Welcome to the Muddy Marathon Blog

With just over a week to go before we set off on our Muddy Marathon on the 22nd October, things are beginning to fall into place and it’s all getting a bit exciting.

For those of you who don’t know what the Marathon is about, we’re hitting the road on a two-month journey around rural Great Britain in a motorhome that we have customised to look like a country cottage.  Here’s a picture of us with the motorhome before we set to work on it:

It looks a little different now and we will shortly be releasing pictures of our new country cottage on wheels.

Muddy Matches is, and always has been, about meeting people and the aim of this tour is to do just that – to meet you, our members, and all sorts of other people who live or work in the countryside.  We also know that everyone experiences the countryside in their own way and so we want to get out there and find out what makes people tick so we can cater for all country-minded people on the site.

We’ve got all sorts of things planned along the way, from duck flighting in the Borders to sheepdog training in Wales, from cooking game in Kent to training with a mountain rescue team in Cumbria.  More details are gradually being posted on our itinerary and we will be writing about our adventures in this blog and for the Shooting Times website.

It’s not just about us meeting people though, so we’re putting on a number of social events in each region and very much hope you’ll be able to join us.  As well as hosting a couple of bigger parties, such as the Deer and Beer Night with the Essex Young Farmers, we are also organising some smaller, more informal gatherings in country pubs along the way.  Look out for the following in your area:

Muddy Pub Quiz – come and put your countryside knowledge to the test!  As well as being a chance to use your brain, it will also be a great opportunity to get to know some other muddy people in your area.

Pub Grub Night – the idea behind these is to get some like-minded, muddy people together to grab a bite to eat in a nice country pub. A very relaxed affair, with each person paying for their own food and drink, this is a great opportunity to meet some new people in your area.  Come alone or with a mate, it is entirely up to you.

Pub Social Night – these are, quite simply, just a good excuse for a few cheeky drinks in a nice country pub, with the added bonus of potentially meeting some like-minded, muddy people.  The more the merrier, so feel free to bring along as many muddy friends as you like.

Lastly, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who responded to our email asking for help and suggestions – without you, the Muddy Marathon just wouldn’t be happening and we look forward to meeting you along the way.

If anyone has any whacky ideas and would still like to get involved, it’s not too late – please get in touch with christina@muddymatches.co.uk.