This week I remembered that Summit Day on Kilimanjaro starts in the middle of the night, so I decided I would try some walking cross-country in the dark.

There were a number of positive factors that combined to make it quite an enjoyable mini-adventure:-

1. It was 0 degrees C, so I got to try out my new down jacket in a more realistic scenario after nearly cooking myself the previous weekend at a sultry 4 degrees.  It was lovely and toasty.
2. I knew where I was going, so I knew there were no hidden dangers (other than nocturnal wildlife)
3. I was heading to The Bax Castle – a fine country pub with a nice selection of local beers and an open fire

I will admit to quite liking the closed environment of only being able to see what was in the beam of my head torch, even on such a familiar route (my training partner the Downs Link path runs past the Bax Castle), but it did show me that concentration and teamwork will be necessary to help us through the big challenge on Kili.

It would be nice to find there is a welcoming pub with a roaring fire at the top serving Horsham Best Bitter….