By: Blonde Two

Ask me what we are doing after work today! Go on, ask me! Or ask Blonde One!

Today as soon as we can after work, both Blondes will be jumping (we are so excited we may actually jump) onto a train in Newton Abbot and not jumping off again until London Paddington! In itself that is exciting because it will mean a whole three hours of Blonde ‘meeting’ time.

The whole thing is made even more exciting by the reason for our visit; namely our attendance at the Ordnance Survey Champions publicity day tomorrow (I may or may not have already mentioned this!!)

Obviously we have already spend considerable time discussing the logistics. We are girls who can pack sleekly for city breaks (though not too often please) and ruggedly for adventure breaks; but never before have we had to pack for both at once. Allow me to explain:

We agreed that although we will spending the next 36 hours in a city, the requirement is for us to look as ‘outdoorsy’ as possible (well we think it is). We have our new Ordnance Survey kit of course, but there have been other kit considerations (bear in mind that we might have to go to work in whatever we choose):

Walking Trousers versus Jeans

‘Walking Trousers’ is obviously the right answer; but jeans do a better job of holding a girl in, and my OS tops are a bit on the tight side. Still, I have am quite happy to be the ‘Curvy Girls’ Champion’; curves on the hills are as good as curves off them!

Walking Boots versus Girl Boots

You must know by now that Blonde One is much better at shoes than I am; but we have agreed on walking boots for authenticity. This means that we either get a good excuse to wear said boots in the classroom all day (such foot comfort) or that we have to do a quick change before jumping on the train.

Holdall versus Rucksack

As OS have asked us to bring along a few of our favourite outdoor ‘props’ we have decided to attempt to stuff all that we will need for the trip into our much loved day packs. These are usually crammed full anyway, so the exercise will mean removing a few key items and replacing them with others. For example:

Remove bivvy bag (Travelodge is cheap but they usually have roofs) and add hair straighteners (not often needed during Dartmoor emergencies).

and

Remove head torch and whistle (I don’t think the lights in London ever go out) and add perfume (which will obviously show up in photos!)

and

Remove water bladder and flask and add (well, we haven’t quite decided yet!)

See you on the other side of the red carpet!