Probearoundtheglobe

01/06/2024

Hiking challenge - May update

Goal: Hike 1200 km in 2024 (100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪)

This month was super easy, because May was my hiking holiday month! 🥾We hiked Hadrian’s Wall Path in Cumbria and Northumberland, UK 🇬🇧 which was well over my monthly target. Extra km in the bank💪🏼

1. Starting on the west coast at Bowness on Solway. We’ll walk to Newcastle in the east and cross the UK

2. It’s not all about the Roman stuff but it is pretty cool to see the history and learn about border life in the Roman legions about 1900 years ago

3. Must days I am exhausted before the end of the hike. The backpack becomes quite heavy after 15 km and my feet are killing me on a daily basis

4. But it is all worth it when we finally get to see pieces of Hadrian’s wall on day 3

5. It’s not like you walk the entire lenght of the trail next to the wall, but it is pretty cool when you actually do!

6. As we climb up and down the hilly remote section of Hadrian’s Wall Path, the views are more and more spectacular. Even with some typical dreiry UK weather

7+8. Slowly but steady climbing all those hills. I died a lot on the first days, with a heart rate of over 160. But in the 2nd half of the hike, things improved as my heart rate was lower and went down a lot quicker. Progress 📉

9. Made it to Wallsend in Newcastle! It was a bit of an anti climax as Segedunum was already closed but nevertheless: we did it! 100% a dream coming true. Now I need to find a new hiking dream/ challenge 🤔

Overall, I put a lot of extra km in the bank for later this year. However, after completing the hike, I returned home with a bad case of heel problems and I don’t feel like hiking that much.
2️⃣3️⃣ days of walking
249.8 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8 km to 29 km 🤪

Total:
679.5 km of 1200 >> 56,63 % done 💪🏼

21/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path - day 8: Heddon-on-the-Wall to Newcastle Quayside and Wallsend/Segedunum

Yesterday, we decided we wouldn’t walk today. We didn’t set an alarm and we’d see what we’d do. It was a bit of a rowdy night as we’re right in the center of Newcastle but when I woke up, it was bright and sunny. After breakfast, the leggs felt ok-ish so we took the bus back to Heddon-on-the-Wall and we’d see how far we’d get.

It was easy walking. On paved cyclepath and along the river. With enough restaurants, inns and bistros for a break and drinks with gazes over the river Tyne. In the end, we made it to Quayside and a total of 17km for today. We then took the bus to Wallsend and Segedunum. It just closed as we walked up. On the side, between the scaffolding, we found the box for the stamp. What an anti-climax. I’m glad we had such a nice walk, but the end was a bit 🤷‍♀️

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 8 - Saturday May 18th
Start time: 11.30 am at Heddon-on-the-Wall
Finished: 4.30 pm at Newcastle Quayside and 5.30 pm at Wallsend
Weather: amazing glorious sunny day ☀️☀️☀️
Total km: 17 km - 21 for the day
Total steps: 22.700 steps
Total calories burnt: 1.584 cal
Best memory: glorious weather. And seeing the latin signs at Wallsend Metro. I thought that was hilarious 😂
Stamp: at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend
Food: we still had so much Indian food left over from yesterday, we had it again for dinner. Best Indian everrrrrr
Bedtime: past 11 pm

19/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path - day 7 from Chollerford to Heddon-on-the-Wall

Today is going to be a long day and it sure was. We depart with grey and cloudy weather and as soon as we climb up from the river, there is nothing but fog and head wind. Brrrr it is cold. We walk in a brisk pace but that doesn’t make things more comfortable.

We have a break after 8 km with sandwiches and tea and we continue for another 16+ km. The path goes staight, we follow the main road where traffic races by and the views are not that impressive. Have we been spoiled? Completely nackered we arrive at Heddon-on-the-Wall. After 30 odd minutes, the bus to Newcastle arrives and we find ourselves in busy city life. We have to get groceries and we happen to come across an Indian place. Yesssss 💪🏼 winning!

