In my discombobulated state on the top of Moel Famau, I'd managed to lose sight of what I'd undertaken the walk for. On the summit, I'd tried to film a couple of 'well, here I am' monologues for the video that I might make documenting the walk, and I had come up with the line 'it's good to turn a nice idea into a reality', as the sort of take-home message of the endeavour.

Northop Hall, Sychdyn, Rhydymwyn, Cilcain, Moel Famau - 11.65 Miles A lively party at the caravan park, at which young people were blasting out Black Lace on repeat, didn't prevent the first genuinely decent sleep I'd had on the trip so far. When I pitched up, a woman from the next-door caravan insisted on presenting me with a massive portion of her homemade stew.

Helsby Hill, Gowy Meadows, Backford, Mollington, Saughall, Deeside Industrial Park, Shotton – 21.71 Miles (Minus 2 and a bit) I remember looking at the forecast before settling down and noting that the heavy rain that was coming was going to be over with by about 4am. So when I heard the rain stop, after hours […]

Trans Pennine Trail, Cheshire Ring Canal Walk, Murdishaw, Brookvale, Sutton Weaver - 18.04 Miles This was the kind of caravan site where people really dig in and make the place their home. For some I still mean that in the sense of a temporary getaway that they've cultivated over the years, making something homely and folksy, something really expressive of who they get to be when they're here.

The Rochdale Canal Blisters and stupidity nearly had me call the whole thing off this morning. My little toes had been complaining more than usual after yesterday's hike and I'd developed a blister near my left heel, which was unusual for me too. For some reason I managed not to make the connection between this and the fact that I was wearing different footwear than I normally wear for hiking.

Our feelings about the decay of vital public services are tightly bound with our ideas of what it means to live well in a society.