THE NORTH DOWNS 50KM
Distance - 50km
Location - Farnham to Reigate, England
September 2019
Having completed the Trek Fest 50 km challenge in the Peak District a few weeks earlier I was ready for another 50 km event so I signed up to the North Downs challenge, an event organised by Action Challenge. The challenge would take place on 28th September 2019.
The route would take in the classic sights of the North Downs starting in Farnham and ending in Reigate. Camping was available on the Friday and Saturday night at the Canon Headquarters located in Reigate so we took advantage of this. On arrival I found that there was limited flat ground which meant pitching my tent on a slight slope ... not ideal! Also, there was constant noise from the busy road which unfortunately kept me awake at night.
So after a sleepless night, we got up super early to get on the bus, put on by the organisers which would take us to the start line at Farnham. There were several buses waiting to ferry eager walkers.
Having participated in a number of Action Challenge events previously they were well prepared and registration was super quick and easy. As the clock struck 8 am we were on our way, a little sleepy and tired but ready for the walk ahead ... after all we had to get back to Reigate one way or another to collect our cars!
The start of the walk took us through Farnham, then taking us along countryside footpaths. As with all of these events it took a few miles for everyone to settle into their own pace. The first quarter of the walk was pretty easy going and we were greeted at the checkpoint with an array of yummy pastries and sweet treats. Not wanting to sit down we ate our midmorning snacks and got on our way.
The next quarter included a sneaky climb up Hogs Back Ridge, making us work for our lunch! The scenery was beautiful and the sunshine made it even more pretty. Making our way to the halfway point which was at Shere Recreation Ground which would be the end of the road for some of the walkers who were doing 25 km however not for us. Lunch was provided which consisted of a classic sandwich, crisps/ chocolate and a fizzy drink. We were starting to feel the miles in our legs so we took a well-deserved rest at this point.
Glad we had a decent rest as there was an incline immediately after lunch, however once we had made the climb we had a fairly steady walk, with a decent to match to make it to the next checkpoint.
The final checkpoint was at Denby Wine Estate which looked beautiful in the sunshine. For those who know me well, they know that there is one thing I love and that's Pick 'n' mix sweets, and thats exactly what they had, heaven! Following this rest point we had another tough part of the walk as we faced a steep climb up to Box Hill. With this being a popular area there was a mile or so of the route being very busy which gave us an extra challenge to get around everybody. The walk up to Box Hill was challenging with staggered steps made by wooden blocks keeping the sandy soil from being washed away. The walk up to Box Hill was well worth it as there were spectacular views across Surrey.
At around 47 km or so my Garmin watch ran out of juice ... I was gutted, I am a little nerdy and like to look at the data following a long walk.
Dragging our tired and weary feet we see a 50 km sign at the end of a footpath, we were absolutely elated, we had done it ... or so we thought!
Although we had walked 50 km we were not finished, we had to make it to the finish line, and we had no idea how far that would be ... we were in good spirits and expected a short walk to the end ... but that was not to be the case!
Leaving the 50 km sign behind we set off again hoping to be greeted around the next corner by a large tent ... which never came. We walked on and had hope for every corner we came across but no such luck! By this point we were getting a little annoyed as we had no idea how far we had to go. We started to enter Reigate and we picked up hope again, walking across the town to reach Priory park.
And finally, we got sight of the finish line, what a walk! It had certainly tested us both mentally and physically and we had glorious walking weather all day. We crossed the finish line in 11 hours 8 minutes, a fantastic achievement! We were greeted with our finishers medal, a glass of bubbly/ pop and a t-shirt. The best bit was taking a seat!
We later discovered that the finishing point was approx. 3 km further on from the 50 km flag, and wow we certainly felt it.
But, we couldn't sit for long as we wanted to get the next bus leaving for Canon headquarters. This part of the operation I felt was a little poor, after walking for 11+ hours the last thing we wanted to do was wait around for a bus to take us back to our cars.
The Action Challenge events are a little pricey however I do enjoy them and it certainly won't be the last one I do!
