Whenever I tell someone about my trips, there are a few questions that inevitably come up. Here are the answers.

Where will you sleep? [variant: You’re not camping out for a month, are you?]

I’ll be staying in bed and breakfasts and the occasional hotel. All the arrangements for the trips blogged on this site were made by Contours, an English company that specializes in arranging walks on the national trails of the United Kingdom.

You’re going to have a heavy pack! [not a question, but it begs for a reply]

Actually, Contours does luggage transport, so every morning, I leave my big bag with my B&B hosts, and a van picks it up and takes it to my next stop along the trail. I’ll be walking with a daypack loaded with two water bottles, first aid, rain gear, snacks, etc.

What will you eat?

Many walkers get a pack lunch from their B&B hosts (for a small extra fee). I find I am not hungry for a sandwich when I walk. I prefer an energy bar, so I am taking along enough Clif bars to get me through the trip. It’s concentrated protein, so it keeps me going through the afternoon. Breakfast, of course, comes from the B&B, and I’ll usually go for some eggs, bacon and toast. Maybe mix it up with oatmeal when I get sick of eggs. For dinner, I’ll mostly be hitting pubs for a beer or a cider and whatever pub grub is on offer.

How far do you walk each day?

The daily total varies from as little as ten to as much as 19 miles.

Are you walking on roads?

The trail system in the United Kingdom follows right of way across fields, on private property, and sometimes, yes, on roads.Mostly, though, the trails run through private property, through fields where sheep and cattle graze, through planted fields and orchards, essentially through the real countryside, not along roads that divide it up.

Wait– Across private land?

Because right-of-way laws in the U.K. are stronger than anything in the United States, if there is a path on your land that is in active use, you cannot block it. Fences must have gates or stiles. Pretty cool, right?