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 7 - Friday May 17th
Start time: 9.15 am at Chollerford
Finished: 5.30 pm at Heddon-on-the-Wall
6.30 at the apartment in Newcastle
Weather: clouds, fog and a strong and cold head wind 😶‍🌫️ later in the afternoon the sun comes out
Total km: 26,6 km - 32 for the day
Total steps: 36.395 steps
Total calories burnt: 2.830 cal
Best memory: Lunch at the Errington Coffeehouse. Nice egg sandwich and steaming hot tea 🫖
Stamp: at Robin Hood Inn
Food: had take away Indian food at the apartment. Finally was able to try some paneer masala
Bedtime: past 11 pm

18/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path: day 6 - Thursday May 16th

Back on the trail again and we continue the roller coaster section of the path. Within 5 min we’re climbing again. And back down. And up again. We pass by Sycamore Gap, where the famous 200+ year old Sycamore Tree stood until last year when 2 vandals butchered it with a chainsaw. They went to court yesterday and it is sad to see the tree stumb in the gap. Let’s hope it regrows.

We keep walking along the wall, on the ridge and enjoy the great views to the south and the north. Gorgeous landscape. We get 2 new stamps today and after Housesteads Fort, the roller coaster stops and the walking is a lot less stenguous. It is still a long day, but a good one. I feel a lot stronger and my heart rate is a little lower and drops quicker. Busy getting stronger 💪🏼 my feet are still killing me at the end of the day though 🦶🏼

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 6 - Thursday May 16th
Start time: 9.25 am at Steel Rigg
Finished: 5.20 pm at Chollerford
Weather: cloudy but things clear up and it get’s nice and sunny at the end of the day ☀️
Total km: 21,1 km
Total steps: 31.056 steps
Total calories burnt: 2.793 cal
Best memory: sweaping views of the wall and the country side to the north and the south
Stamp: at Housesteads Fort and at Chesters Fort
Food: steak and blue cheese pie with mashed potato and stemmed brocolli at the George Hotel. Also shared an apple and rubarb crumble for dessert
Bedtime: 10 pm

17/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path: Day 5 - rest day

Today we sleep in, have a later than usual breakfast and relax for another 2 hours in our room. The owner of our guest houses offers to drive us to Vindolanda and we arrive there after noon.

The sun comes out and we follow their free guided tour. We take a rest, wonder around the museum and have a chat with the volunteers that are excavaying at the moment. It’s super interested. I’m not saying I’ll be digging there myself next year but I do want to learn more about it.

We catch the AD122 bus 🚌 to The Sill, have a wander around there and then settle in the Twice Brewed Pub again. Good stuff. Our guesthouse owner picks us up again and I finally have a proper good rest as my legs are not hurting that much. Well rest day 💪🏼

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 5 - Wednesday May 15th
Start time: rest day
Weather: cloudy ☁️ but the sun also comes out aswell🌤️
Total km: still walked 5km
Total steps: 8.026 steps
Total calories burnt: 2.602 cal
Best memory: Visiting Vigolanda and seeing the excavation work that the volunteers do
Stamp: no stamps today
Food: the burgers looked too delicious to pass up
Bedtime: 10 pm

16/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path: Day 4 - Longbyre to Steel Rigg

The day starts with an English breakfast and we head out into the first real hills. It’s raining a bit but darker clouds are gathering on our south side. Let’s hope we keep ahead of the rains as I just discovered I bought my flight bag for my backpack, instead of my rain cover 😆

As we gain more elavation, the head wind increases in intensity and at some tops, I have to grab my cap to prevent it from blowing away. But those views! Nothing but green rolling hills, no civilaziation, just wall walkers around us. It is remote, a bit rough but beautiful!

