Unfortunately this trek isn't going to walk itself, so we made an
early start and left Julie, Cerith & Nan, bound for the spot I'd been
picked up from in Bath 2 days prior.
As I waved my pop goodbye and made tracks along the canal, I realised
today was the first time for god knows how long that I was wearing my
cap and sunnies instead of my hat and body warmer. however without
jinxing the weather, I would have preferred to walk in the cold!
Making a later start obviously means you're gonna be walking much
later into the day, although somehow i'd managed to arrive in Bristol
by 4pm. as I rounded the corner to the campsite we'd spotted on my
maps, the worry that a campsite in Bristol city centre was too good to
be true was realised. I'd already walked 18 miles to Bristol so to
find another site meant a further 10 mile yomp. to save cash, I took
a very deep breath and got back into my stride.
I think the people of Bristol got together to help boost my spirits
just as I was feeling shattered, as a soldier in full camo who gave me
the thumbs up from his car was quickly followed by a guy on a
motorbike peeped twice before serving across the lanes to present
another thumbs up. it sounds like nothing, but to me it meant the
world.
reaching the mouth of the river Severn was great on such a nice day as
I could see the welsh coast as clear as... well daylight. it felt odd
being so close and not crossing over like I'd done so many times
before, but at least I had a great view!
finally I arrived at the campsite and was seriously ready to
collapse. it was 8pm and I'd not solidly walked for this long in my
life. my heart sank as I realised this site was for static homes, but
there was no way I could go any further. I sat next to my bag
checking my maps for any local sites, but nothing at all.
by this time I had attracted the attention of am old couple who stood
in their adjacent mini gardens gesturing more than a deaf couple.
as I approached them, I readied my most wellspoken voice and smiled
whilst the old woman glared at me like I'd just murdered her entire
family.
"hello my name's Ed. I'm doing a charity walk for help for heroes." as
I continued I could see her fears dispelled and she pointed me over to
the owners house.
explaining for a second time as to what I was doing, I luckily found
the answer I was looking for and bedded down for the night in the
site's playground. I could only thank my lucky stars as my head hit my
pillow... well, semi-deflated pillow anyway.
Sat 23rd May - Severn Bridge to Slimbridge...
Today was a total scorcher! I woke up to completely clear skiescand
the sun making the packing away of my tent as simple as pie. after
spending far too long getting back onto the Severn Way, I tried my
hardest to find my stride, however the bullocks in nearly every field
had other ideas.
as I dropped my pack in a field and slumped down into the grass, I was
greeted by an older couple heading the other way. thank god I did
take this route as Liz & Jim kindly sponsored me £10. with a smile on
my face, on went the pack and into my belly went the last of the welsh
cakes my nan had kindly baked for me.
after a while, I was clear of the fields along the Severn and was
taking a shortcut through the lanes alongside Shapness. taking 5mins
for a bit of a breather, I sat by the roadside checking my maps and
soaking my feet in surgical spirit.
my help for heroes flag was flapping in the breeze as a car pulled up
beside me; the lady passenger smiling and telling me to get some food
with the fiber she handed me. she then reached into her shopping bags
and pulled out an ice cold Feist icecream before shooting off in her
car.
I couldn't help but sit there laughing to myself at how fantastically
surreal the situation was, so wolfed down the Feist and made a beeline
for the canal.
it was great to be back on the flat as I steamed along the towpath,
heading for the campsite at Slimbridge. as I rounded the corner, I
could see it was heaving with families and caravans, so I heading for
reception and introduced myself to Keith who ran the show.
all the miles seemed worthwhile as he let me stay for free if I could
find a spot to tuck myself in.
slotting between an empty tent and a couple who were the spitting
image of ricky tomlinson & his wife from The Royal Family tv show, I
grinned from ear to ear as 'ricky' offered me a beer.
the beer unfortunately wasnt the only thing he shared as he began
burping and farting like his on-screen doppleganger. his wife warned
me he shored but I feared that was his best feature... it was windy
enough already!
trying to get a break from ricky, I took a shower before sitting down
with tomorrows maps... 22 miles... goodnight.
Sun 24th May - Slimbridge to Hawbridge...
today began as glorious as yesterday had done, even with the awful
nights sleep I'd had. the royal family spent most of the night
releasing all manner of gases, only ever apologising when I made it
more than apparent I was awake by loudly calling out "for Christ's
sake!".
at 6am I'd had enough and very loudly packed away my tent, making sure
I coughed, sighed and zipped each zip about 20 times more than was
necessary.
the scenery was fantastic as I marched alongside canal boats, early
morning fishermen and even a tall ship that was moored up with its
sails down. I soon bumped into a woman who started explaining to me
that the 'Severn Bore' was on its way, but seeming as I had no idea
what that was, she explained it was a small tidal wave that shot up
the river Severn every 12 hours. it was exactly what I needed to hear
as it took my mind off my blisters whilst I trudged along the towpaths
before returning to lanes and B roads. even this didn't become dull
as people were sponsoring me left right and centre, including one
woman who nearly ran me over before reversing 20 metres to give me £5
sponsorship... in hindsight it was probably so I didn't call the police.
