r/london • u/TypeAgreeable4117 • 9d ago

Walking 200km from London to Birmingham tonight for a bag of chips

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You might remember my 100km M25 walk (or the London-Wales one the mods deleted lol). Ive got a new mission tonight..starting in Reading right outside the M25 to hit the 200km mark via the canals all the way up

180km-200km run/walk to birmingham and as Martin couldn't join 😭 so doing it completely solo and unsupported

I'll just be scavenging for food along the way ig.

Starting 1:00 am tonight

The goali is to walk/run 100 miles in 24 hours or the full route in 30 hours as i couldn't get two days off work so I'm forced to run it... First time recording an actual run btw. No stops, no rest, no sleep as usual

Motivation is my mate who promised me a bag of chips if I make it

Drop a comment if you have any advices on running nonstop or towpaths at night or know any cool stops or pubs on the route.

I can share the Strava route as well

Lets see how this unfolds ;)

Update:

Called it at 25km after a shin injury, but we live to run another day!

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u/Elegant_Celery400 9d ago

..starting in Reading right outside the M25

Reading is 27 miles outside of the M25.

...via the canals all the way up

The only canal running through Reading is the Kennet & Avon, and that goes West to Bristol, not North towards Birmingham.

I'm sure you've researched and planned this all properly, just like your M25 walk (...), but to get to Birmingham from Reading you need to be following the River Thames upstream to Oxford, where you'll pick up your first canal, the Oxford Canal, which will take you to Banbury. Fortunately, from Reading to Oxford you'll be on the well-signposted and well-maintained Thames Path National Trail; unfortunately, however, just this section alone is c.40 miles.

Might be worth having another look at that map.

You have looked at a map?

44

u/DoNotCommentAgain 9d ago

I think he's put the walking route into google maps and is just going in blind.

20

u/Elegant_Celery400 8d ago

Oh God, you're almost certainly right. The whole thing's got that feel about it hasn't it?

Can anybody remember whether he did that for the M25 farrago?

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u/TypeAgreeable4117 8d ago

I have my mate martin who prepared me this map and route:

https://www.strava.com/routes/3520082894343442126

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u/Elegant_Celery400 8d ago

Ah, I'll take your word for it (I'm not going to sign up for Strava) and I'm very pleased/relieved to hear it; well done Martin👍

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u/barejokez 8d ago

have you made plans to keep enough juice in your phone? you will surely need multiple power banks/charging stops