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 4 - Tuesday May 14th
Start time: 9.40 am in Longbyre
Finished: 3.30 pm at Steel Rigg car park/ Twice Brewed Inn 🍻
Weather: cloudy with rain 🌧️ and strong head winds
Total km: 13,5 km
Total steps: 20.270 steps
Total calories burnt: 2.005 cal
Best memory: tackling this rollercoaster section of Hadrian’s Wall path
Stamp: (non-official) at Walltown Quarry
Food: we walked from Steel Rigg to the hamlet of Once Brewed for drinks + dinner at Twice Brewed Inn. It really is an attraction on it’s own. I enjoyed a nice apple cider but the husband tried their own brewed chocolate porter. For dinner I had the pork trio, pork belly, chorizo sausage and pork cheek with a honey glazed bacon gravy. Together with the mashed potatoes and veggies, it was a more than excellent meal!
Owner of the guesthouse came to pick us up and we’re relaxing in bed at 5.45pm. Let the recovery begin!
Bedtime: 9 pm

15/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path - Day 3 - Monday May 13th

Today was supposed to be cloudy but we had a glorious day of hiking. Rolling hills, farmland, sheep and cute little lambs and the first pieces of wall!

It was a bit further and harder than I anticipated so I was absolutely nackered when we arrived at Birdoswald. And then we still had another 6,5k to go!

We took a lot more time today as progress was slow due to the hills and some emergency toilet stops. Also took our time to rest and recharge a bit as it was exhausting!

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 3 - Monday May 13th
Start time: 9.25 am in Newtown
Finished: 4.20 pm in Longbyre
Weather: Sunny ☀️ with a bit more wind
Total km: 21,1 km
Total steps: 29.767 steps
Total calories burnt: 2.900 cal
Best memory: first views of the wall, turrets and milecastles
Stamp: at the Birdoswald Roman Fort
Food: owner of our guesthouse drove the husband to the nearest town to get fish and chips as nothing closer is open on Monday and no food delivery options either.
Bedtime: 9 pm

14/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path: Day 2 - Sunday May 12th

A new day and my legs and feet are still sore from yesterday. I have troubles to get going and my legs feel heavy. This is going to be a hard day.

We leave Carlisle and cross through farm country. We don’t see any stops or toilets along the way, which makes things extra difficult for me. Very happy to arrive at the guesthouse where we have to wait a bit before check-in. But that is ok as they have snacks and drinks.

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 2 - Sunday May 12th
Start time: 9.35 am in Carlisle
Finished: 2.10 pm in Newtown
Check-in at the apartment: 3.50 pm
Weather: Sunny ☀️ and warm 🥵
Total km: 16,5 km
Total steps: 22.219 steps
Total calories burnt: 1.968 cal
Best memory: views of rolling hills and the English country side
Stamp: at the Sands centre in Carlisle
Food: Ordered pizza online as the village has 0.0 facilities and we didn’t feel like instant noodles and protein bars
Bedtime: 9 pm

13/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path - Day 1 - Saturday May 11th

We starting our Hadrian’s Wall Path today. As we’re walking West to East, we should start in Bowness on Solway and walk to Carlisle. But the busschedule combined with the opening hours of the Inn that sells the Hadrian’s Wall passport, make us decide to walk this section east to west. We set out from Carlisle and walk to Bowness on Solway, buy our passport, get a stamp and take the bus back to Carlisle.

It was a gorgeous day of walking but a lot of km/ miles 😅

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 1 - Saturday May 11th
Start time: 9.25 am in Carlisle
Finished: 4.20 pm in Bowness on Solway
Back to the apartment: 6.30 pm
Weather: Sunny ☀️ and warm 🥵 might have caught a bit of heat stroke
Total km: 26,5 km
Total steps: 34.294 steps
Total calories burnt: 3.355 cal
Best memory: being outside all day enjoying nature and birds
Best moment: scones at the Parish hall or admiring a gorgeous garden in Burghs on Sands
Stamp: At the Kings Arms Inn
Food: chicken tenders, Mac ‘n Cheese and peas at the pub with an apple cider
Bedtime: 10.10 pm

12/05/2024

Hadrian’s Wall Path

Day 0 - Friday May 10th

We’re setting off for Hadrian’s Wall Path. We want to walk West to East, so we head to Carlisle by train. Via Antwerps and Brussel in Belgium, we hop on the Eurostar train to London. There we switch to Euston station for the Avanti train to Carlisle.

