er...ahem.... .... ahem, hmm, er... umm, what I’m trying to say is, ... er, I’m feeling like a bit of a twerp – I’m still here. I should be half way up the Pennine Way by now, but instead I’m gazing into a grisly looking hole in the back of my heel, wondering how long it will take to fill itself in.
I did start again last Monday, and made it to Edale. But I’d made a big mistake in changing the insoles in my boots. I had changed them for all singing all dancing, impact resisting, high cushioning, iron your socks, bank account depleting new insoles guaranteed to whizz me up hill and down dale with virtually no effort. And I think they did for the first couple of hours.
As the day went on, a little itch turned into a fiery problem on each foot, and by the time I limped into Edale and unpicked my socks out of the holes I knew I’d have to rest up for a few days.
The new insole is a lot thicker than the original, and I think lifts the back of my heel into conflict with my boot – only one winner – not me.
What makes me mad with myself is that the original insole/boot/sock combination had performed perfectly well for the previous 600 miles or so – what possessed me to change the arrangement?
When I finally get started again I know which insoles I’ll be using!

Stay well everybody – don’t get blisters! Roy.