Right on Time

Daily miles: 40.86 | Total miles: 16,636.65

I woke up in the graveyard after a night of very deep sleep. It was just after 4 a.m., and it was already light outside. I had left the tent door open all night, and the cool morning air felt refreshing. As I packed up my tent and buggy, I could already sense the heat that would soon become extreme.

Before leaving, I stepped into the little church one more time. The morning sun streamed through the stained-glass windows, filling the church with a warm, welcoming glow. It felt like the perfect place to pause for a moment and appreciate that this was now my third last day. It is hard to believe that after all this time, I am almost there.

I set off feeling tired. My head felt heavy, my thoughts were heavy, and pushing the buggy felt harder than usual. I knew it was going to be a long day. As I passed Margaret's house, she was already outside watering her flowers, so of course I stopped to thank her once again for letting me camp beside the church. Small acts of kindness like that have carried me around the world.

I continued on, but I couldn't bring myself to run. By now, that's completely okay with me. I need a break. I feel like I calculated my energy almost perfectly until this coming Saturday, and after that, there simply won't be much left. I have done the very best that I could, and I am proud of that.

Along the way, I met Sabine, who kindly invited me for a coffee. I would have loved to accept, but I simply didn't have the time. The miles still had to be covered.

As I walked, I found myself crying and reflecting. I thought about myself at the outset of this journey, about the person I became throughout these eighteen months, and about the fact that I am now almost at the finish. I feel ready to finish it.

It feels incredible that I will complete this journey exactly on the date I planned all those months ago when this dream first became a serious plan. Along the way, I have had to be flexible with countless things—routes, weather, visas, injuries, accommodation, and daily challenges—but I was never willing to compromise on two goals: finishing on one specific date and maintaining the daily average miles needed to get there. Somehow, despite everything, both goals are about to become reality.

Sometime before noon, I heard a cyclist coming up behind me. He stopped, we started talking, and then we simply never stopped. Six hours later, we arrived in Chelmsford together.

What followed was one of those conversations that you don't often experience in life. We shared stories, experiences, feelings, and thoughts so openly that I completely lost track of time, the miles, and everything around me.

Thank you, Felix.

Eventually, we said goodbye outside a grocery store because we both needed to buy some food before going our separate ways.

When I reached The Ship, the hotel I had booked the night before, I discovered there wasn't a secure place to store the buggy. I spoke with Will, the owner, and of course we found a solution. Thank you, Will. I really appreciated your flexibility.

After hours of walking through the extreme heat, I ended up pushing a garbage bin to the other side of the road so the buggy could be tucked safely underneath the little shelter with a lockable door. Not exactly five-star parking, but it worked perfectly.

Inside the pub, they kindly warmed up my rice and filled all of my water bottles. They even served the rice on a proper plate instead of leaving it in the container.

Amazing what a difference that makes.

Now I still have what feels like a thousand things to do before tomorrow.

But hey... Almost there. I love this journey.

Take care, Andrea