I booked us in 1st class or premium class for a bit more room and relaxing journey. I had a bit of stress as our train into Brussels was delayed, but we made the Eurostar cut-off time with 4 minutes to spare 😬. Altough it was a long day, all went smooth and was very relaxed. Highly recommend it 👍🏼

Hadrian’s Wall Path
Day 0 - Friday May 10th
Start time: 7.50 am at home
Finished: 4.50 pm in Carlisle
Transport:
Electric taxi 🚕 from home to Breda Station 🇳🇱
Trains: IC to Antwerps, IC to Brussels Midi 🇧🇪, Eurostar 🚄 to London, Avanti West Coast to Carlisle
Km: 18,5 km which is quite a lot for being on the train all day
Breakfast/Lunch: home made sandwiches and Eurostar meal of sweet potato falafels and cheesecake
Dinner: Nando’s chicken burgers with chips
Bedtime: 9 pm after Gardener’s World 😆

05/05/2024

What do you do if you love hiking, Roman ruins and British pub culture...? Hike Hadrian's Wall in the north of England of course!

It has been a bucket list challenge for a while now, so the husband and I decided (this means I decided and said: shall we go?) to just do it and go hike Hadrian's Wall this year! 🇬🇧🥾🏛️

But my question for you: what do you like to see and read about the most? Hiking challenges? Roman ruins along the wall? Northumberland and Cumbria landscapes? Food? Logistics?

If you follow my stories and posts, you'll probably get a bit of all, but I'd like to know what you're most curious about!

Comment below or give me a
👍🏼 for Hiking related posts
❤️ for Roman Ruins
😆 logistics (how to get there - what to pack)
😲 Landscape of Northumberland and Cumbria 🇬🇧
🥰 food and pub culture

30/04/2024

Hiking challenge - April update

Goal: Hike 1200 km in 2024 (100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪)

This month was super easy, because I spent 17 days in Tunisia. Although I didn’t take any hikes there, I did walk a lot so it is no suprise that I hit my weekly and monthly target without any problems! 💪🏼

1. First day of April I was still in Limburg and tackling some of the biggest mountains in the Netherlands 🇳🇱⛰️ Yes we have those and with all the mud and soggy trails, it was quite the challenge

2. Hence my proud summit pic! We managed to tackly all 7 summits of the Dutch Mountain Trail.

3. After cold and rainy Holland, I moved to warm and impressive Tunisia. I had the most fun exploring the Roman ruins of Dougga and clocked quite the km trampsing through ancient cities

4. Roaming ruins, walking along the Cardo Maximus (main street) of ancient Rome, the to capitol with the temples. I managed to hit my daily km goal with ease!

5. I didn’t walk that much in the desert as it was intens but I needed to include this moment in the Sahara desert in Tunisia. Soo much sand! ⏳

6. Climbing up the weird steps of these abandonned Ksar houses, Tataouine was an out worldly experience and I left my footprints at the Ksars 👣

7. Walked a lot of km in Djerbahood, the open air artproject in the middle of Djerba island. I roamed the streets and alleyways, trying to find one amazing mural after another.

8. Another Roman ruin of great scale was the El Jem Amphitheater! I didn’t even completly circumnavigated it and I still managed to bank those km’s. And let’s not forget those million steps on the stairs to climb as high as I could. Workout baby

9. Finally back home, I returned to my trusted route around the neighbourhood. Nature exploded, lilacs are filling the air with their intoxicating perfume and when the sun is out… it is just marvellous!

Overall, I’m back on target as I made up for the few km’s of Feb. and March. May will be another killer month so I’m looking forward to it!
2️⃣4️⃣ days of walking (new record)
135.6 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8 km to 12 km

Total:
429,7 km of 1200 >> 35,81 % done 💪🏼

22/04/2024

El Jem in Tunisia is just a small city between Sfax and Monastir/Sousse but it packs in a BIG attraction.

