I’m back in Edinburgh already.

It was all going so well, sustainably as I had just written about. But then I spent the night being violently sick.

At first, it was just me alone in the tent, but it got progressively worse. With no phone signal it was either stick it out on my own and hope for the best or go and get some help. Tempting as it was to stay alone in my cute little camp spot, I ventured out toward a small village. There I got phone signal, and I also chapped on the door of a couple of houses. In one of those homes, I got support – over and above. Not just fresh water but they gave bed for the night too. People are amazing. My worried wife came to grab me the next day and whisked me back to Edinburgh to mend.

I’m in bed – lethargic, still nauseous, and wondering what next. We suspect it was bad water. I took a sip of water from a clear-running burn that also tasted great but that I didn’t first filter before drinking. I’ve done that many times before without consequence.

This wasn’t part of the plan. Is the journey about home over? I feel disappointed. Am I a failure, am I foolish, an embarrassment even. Some not easy, but natural, emotions have surfaced.

But I’m checking in with myself, and I’m kind of grateful for the space I now have. There were a couple of things I had struggled with earlier that day – navigation and my feet. I’m still not used to my online mapping system, taking too many wrong turns ever since I started the journey, and my feet could do with a bit of care.

If the sickness hadn’t happened, I could have done a couple more days and made it to Galashiels for Friday before a couple of days rest as I’d originally planned. But if I had done that, I’d have undone everything I wrote about in my last post. Being sustainable is a practice, we have to keep checking in and revising.

So, I’m embracing this, accepting it. I’ll take on some food later today and see what happens, but I’m feeling much better than I did last night. It’ll pass. I’ll take some days to feel good physically and I’ll pick up the trail.

Minor setback…these things happen…I don’t need to give myself a hard time over it…I’m alive…I have support…and I’ll grow from this.

***More about my journey back home to Croydon on this page.