Reading Part 7 2: Plans, Hopes and What Really Happened

A Tomasz We meant to adopt a small, quiet dog, but we ended up with Biscuit, an enormous puppy who chews everything in sight. My partner had second thoughts at first, but now she won't let anyone else walk him. I still haven't got round to taking him to training classes, so our neighbours aren't quite as keen on him as we are. B Bea Everyone told me a cat would suit someone who works long shifts, and they were right: Pepper is happy on her own all day. I had assumed an older rescue cat would be shy and unfriendly, but she follows me from room to room and sleeps on my laptop whenever I try to work. C Jun I'd wanted a rabbit since I was a child, and last year I finally managed to persuade my landlord. It turned out that rabbits need far more space than I'd realised, so I spent a weekend building a run in the garden. Now Clover spends most of the day outside, and the neighbours' children come round to feed her.

A Moira My husband and I had talked about swapping homes for years, but we only went ahead with it last spring, when a family from Lisbon wrote to us. I'd assumed we would spend the whole holiday worrying about our house, but I hardly thought about it. The family left it cleaner than we had, and their children drew us a thank-you card. Our friends still think we were brave to let strangers sleep in our beds. I just think we were lucky. B Idris I set out to find a swap in a big city, because I wanted museums and late nights. In the end, the only offer I got was a farmhouse two hours from the nearest town. I nearly backed out, but my sister persuaded me to go. Those two weeks of silence and stars turned out to be exactly what I needed after my exams, although I'll admit the slow internet tested my patience. C Carmen We arranged a swap with a couple in Canada, but six weeks before we were due to leave, it fell through because they had a family emergency. I was disappointed, of course, but the website found us another family in Norway within days. Their house was smaller than the photos suggested, and our kids complained at first. By the end, though, they were begging to stay longer. D Femi People assume that house swapping saves you a fortune, and it does, but nobody warned me how much work it takes before you leave. I spent a whole weekend clearing cupboards and writing a guide to our washing machine. The swap itself, in a flat in Vienna, lived up to all my expectations. Next year I mean to try a longer one, but I haven't found the right place yet.

A Hattie I had intended to walk a whole long-distance trail in one go, but after five days my knees told me otherwise. Now I walk a section every few months instead, and I've realised I enjoy it far more this way: I always have something to look forward to. My grandchildren are convinced I'm too old for this kind of thing, but my doctor, who is a keen walker herself, is all for it. B Luca My brother and I set out to walk from the north coast of Wales to the south coast, to raise money for the hospice that had cared for our grandfather. We'd hoped to raise £2,000 and, to our amazement, people gave more than three times that. The walking itself was miserable: it rained on eighteen of our twenty days, and my brother's boots fell apart in the first week. People keep asking whether I'd do it again, and the honest answer is no. C Shirin As a wheelchair user, I had always assumed that long-distance trails weren't for me. Then I came across a group that maps step-free routes, and last summer I covered 120 kilometres of old railway paths with two friends. Some sections were much rougher than the guidebook claimed, and once we had to turn back and find another way. Still, it was one of the best things I've ever done, and I've already planned next year's route along a canal. D Dev Everyone said that walking 400 kilometres on my own would be lonely. In fact, I've never felt less lonely in my life. Almost every day I met someone new: farmers, other walkers, and a retired couple who let me put my tent up in their garden. The hardest part was the planning. I had booked every night's accommodation months in advance, so when an injured ankle slowed me down, I had to cancel and rebook half of it. Next time, I'll keep things more flexible.