In March this year, Colonel Robert Jordan retires from the British Army after over 35 years service. To mark this milestone in his life (and to prove he was still a young infantryman at heart) Robert decided to walk the 500 miles from Heidelberg where he was working with the US Army, back to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he was commissioned in 1976.
Getting walking fit again after a very long time behind a desk, Robert begain training in May in the woods and hills above the Neckar Valley – ideal preparation for a route that would include the Hunsruck, the Mosel, Eifel and Ardennes. Route selection involved Google Maps (walking option) and three planning principles:
- How much walking light would he have in NW Europe in Nov.
- How far could he (realisitically) cover in daylight
- Where could he expect to find free/cheap overnight accommodation
Walking on his own and without a support team, Robert was still keen to keep the weight down in his rucksack, but with cold and wet weather gear, spare boots, a medical pack and rations and water it weighed in at about 40lbs. His three ‘essential’ items were his Meindl boots, his Berghaus rucksack itself and his Memory Map Adventurer 3500 GPS unit.
Setting out on 3 November his plan was to arrive at Sandhurst on 4 December – 32 days broken down into 6 days walking, one day for rest, recovery and administration. This would require an average of 19-20 miles per day across some challenging but outstanding walking terrain. In the event, due to a combination of training and preparation, incredibly good and unseasonable weather (waterproofs only required four times in all) and the support he received en route, Robert arrived on time and in pretty good shape.
At the end of his mammoth trek Robert told his family, friends and supporters that as well as having enjoyed the expereince far more than he could have hoped, he had two abiding thoughts:
- we are capable of more than we think we are, but we won’t know it unless we try.
- given the chance, most people have the capacity for great kindness and generosity. I know, I received it so often on my journey.
So far he has raised over £19,000 for three charities and some donations are still trickling in to his website:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobertHomeStretchCheck
Robert now admits to have got the walking bug, but future treks are likely to be somewhat shorter!