The amphitheater of El Jem is an impressive sight to see. The Colloseum in Rome is the biggest amphitheater ever built (and still standing). The one in Capua is 2nd in size but is not really standing anymore, so that makes the amphitheater of El Jem the 2nd biggest amphitheater of the Roman empire still standing today (3rd in size). And you can visit it!!

So, of course I did! I first climbed to the 5th floor/arch level for a grand overview of the arena. And then went back down to the main arena floor. I walked around, climbed the stands, and wandered the porticos. The building is stricking. The walls are thick, the ceilings are high and the light changes depending on the angle. With each new arch, there is a different view of the amphitheater. One more stricking than the next.

It is a very popular attraction and I saw more tourists at El Jem than on my whole 2-week trip combined. Loads of tour groups taking over the sight.

But the place still felt empty as it was designed to hold between 30.000 and 35.000 spectators at a time. They would come for gladiator games or re-enactments of battles taking place elsewhere in the empire. But the amphitheater was mostly used for public persecutions. Many ‘criminals’, charged with the crime of being a Christian, were sentenced to death ‘ad bestium’. For the beasts. Wild animals like big cats would be put in cages and popped up through the arena floor. Unlike the movie Gladiator, where Russell Crowe is given a sword and freedom of movement to defend himself, the real ‘criminals’ were chained and handcuffed and all they could do is run/ try to avoid the animals. It must have been a very brutal gut wrenching experience to watch - weird people those Romans (rare jongens die Romeinen)

20/04/2024

After all that time in the desert (in the rain) it was nice to be by the sea again. I headed to the island of Djerba. Known for its package holiday hotels and all inclusive resorts, I stayed at a small guesthouse on the west side of the island.

I explored Houmet Souk, the main city on Djerba and enjoyed watching the sea change color. I also visited the open air art project in Djerbahood. A neighbourhood on Djerba with nothing really going for it, until in 2014 international artists painted impressive murals on the town’s streets.

I had a blast wandering through the small alleys, exploring, finding new pieces of art as I went along. Also taking in the amazing flowers on display! Spring is alive with colors.

The art was vibrant, contrasting and very beautiful. If you like (street)art, definetly hit up Djerbahood in Tunisia 🇹🇳

19/04/2024

Tataouine is located in south Tunisia and is home to the ancient ksars. There granaries are hewn from the rocks and were built anywhere between the 11th and 19th century.

I only had 1 day here, so I did a loop, south of Tataouine to visit a few Ksar (or Ksour - plural). They are now all abandonned and some were used as movie locations.

I feel bad not allocating more time in this region, as nearby Neolithic cave paintings can be seen, as well as dinosaur footprints.

But I’ll save that for another time. It was still very windy and there was a lot of dust in the air, hence the yellowish gloomy look of my pictures.

18/04/2024

Going to the desert in Jebel National Park and sleep there was amazing. The drive by 4x4 of 2,5 hours was exhilirating and seeing all those sand dunes was amazing.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on my side. It was cloudy and raining from time to time. I know, what are the odds, right? The clouds prevented a glorious sunset and sunrise and not the magical night’s sky I had hoped for. Nevertheless, it was awesome!

Highly recommend it. The stay itself wasn’t that expensive and included dinner and breakfast. The transport to the camp was rather expensive but worth it for sure! Luckily I got to share the 4x4 with another solo traveler (from the Netherlands 🇳🇱- again what are the odds) and we split the costs and had a lot of fun

15/04/2024

Tozeur is a large city in the south of Tunisia. And it is a proper desert town. It feels like a frontier city and it has all that mystical oriental desert-like charm you expect of a place.

I happened to arrive on the first day of Eid and everything was closed and quiet. I settled into my guesthouse and went out to see something of the city and the palmiera but it lacks a bit of vibe on this nationwide holiday.

