Best foot forward!

Emdad Rahman reviews Where shall we walk today? Walking the Pennine Way, by Dave Marriott.

As an avid walker I particularly enjoyed reading Dave Marriott’s excellent book recently. Fifty-two year old Dave grew up in the 1960s in a Derbyshire village. Long and leisurely trips to the countryside were part and parcel of the lives of the young people living and growing up in the great outdoors,  but an educational visit to Edale in the Derbyshire Peak District was particularly memorable and left a lasting impact on the amiable youngster.

As the noisy party of schoolchildren set off walking through the village, Dave spotted a sign that read “Pennine Way”. Mesmerised by the beauty of the scenery, he vowed to return and explore this beautiful part of the country one day. And indeed he did – albeit some 42 years later.

Where Shall We Walk Today? is Dave and Diane Marriott’s 267 mile leisure stroll from Edale to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. In the book Dave describes the benefits of walking, the pleasure, the sense of achievement in taking in and completing a tough walk and the enjoyment of being outdoors. I paid particular attention to how Dave dealt with injuries and hobbles during his trek. I also enjoyed the memories of East Underhurth Farm B&B which reminded Dave of the set of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The book is dedicated to Diane who thought Dave was mad to do the trek – and then joined him. Where Shall We Walk Today?” is the story of how Dave’s dream came true when he and Diane walked all 267 miles of The Pennine Way over three weeks one summer. Join Dave and Diane as they scramble, stumble and stroll their way from Derbyshire to Scotland.

As a walker I agreed with Dave when he writes of the end of the trek and when he and Diane are on the train home and they both start yawning. This is something they had not experienced in the previous three weeks of trekking. Diane reminisces about her job at a textile factory, where employees yawned excessively and frequently in the afternoon due to tiredness caused by the lack of oxygen.

Dave shares his birthday with Roald Dahl and was born and bought up in the small coal mining village of South Normanton in Derbyshire, where he still lives. In the book he draws parallels between modern children and their equivalents from yesteryear. Children spent time outdoors and were generally safer – and Sunday afternoons were great for farmyard play days. Compare this to today’s inactive generation and add to this the fact that for a variety of reasons parents are too tired or less inclined to encourage outdoor family activities and prefer physically non active leisure pastimes.

A survey called Walking Works by The Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support states that as physical inactivity increases, the risk of many conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and breast cancer decreases. The report also states that just 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week would save 37,000 lives per year, prevent 6,700 cases of breast cancer, stop 4,700 people getting colorectal cancer and lead to nearly 300,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes in England alone.

Every walker – novice or accomplished will identify with Dave’s narrative. There’s a little in it for everyone. It’s given me a spur as I work up to my BUPA 10,000 run for London’s Air Ambulance and the British 10k for the homeless supported by Whitechapel Mission. Because of my Achilles damage it is less likely that I shall walk both, but Snowdon last week and getting back on the bicycle has done me wonders.

The book also nudges adults to start getting active for their own sakes and parents to commence on a get active legacy for themselves and future generations.  As Dave says: “get your kids out there with you; the fizzy drink and crisp brigade are doomed.” Walking boots required; blisters guaranteed!

Where Shall We Walk Today? is available on Amazon for £10 or from Dave himself on 07534211312.