Follow your dreams

When I was a teenager I imagined that I would have walked the Pennine Way in the next few years, I don't think i'd actually envisioned a time in my life when I was going to do it but it was probably when I was still young, pre children. There's one tiny stretch I've walked many a time, it's my favourite path in Dufton. And other parts I've walked too. But I'm wondering if now is the time to start officially planning on how to to turn my dreams into reality. I'm working much of the Easter weekend, but when I get chance I will look into it. To walk the entire route at once would take around 3 weeks. I don't have that much holiday this year, and the kids wouldn't want to come with me, so it's either something to plan for around 5 years time, or I could consider maybe doing it in say 10 chunks of 2 days and going when they are at their dads for the weekend or something. I wonder if the dog could do it with me. In some ways he's a liabilty (I'm nursing a rope burn I got from his lead yesterday when he got excited about a dog behind a gate) but in other ways he's good company. If I'm doing it in 2 day bursts maybe I could find different people to accompany each stretch. I'd like to think the route would be reasonably well marked as it's so popular. Yesterday I gave up in the end on finding one path marked on the map but not in real life. I did find a rotting wooden post lying on the ground with the yellow arrow showing a footpath, but it was pointing into the mud so not helpful at all. But for the pennine way there will be guides and books galore and well trodden ways and cafe rest points...