My Quarantine Routine: Karen, who was in the middle of a 20,000 mile trek before lockdown

Karen on her walk and now at home
Karen on her walk and now at home (Picture: Karen Penny)

At the start of this year, most of us had never heard of coronavirus and had no idea of the huge impact it was going to have on our lives.

The outbreak and lockdown measures have meant suddenly changing big plans as we all need to stay at home.

For Karen Penny, it meant pausing a 20,000 mile coastal trek when she was just 6,000 miles in.

Karen, 53, was walking around the coast of the UK and Ireland, for Alzheimer’s Research UK but she had to return home due to the pandemic.

She had been away for 14 months, since January 2019, and has already raised over £6,000 of her £10,000 target.

She had walked the whole of Ireland and around 30 Scottish islands but travelled back to her home to her husband and beloved 22-year-old cat in The Gower, South Wales, from Shetland in the far north of Scotland.

For My Quarantine Routine, she reveals how she spent Tuesday 6 April.

7 am

Up and feed cat and clean out cat tray. Bilbo is 22 years old and I said goodbye to him before I left 14 months ago, he is the highlight of my trip home.

Karen Penny and Bilbo reading
At home with Bilbo the cat (Picture: Karen Penny)

7.30 am

20 sit ups, 20 press-ups, 20 secs plank. Having built up a really good level of fitness I want to keep some core strength whilst being at home. Mark counts to make sure I don’t miss any and I do this routine three times a day.

8 am

Breakfast. Such a luxury to be able to open a fridge and not shop for breakfast or rely on yesterday’s left over often found at the bottom of my rucksack.

Karen Penny making a cup of tea
Making a cup of tea (Picture: Karen Penny)

8.30 am

Shower and cut hair. The joys of having a shower on tap! Five days is the longest I went without a shower; I knew I needed one when I could smell myself. And to have a choice of clothes! I had one pair of trousers for 14 months…and am now getting into clothes two sizes smaller. A haircut is literally swiping three inches off my fringe, the same as it was on the walk

9 am

Social Media. I have 6,000 followers (my Facebook page is “Karen Penny The Penny Rolls On Walking Britain and Ireland” and I’m @Thepennyrollson on Twitter) many of whom private message. Important to keep them in the loop: their support has kept me going through some very dark days. Many have become virtual friends

10 am

Karen doing some admin work at home
Karen doing some admin work at home (Picture: Karen Penny)

Writing at my desk. Currently writing a book about my travels around Ireland. Bilbo keeps me company. I have never written a book before, this is quite a challenge

12 pm

Lunch. I love cooking and have over 30 cookbooks. On my walk I struggled with the weight of the cooking equipment home and sent it home. I have walked through two winters, and it is impossible to light a fire in the wet!

Karen on her walk in Morecambe
Karen on her walk in Morecambe(Picture: Karen Penny)

I relied on fruit nuts and biscuits, often rationing food if there was little about. It was such a luxury to stay with people who wanted to share their evening meal with you. I even stayed with a MasterChef on Orkney.

Today I made soup to last for a few days. A very staple food but it fills you and means I don’t have to go out shopping.

1 pm

Community Messages. Making sure neighbours are fine and delivering essential items or collecting food from the local shop. Many elderly villagers here fall within the vulnerable category and are dependant on essential food deliveries.

2.30pm

Daily Walk. No longer 18-mile days, but an hour’s walk to the cliffs overlooking Three Cliffs Bay where I live.

Karen Penny's coastal view at home
The view on her daily walk now (Picture: Karen Penny)

I photograph the same view each day and am in the process of preparing a series of time lapse photos to see how the landscape changes during lockdown. It is a three-mile walk. I walk on my own and enjoy the solitude I am used to.

3.30 pm

Gardening. I love it outside; Mark and I are taking this opportunity to landscape the garden before I restart my walk. Many hands make light work and the weather has been perfect to be outside.

Karen Penny is enjoying getting out in her garden again
She is enjoying getting out in her garden again (Picture: Karen Penny)

5 pm

Prepare Dinner. Tonight, homemade fish cakes. With the current restrictions, it is a great time to enjoy cooking from scratch. Very rewarding. Mark and I take it in turns to cook…simple pleasures, we enjoy cooking for one another

6 pm

Karen on her walk in Morecambe
Karen on her walk in Morecambe (Picture: Karen Penny)

Watching the news. I try and watch it once a day. It can be very depressing otherwise.

I am not used to the television or radio. On my walk I would be conversing with hosts or asleep in my tent at this time. I could happily not watch the television again, although I do enjoy the radio and listening to a podcast.

7 pm

Book time. I am currently reading Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust. I have really missed reading, and it is surprising how heavy a book is to carry in your rucksack. I have relied on audible books and it is a real delight to turn the pages of a book. 

8 pm

Shower Pyjamas and phone calls to family…. I ring my Mum and Dad every day. They are in good spirits but struggle with online food shopping. Mum gets it wrong every day and we have a laugh as we amend the order, she has made for one carrot!

9 pm

Online Scrabble with my son. I am sure he makes up half the words! We are miles apart, but this keeps us close

10 pm

Bed. I have woken up in a different place every day for the last year. I often lie there and think “Where am I”? Next to the sea, in a wood, in someone’s home, even in a bus shelter. I am loving my own bed.

To support Karen’s walk, visit her fundraising page.

If you want to get involved with My Quarantine Routine, email laura.abernethy@metro.co.uk.

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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/12/quarantine-routine-karen-middle-20000-mile-trek-lockdown-12545035/?ITO=squid
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