One of the big day trips around here is a trip into the mountains to the settlements of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides. I set out by rental car to explore on my own and first headed to Mides. This is only 1 mile from the Algerian border but it is ok to visit the town and the viewpoint of the canyon.

The frogs were having a great day at the bottom of the canyon in Mides and it is a great place to see the layers of rocks.
After Mides, I drove back to Tamerza and on the way stopped for some amazing views of the land, the desert and the meandering green of the oasis.

At Tamerza, I walked down to this little waterfall and enjoyed some views of the canyon from down below. It is really amazing that this little waterfall brings all this life to this area. It is actually full of life. From the massive datepalm groves to the scrubs and plants in the vast nothingness. This desert is not empty!

Final stop of the day for me, was at Chebika. It has an abandonned village, small waterfall where you can hike along side and some climbs for more amazing views.

All in all, definately a day trip I recommend. The attractions are small, so I was happy to have the place almost to myself but the views are amazing!

12/04/2024

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Tunisia was that it would be a new country for me. And they have so many amazing Roman ruins, I just had to visit them!

After a couple of days, I’ve seen a lot of them. I’ll still go to El Jem later on, but for now, here is an overview of these amazing remains

- the great civilization of Carthage became a real threath to the Roman empire. Decimated to the ground by the Romans, not much remains today. But the Romans did value its strategic location and built on top of old Carthage. Standing near the sea, at the remains of the Anthonin baths, soaking in the sun, I’m in my happy place
- Uthina is a smaller Roman settlement not far from Tunis. I squeezed it into my itinerary and I was glad to do so. It is not so big but the location of the theather and capitol, overlooking the flowing grasslands is pretty impressive
- Although I anticipated to spend a full day at Dougga, I passed it and figured to visit it already. The driving has been quite tiring and opening hours with Ramadan are uncertain. So let’s visit now when I have the chance. With only 1,5 hours to spare till closing, my guide rushed me through the site to see as much as possible. Leaving little room to take in all the views and to take a few picture. This one is a nice one and I’m glad I have it, as it is the only picture in Dougga.
- Bulla Regia is supposed to rival Dougga in grandeur and ‘must-see’ status but I didn’t really feel it. The sight is a lot smaller and doesn’t have such amazing showstopping structures as any of the other sites. But the wild flowers were abundant for sure!
- Maktar was another nice sights. Small but surprisingly nice. Thriumph arc, baths, basilicas. It all was covered with irisses and wild flowers.
- Sbeïtla was devoid of flowers. Just a very barren plain with A LOT of ruins. Mostly bases of houses, small temples but also amazing sights as thriumph arces, a small theather and amazing tempels at the capitol. Just wow!

I’m glad I went to all of these. Almost all had something really interesting to see and it really painted a good picture of the importance of the region in Roman times.

Which one would you like to visit?

08/04/2024

My time in Tunisia starts of with a stay in Sidi Bou Saïd. A popular seaside town at the tip of the land, about 30 minutes by taxi from Tunis.

I picked to stay here as it is close to the Roman Ruins of Carthage and has a great vibe and cool easthetics. And it did not disappoint!

The white houses with blue doors are adorned by bright pink and red bougainvilles. And each door is nicely decorated and inviting.

However, it is also still Ramadan. On the one side, it is nice and quiet and there are not many tourists. On the other hand, it is quite quiet. Shops are closed, bars and restaurants are either closed or deserted and it feels soul-les. I feel I’m missing out on the character and soul of the place.

Nevertheless, Sidi Bou Saïd is oozing with charm and I can see why it is so popular with tourists and day trippers.

03/04/2024

Super excited to be shortlisted as Concent Creator for the awards by Spain Inuk for my piece on my Electric Road Trip around Basque Country 🇪🇸
Read it here 👇🏼

https://www.probearoundtheglobe.com/electric-road-trip-basque-country/

In two weeks, the judges of the Spain’s Sustainability Awards will pick the winners in different categories. I’m nominated with 3 other content creators in the category content creators. Give me a 🙌 to celebrate this shortlisting with me!