after an hour or two fighting my way through shoulder high nettles and
insanely brave bullocks, I realised that if I was following mark
moxon's route I'd be sitting down to a sunday carvery and gulping down
some ale. as I passed literally hundreds of people doing just that
next to a canal, I couldn't help but want to growl at each and every
one... so I did, but only on the inside.
the last thing I'd eaten was an apple at 12pm and I could feel my body
battling the urge to drop into a heap and fall asleep. it's funny how
quickly I've become tuned in to what my body needs, but I don't have
to keep reminding myself that unlike back home, I can't just walk to
the fridge to grab a snack.
within 3 further hours of walking I turned up at my original
destination, but finding the campsite totally full I walked an extra 2
miles to a site that was recommended by a rambler I bumped into.
unfortunately it turned out to be a caravan site but after some
pleading, I finally got to set up my tent and headed to the pub down
the lane.
luck was yet again against me as none of the pubs did food on a
Sunday. with a dinner of beef crisps, a mars bar and a packet of
peanuts, I hit the cider and made it my mission to relax.
it certainly helped when a couple of guys from the bar opened the
conversation with "you look shattered mate!" and proceeded to buy me
endless beers! in no time at all I was sat down with a large group of
fantastic people all linked to The Hawbridge Inn to some degree.
at this point I realised my dinners over the last couple of days
consisted of cheap and nasty instant meals that were doing me no good
at all. like a mind reader one of the girls offered to make me a ham
and tomato sarnie. without shouting "yipeeeee", I thanked her and off
she went.
a while later, after chatting with the rest of the group about my life
and the walk so far, Launa returned with the mother of all sandwiches;
3 tiers of ham and tomato possibly sculpted by angels themselves. in
seconds it was gone and washed down with a few more beers.
this day had been tough on my spirits but the hornbridge had lifted
them to the Nth degree.
Mon 25th May - Rest day in "The Haw"...
after last nights fun and frolics at the pub, I woke up with a bit of
a hangover so I instantly knew this was the perfect rest day. the
weather was overcast, which was exactly what I wanted as it made a
perfect change from the blistering heat of yesterday. I had a lie in
until about 8.30 when the owner of the land I was pitched in came over
for a chat. as I asked him if it was possible to stay an extra night,
he kindly agreed and invited me over to his house to have breakfast
with him and his wife.
they were such a lovely couple and served up a great brekkie of
cereal, toast and fresh coffee before letting me know they'd even gone
to the effort of making me a load of sandwiches for my lunch! I think
I must have a face which says 'look after me', as I wasn't expecting
the kindness of strangers to last this far into my trek.
we chatted further as mike explained the entire campsite and its
surroundings were not that long ago under about 7 feet of water,
allowing him to sail his small 1 man boat around his entire house!
it's certainly a concern I'd never had living in Brighton.
not long after I'd returned to my tent from mike & lyn's, I was having
a coffee with the family who were staying in their caravan to the
right of me. they were a great bunch and it reinforced the decision
to have taken this day to rest up... plus these sandwiches are
delicious!!
once back in my tent and not being invited over for coffee, I settled
down to my maps to work out how far I'd walked since my rest day. my
pop had bought me a map measurer that you roll over your maps to tally
up the distance, so rolling it over my route I figured out I'd walked
70+ miles in 3 days. seeming as this distance took me about 5 days
when I first started walking, it made me almost laugh to myself. this
feeling of joy was cut short as the mileage reminded my feet of what
they'd gone through.
later I headed over to the hawbridge inn for some comfort food which
turned out to be a whole afternoon of hilarious games in the pub's
garden including; the tug of war and a gladiators style wet pillow
fight above a pool of water. this was easily the best rest day by far
and certainly beat sitting in a B&B watching rubbish tele.
Tues 26th May - Hawbridge to Top Barn Farm...
All I can say is WOW! if all days were like today, I'll finish this
walk in a matter of weeks with a spring in my step and a huge grin.
I left Hawbridge at 7.15 and waved goodbye to Lyn as she headed out to
walk her dog. crossing the footbridge, I was back on the Severn Way
but there was one major issue; the waterproof lining in my boots
seemed to have given up the ghost. within 5mins my feet were totally
sodden, so at the nearest spot I jumped back onto the A38 and was
eating away at the miles - but more importantly drying my boots out.
just as I was falling into the hypnotic rhythm of plodding along, I
heard a noise which made my ears prick up. by now my help for heroes
flag was flying high and proud, attached to my walking poles and
flapping like mad for all to see. as the noise grew louder I realised
what it was... WHOOSH! a harrier roared straight over my head, dipping
its wing at what felt like mere feet above my head. it sent a shiver
down my spine and made all my hairs stand on end, but the fun wasn't
over. a second harrier burst over the hilltop, completely shadowing
the path of the previous one. I looked at my maps to see where they'd
come from but by the time I looked up again, both harriers had vanished.
for a split second I'd wondered if they'd seen the bright, destinctive
colours of the Help For Heroes flag, however travelling at the speed
they were, I very much doubt there was much they could make out. even
so, the 0.01% chance they did see it made me smile from ear to ear and
refuelled my tired feet.
the smiles continued as I got a few tuneful honks from cars alongside
nods from stationary drivers. leaving the main roads behind, I
arrived in Worcester and took some time out from walking to wonder
around its beautiful cathedral. the bells chimed 3pm as I sat by the
river eating a late lunch and enjoyed watching others do the walking
for a change. it was nice to see some beautiful women wonder by -
certainly made a change from sheep and bulls :)
as quickly as I entered Worcest, I was leaving and heading for my
destination, the riverside village of Holt Heath. about a mile from
my destination, I passed a woman who had seen my flag waving from my
bag and let me know about a lovely couple, David & Di, who might let
me stay at their campsite.
