Thursday 8th August
Distance: 29.7m(618km), 982m (3222ft) ascent, 720m (2362ft) descent

We made it alive and I think joy is flowing out of my ears, despite our 8km warm up stroll this morning. Storming out of Aspremont with such a joyous leaping step (many may have mistaken us for a flock of gazelle), we passed an aged traveller who had come from Nice, but not in the direction that we were so keenly heading. Nevertheless, nobody took any real notice of this and thus we marched ahead. 4km later, Father discovered we had walked onto the GR51 and were headed further and further away from the GR5. Our only possible option? Walk all the way back. Everyone was in a fabulous mood. From here one would naturally assume nothing else could go wrong, sadly this would be an incorrect assumption. Now heading in the right direction, walking along a smooth tarmac road Mother suffered a triple fracture (for those of you who do not know, this is an extreme spraining of the ankle that causes her a rather large amount of pain, often resulting in large swelling and a blue/black colouring), on the same foot as her suppurating blister – she was not a happy bunny. To make matters worse, we were then confronted by a German couple who had been doing the GR5 for four years (slackers) and the husband? An incessant whistler. This would have been at least semi-acceptable had he been whistling a classic, per say, Beethoven’s 9th symphony. But no, this guy? This guy was just whistling some random tune, destroying the peace – consistently for about an hour. After descending the slopes into Nice we crossed the official end to the GR5 (woohoo!) and walked on down Avenue Jean Medecin and on to Beau Rivage beach for a quick dip in the waves, with many people staring and questioning our beach-going attire. From here I ensured I was out of breath, pelting up the steps, striding, leaping, bounding! (in order that I may make it home as quickly as possible). And upon arriving the champagne was whipped out following a celebratory photo shoot.

The hardest thing I’ve ever done and will probably ever do? Most likely. Worth it? Now not every day was sunshine and rainbows, but I feel my appreciation for the wilderness has been renewed, my cracking t-shirt and legging tan will rock this world and above all, I’m feeling intrepid as ever and very proud, so I’m just going to have to throw it out there that I think it was worth every mountain and blister. I thought I’d also seize the moment to give a little shout out to Ice Breaker t-shirts – an ingenious smell proof creation, without whom we may never have made it home (laundrettes being a rare discovery).

We raised £2,350 in total, a truly glorious sum, and thank you to everyone who donated to 500 Miles.