule, which fits in with my ‘100’ training is actually quite tricky). Therefore, being relatively local to London I would start at the Thames Barrier and then three, day trips along the Thames Path would get me to Reading. This would be Part 1 planned for early March and then Part 2 would be Reading to the Severn Estuary in April, thus ramping up the training for the FoS100 at the end of May.