I'd already had it marked on my maps so hearing they were lovely
people I headed up the long drive alongside Pippa. I'd soon managed
to secure myself a free spot for the night and was setting up my tent
when Pippa returned with a very smiley man that turned out to be David.
as we talked about the best place to pitch up out of the wind, David
made a great day perfect by offering to let me stay on their farm!
I've come to accept that I have 'help me' stamped on my forehead but
no way am I washing it off. after freshening up, we shared life
stories over coffee before Di let me know I'd be staying for dinner
with them and their friends - result... roast lamb and all the
trimmings!
whilst dinner was cooking away, we walked the dogs around their
plantation and David exaplained what he had going on. it was a
fantastic setup that allowed kids with disabilities to experience
working on a farm and selling their goods in the farm shop. it's hard
to explain the whole works, but google 'Hilltop Farm, Holt Heath' and
you can see for yourself.
he'd had one hell of a life, leaving the UK for Uganda at 21 until it
became too dangerous, but returning as much as possible to what had
become a home from home.
dinner went down a treat as I filled them in on the highs and lows of
this challenge so far, but in no time it was getting late. thanking
David & Di for an amazing evening, I hit the hay.
Wed 27th May - Top Barn Farm to Wolverly...
Seeming as this day had such a fantastic start, I'd hoped the rest of
the day would have followed suit - unfortunately it really didn't.
I woke up at 7 and ambles over to the main farmhouse from my visitors
diggs. awaiting me was Di with a fresh coffee and some cereal that
went down a treat. what I didn't realise was that this was only a
starter and was followed by a torrent of home made produce to stuff me
to the brim.
David and his two sons then joined us for the tail end of brekkie and
it was clear that this was a late start for them; even though I felt
like I was still asleep.
as the farm kicked into life, I made my excuses and left to pack my
gear - taking as long as possible seeming as I could have stayed there
for an eternity. it really brought back memories of my grandfather's
farm in Barry, which as I sat on the end of the bed made the minutes
melt away until I realised 45mins had passed.
david was already busy in meetings with his farmhands, but as I gave
Di a hug goodbye she handed me a load of sarnies and goodies to keep
me going. reluctantly, I closed the main gate behind me and was on my
way.
sticking to the main roads, I made pretty good time but again I had a
major issue; I just couldn't be arsed to walk any further. normally
even though I could be tired, I'd still keep walking for an hour
before having my 5mins of rest. however today I found myself stopping
to read my maps purely because it meant I could drop my bag.
this continued all bloody day and I couldn't shift the feeling of
boredom. maybe it was because I'd stayed in a place I didn't want to
leave? or maybe due to the 30 miles I'd walked yesterday? whatever the
case, I just couldn't be stuffed any more.
as I reached my goal of 17 miles to the Wolverly campsite, I tried to
get a discount on the £7.50 that it cost to pitch up. it was like
getting blood from a stindgy stone, so admitting defeat I set the tent
up and headed to the nearest pub for a steak.
fingers crossed tomorrow perks up otherwise I'm gonna be having
serious words with myself!!!
p.s. I may as well have microwaved my walking boots and priced it up
as serlion steak... I'll forget today ever happened.
Thurs 28th May - Wolverly to Wolverhampton...
Apart from the fantastic donations that I got from the owners of the
canal boats alongside the Staffordshire & Worcester canal, today was
really nothingy. I posted back some of my unused maps which alongside
a meaty breakfast in Kinver was a good psychological boost to fuel
todays walking.
the scenery was lovely along the canal route and even better was the
fact that it was totally flat. I spoke to a guy who was sanding down
his narrowboat who was over the moon to hear about my journey. he had
spent most of his life doing long distance walked but had developed a
lung condition in the nepalese mountains, spelling the end for his
adventurous lifestyle. he kindly gave me the heads up as to where to
avoid in terms of yobby areas and a few good pubs to stop at, but I
still had miles to walk.
I kept eating and eating to prevent boredom from setting in, but this
could only last for so long. at the 21 mile mark, I realised there
was a hotel symbol on my maps right next to the canal. as I rounded
the corner of the lock, I saw it was a Holiday Inn and was expecting
to have to pay in blood for a room. however, explaining what I was
doing and trying to charm the socks off the woman on reception, she
finally agreed to give me a double room with a massive tele and free
wifi for £25... back of the net!!
long day tomorrow, so the huge bed is calling me. night night readers :)
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