Late 2021 and a thought occured to me that my local "Merlin Cinema" was part of a steadily expanding chain with it's distant relative being in Thurso just 20 miles from John O' Groats and here we were with the Savoy being just 10 miles from Lands End. There's a hook, a twist, something a little different to connect the famous end to end. Then I looked at it as a mental exercise, seeing if I could connect all 16 Merlin Theatres in a sensible route across the country. and I did.....
Come December, I actually got a part time job at the Savoy. I bacame part of the team, delivering fun, entertainment and joy to a steady flow of customers. That clinched it, within a few months I put my mind to actually plotting it, timing it and looking at the practicalities of a tour across the country, visiting all 16 of the Merlin sites. The plan and route evolved (and is still evolving).......
I love our National Parks and tweaked it to encompass as many as I could (13/15). I picked a scenic route through Wales, eased up on the daily mileage in Scotland so I could take more in. I booked three hostels and bought a Dutch Army Surplas Bivouac for the other nights (tested it out in glorious West Cornwall) Packed my gear plenty early to make sure it would all fit and what was really necessary. I used Google Earth to search my routes for points of interest, Castles and suitable sleeping points. I sought advice from friends who had travelled Scotland, or who lived there or Wales or knew the areas I was passing through to suggest places to visit and stop and chill.
Now, with three days to go I feel ready, as though everything is in place and with just my phone to pack, it's only the weather that has been left to chance. But there's not a lot I can do about that!
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