Day 5/5 🥾 The Two Saints Way, Staffordshire and Cheshire

After five days of walking through Staffordshire and Cheshire, it was finally time for the last few miles of the Two Saints Way. With another hot day ahead and Chester Cathedral waiting at the finish, all that was left to do was enjoy the journey and bring this training hike to a successful close.

ℹ️ Stats

Weather: hot and sunny 30° 🔥

From: Old Davenport Arms

Start time: 8.27am bus from Chester – started walking at 9.23am back on the canal

To: Chester Cathedral

End time: 3.23pm

Accommodation: home 🏡 (my bed 🛌)

Terrain: roads, canal paths, grassy paths

🥾 Km: 25.24

🥾 Miles: 15.77

🦶 Steps: 35,835

Total Distance: 149km | 100% Done ✅

💰 Costs

£3 – bus to Old Davenport Road

Subjective Feeling Out of 10

Enjoyment: 8/10

Fatigue: 3/10

Ease of terrain: 3/10

⭐️ Highlights: Finishing the trail! Chester is a gorgeous city to walk through. Pleased with how everything worked out 💪

🏔️ Challenges: The heat! OMG! It's going to be intense this summer in Europe! 🔥

💭 Thoughts: Feeling very prepared for the GR5. I have a few little tweaks to make, but nothing massive. All my gear worked great 👍 and I'm feeling in a strong place.

Two Saints Way: Day 5 – The Final Push to Chester

Back on the Trail

The final day on the Two Saints Way.

Another super hot and sunny day, but there was definitely a sense of excitement this morning knowing that today was all about the final push to the finish ☀️.

I caught the 8.27am bus from Chester back to the Old Davenport Arms, where I'd left the trail yesterday at the 77-mile marker.

I still can't quite get over the fact that the bus only cost £3. For a journey of nearly an hour, I thought that was incredibly affordable.

I started walking again at 9.23am.

Straight away, the route followed the canal, and luckily much of it was shaded by the trees, which was very welcome in the heat 🌳.

The Psychology of the Final Day

I think there's something really interesting psychologically about the final day of a hike.

You know the finish line is close.

You know that once you've completed those final miles, you're done.

And because of that, I think you naturally push yourself just a little bit harder.

Not because you have to, but because the end is in sight.

The trail itself felt easy today. My fatigue levels were actually very low, which was a really positive sign.

I'd recovered well, stayed on top of my food and hydration, and my body was feeling surprisingly good considering I'd been carrying a heavy pack for the past five days.

Arriving in Chester

Eventually, I made my way into Chester, which really is a gorgeous city to walk through.

I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is.

Walking past the Roman amphitheatre, the old black-and-white buildings and then finally arriving at the cathedral felt really special ⛪.

In fact, Chester Cathedral is where I started my Wales Coast Path – Anglesey adventure, so I really liked the fact that this hike joined onto another of my adventures.

I love connecting my walks together.

There's something very satisfying about returning to places that hold memories from previous journeys.

And then, just like that, I was done.

I stopped my watch.

The Two Saints Way was complete 🎉.

Submitting an FKT

One thing I have decided to do is submit my GPS data to the Fastest Known Time website.

At the moment, there isn't a women's record for the trail, so I thought... why not?

With all of my FKTs, it's never really been about being the fastest.

There will almost certainly be women who can complete this trail much quicker than I did, especially runners or people attempting the route with support.

That's not the point.

For me, it's about putting women's names on the map.

It's about getting women's achievements recognised and hopefully encouraging other women to look at a route and think:

"Actually... I could do that."

Or even:

"I could go quicker than her!"

Brilliant.

Please do.

I would absolutely love to see more women out there setting records, attempting challenges and putting their names against these trails.

Hopefully, my GPS submission will be approved over the next few days, which would make this my third Fastest Known Time.

And that's pretty awesome.

Heading Home

After finishing at the cathedral, I made my way over to Chester Station where my parents came to collect me, which was lovely.

Then it was time to head home, sort all my gear out, have a shower and get a wash on 🚿.

I have also been filming this trip and plan to turn it into a couple of YouTube videos.

I think I'm actually going to make two versions.

The first will be a short, fast-paced vlog of around ten minutes, giving a quick overview of the trail with roughly two minutes dedicated to each day.

The second will be a much longer vlog with slower edits, more of my thoughts and plenty of footage of the countryside and scenery.

It'll be interesting to see which style people prefer: the short, punchy version or the longer, more immersive one.

Looking Ahead to the GR5

Over the next week, alongside editing the videos, I'll also be getting back into editing podcast episodes.

I've got around nine or ten days before I need to head down to London and I won't be taking my laptop with me, so I have a pretty focused block of work ahead.

But first, I'm taking a moment to appreciate this little adventure.

The Two Saints Way was exactly what I needed.

A chance to test my gear, carry a heavy pack again, get some miles in the legs and remind myself what life on the trail feels like before heading off on the GR5.

Thank You for Following Along

Thank you so much for following along with this journey ❤️.

If you've enjoyed this adventure, do check out some of my other UK hikes, including the Wales Coast Path, Anglesey Coast Path and South West Coast Path.

I share all the stats and practical information from my walks, including costs, distances, logistics, highlights and honest reflections from the trail.

I'll also be sharing a total stats post, which will include total costs, daily distances and everything else you might find useful if you're considering walking this trail yourself.

Until the next adventure... 🥾

➡️ Read Final Total Stats: The Two Saints Way: 92 Miles Across Staffordshire and Cheshire