A few of Jennie’s thoughts on the last few months..
Last summer we had a different mad plan in mind. We were about to embark on a self build; something that we knew would take over our world for a few years and possibly bankrupt us in the process. Despite the underlying fear of such a massive project it felt exciting and risky. Then, due to several factors completely outside of our control, our build project fell through and I was left wanting to find a new something to fill the gap that had been left.
Last August bank holiday we helped at the Hampshire Scouts stand at Carfest South. The stand was visited by thousands of people, including Chris Howard, aka Chris the Coast Walker, who has completed several big challenges including walking the coast of the UK to fundraise for Children in Need. We got chatting, and I told him about our Scout groups mission to replace our Scout hut with a community building and new HQ and he offered to help.
Over the next 24 hours my brain started whirling.. maybe we could do a big challenge as a fundraiser for our Brickfields Big Build project. I lay in bed unable to sleep, when the idea of the Great Woggle JOGLE hit. It felt right. I did a little 2am research and it didn’t seem impossible even for the kids. I finally fell asleep with a head full of new plans.
In the morning I shared my idea with Phil. He paused for a few seconds, then smiled – 1 down 2 to go! I headed downstairs and found the kids in front of the TV. I told them my plan and Ollie was instantly on board – “Mummy I can easily walk 5km so this will be fine” (bless him!). Hattie however was not so convinced, but gradually over the next 20 minutes she started to see what an amazing adventure it could be.
Family onboard, we next needed to check with the kids schools and with work. By the time all of this was in place we were already into 2023 and time was running away from us.
I’m quite good at planning, and had a systematic order in my head that each step of the project needed to be done in. First planning a route, then looking at which Scout and Guide groups may be near so we could explore potential accommodation and see if they would like to join us. It sounds so simple – look on a database and send a few emails, only there isn’t such a database, and we didn’t have a list of contacts let alone email addresses. Trying to work out the names of Scout Districts in each County was a big enough challenge. Each evening became a routine of sorting the kids, sorting any Group admin, then doing Woggle JOGLE planning.
With a couple of months to go it suddenly dawned on us that we ought to leave the static planning and do some training. However, with 2 busy full time jobs, many different after school clubs and a Scout group to run we didn’t find much time for training. In fact I only got a bike at Easter which totally speaks for itself!
The last few weeks before we left felt like chaos. I was working a lot, and therefore felt totally out of control. I had no spare time to pack, and literally threw bits into a box the night before we left, hoping Phil had looked at the lists we’d made. I therefore ended up having only packed 3 t shirts, but about 25 pairs of pants as I really had packed in a rush!
The night we set off I finished work and had 10 minutes at home before we headed to the hut to meet the rest of the team. It didn’t feel real and I certainly didn’t feel ready. There were loads of little things I’d planned to sort but simply hadn’t found the time to do. I was desperately tired, and all I actually wanted to do was have a weekend off. When we finally set off the enormity of the journey in the car really hit home. What had we done?
But then we started cycling and walking, and after a few initial hiccups (like a lunch stop with no food, and apples left on the car roof), we all settled into a routine where the only things to think about were getting up and ready, walking or cycling, moving the support vehicles, making dinner and setting up camp again. It was lovely. Very few external stresses, just quality time with my family and adopted extended family for the summer.
There were certainly moments when we all questioned whether we wanted to keep going. For me my sheer stubbornness just wouldn’t let me stop. My left knee massively started to play up just as we were leaving Scotland, and I had a few weeks when I walked each morning like my legs hated me, but with some very out of date ibuprofen gel I was able to keep going hopefully without causing too much lasting damage.
I honestly cannot say enough how utterly moved we have been by the pure kindness and generosity we experienced from people who were complete strangers, but now have a place forever in our hearts. Yes the scenery across the country was stunning, and yes the physical exercise was a challenge, but it was the people who made this experience truly special and I honestly can’t thank you all enough.
Finishing is in many ways quite a shame. I’m already missing our JOGLE routine, and hate that we are already slipping back into some of our pre-adventure habits. I love being able to shower when I want and having access to a washing machine as needed (although I have used it far to much in the last 48 hours). I’ve lovely seeing friends, and I’m also quite enjoying the cuddles our cats they keep giving. But I’m itching to go back out on the bike (something I never thought I’d say!), and I am very aware I can’t go completely back to the life we had before this. There will be another big idea that pings into my brain soon..