03/04/2024

New year, new hiking challenge.

I set the goal of hiking 1200 km in 2024. That comes down to 100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪

I try to walk every day during my lunch break and walk the same 2,8 km lap so that means I have to take longer walks during my days off.

I returned from Spain with a bad cold, fever and coughing and feeling winded for more than 3 weeks. Add in days of rain, and it is no surprise I barely clocked 10k a week.

Luckily, I felt better by the time it was time for our test weekend in the hills of Limburg, the Netherlands 🇳🇱 ⛰️

For the long Easter weekend, we tackled the 7 summits and we clocked some good km and elevation meters too.
1. Spending Easter weekend hiking on Easter Island. No just kiddin’. I was in Limburg, the Netherlands and encountered this Easter Island statue look-a-like 🗿

2. Magnolia’s. Early March is the best season for these giant blossoming trees and I love them. There are many full size gorgeous trees and their pink flowers look spectacular for a whole week!

3. Doing this test weekend to get some km in and some elevation practice. Also testing all the gear

4. Got a new backpack as my previous Vaude Asymmetric didn’t have any hip padding left. Unfortunately, there is no replacement for the padding, so I decided to retire my old pack and get a new one. I didn’t shop around, I just bought the new model as Vaude has adjustable backpanels, so I can make them fit my body

5. I needed a breather during our climb to the 7 summits of Limburg. My body is not used to elevation gain (or loss) as the Netherlands is flat! So taking my time and enjoying the view!

6. I still have a long way to go but I’m just enjoying being outside, clearing my head and keep moving

Overall, I’m still off target but with new trips coming up in April and May, I’m confident I’ll make up. March 2024
1️⃣7️⃣ days of walking
94,3 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8km to 19 km

Total:
294,1 km of 1200 >> 24,5% done 💪🏼

17/03/2024

Here's my new post about another exciting night train! Travel with me from the Netherlands to Vienna, Austria, by night train!

What is it like? How does it work? What to expect and some useful tips if you'd like to take the same train journey!

Give it a read and let me know how many hours of sleep you'd think you'd get!?

What's it like to travel the Amsterdam to Vienna night train? I'll share how to book the Vienna sleeper train to Austria from the Netherlands

02/03/2024

New year, new hiking challenge.

I set the goal of hiking 1200 km in 2024. That comes down to 100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪

I try to walk every day during my lunch break and walk the same 2,8 km lap so that means I have to take longer walks during my days off.

This month has not been a good month. Crazy busy at work, lots of rain and the 2nd cold in a month that leaves me breathless while walking. I also had some surgery which messed with my head a bit, but luckily the best medicine: being outside and going for a walk. I also clocked a lot of km in Spain, assuring me I’ll make up for lost km in the coming months. 🇪🇸
1. One day I need to zip up, the other I want to zip open. It is way too warm for the time of the year but it’s been great for being outside during my lunch break
2. Spring is poking its head up everywhere. This lawn is just covered in cute little crocusses
3. My favorite type of walk: walking around a 12th century church, inside a 2nd century Roman amphitheater, overlooking a Spanish seaside town 🏛️
4. Another favorite: exploring the cloister garden walkway at the Basilica of Tarragona 😍🇪🇸
5. Ok ok, this must have been my all time favorite walk of this month: near, on top and underneath this ancient Roman aquaduct. 🤓
6. Exploring seaside Sitges and feeling the salty breeze on my face ☀️

Just to clarify, I only count the km that I go outside for an intentional walk. I don’t count every km that I walk, so no shopping walks or walking to the bus stop.

February 2024
1️⃣8️⃣days of walking
98,8 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8km to 13 km

Total:
199,8 km of 1200 >> 16,7% done 💪🏼

I’m a little behind but that is ok. I think March will be a good month as long as I can overcome this cold and stop coughing. March will go out with a bang as the last weekend will be Easter weekend and we plan on doing the Dutch Mountain Trail or just the Seven Summits ⛰️ in Limburg in preparation of our big walk this year (🏛️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)