Month: June 2022
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Day 61: Il Falone to Marina di Salivoli
There’s something liberating about running around, dancing and jumping in the sea whilst being naked. Just not when other people are about. I felt a bit weak in the morning, so came in to San Vincenzo and cooked up a big feast to put some energy back in. My staples at the moment are eggs,…
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Day 60: Livorno to Il Falone
I slept solidly until 8, my best sleep of the trip so far, and woke up feeling refreshed. After a morning of faffing and some stretching I paddled out of Livorno at midday. Sun tanned Italians were lying on the rocks, soaking up more sun and I wondered how they do it. I’d melt after…
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Day 59: Pisa to Livorno
I’ve had diabetes for nearly three years now, but sometimes it feels like I haven’t got any better at managing it, like I havent learnt anything. Although I injected insulin through the night, my sugars just wouldn’t come down, until they plummeted and I woke up at 2.6. Treating this started a rollercoaster and I…
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Day 58: Viareggio to Pisa
The reality of camping on beaches and sleeping rough is that so far I reckon I’ve averaged less than 6 hours sleep a night. Today my dexcom low alarm woke me at 5 am and after I’d eaten some bread, I packed up and got paddling. . I paddled alongside a sandy beach that stretched…
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Day 57: Palmaria to Viareggio
A headwind was blowing in the morning, so I walked up to the fort on top of Palmaria and set off at midday, by which time the wind had swung around, but the sun was beating down at full strength. The bay across La Spezia was busy with a few container ships and lots of…
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Day 56: Moneglia to Palmaria island
Its only day 3 since Genoa, but waking up in my tent, it feels like I never stopped, like I’ve been doing this for months. I wasn’t sure whether to start this chapter as day 1 or continue as day 54, but I’m glad I went with the latter now, because this isn’t a new…
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Day 55: San Rocco to Moneglia
My tent stinks of fish, which is odd since I never catch any. But at least it got a clean when a wave flooded in, waking me with a start, at 5am. I decided to crack on whilst the air was cool, and I studied the wave pattern whilst eating a tub of Greek yogurt…
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Day 54: Genoa to San Rocco
Firstly, thank you to Elpis canoe club for looking after my boat and kit since last October, especially Pietro and Nicolo, and Alice, who helped me get ready. After a few days in Genoa I was ready to leave, although not feeling ready. A week of poor sleep and not eating enough left me feeling…
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Hitch-hiking to Genoa: Day 4
Perched on the edge of a 140 metre cliff overlooking the Rhone valley is the medieval Mornas fortress. It was already hot at 8 o’clock as walked through the small village in the shadow of the cliff and laboured up the trail to the fortress. I felt dizzy just standing near the cliff edge and…
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Hitch-hiking to Genoa: Day 3
My sugar levels were high all night after my truckers feast and I woke up feeling dizzy. I knew they’d go high once the insulin I injected before bed wore off and I planned to inject through the night when my dexcom high alarm woke me. Unfortunately the dexcom alarm failed, as technology does. On…