today started at a really slow pace as I packed up my stuff in the
hotel room, ready to make tracks back onto the canals. I assumed the
room had included brekkie but upon asking at reception, I realised I
was totally wrong. the receptionist clearly saw how deflated I was
and quickly ran to the kitchen to grab some fruit and a packet of
Alpen cereal. the thought was amazingly kind of her, but all I needed
to do now was find a bowl and some milk... where's a cow when you need
one?
after 2 hours of casual plodding along, I sat down beside a lock and
had my breakfast of a bruised and battered apple. luckily I found a
twix hiding in my bag and as I began opening it, I saw a baby duck
waddle up next to me. 5 more joined it before they sat in the water
in front of me waiting expectantly. they were too cute to ignore so
giving in, I broke the twix into 6 pieces and made sure each duckling
got a piece.
quick as a flash, the twix was devoured and the ducklings sat there
waiting for more. before I could say "sorry, no more left", a
whirlwind of feathers landed around me as mother duck burst in on the
scene, quacking like a mentalist! at this point I realised even duck
mums don't want their kids eating junk food, so making my excuses I
made tracks.
p.s. I haven't lost my mind... yet!!!
back on the towpaths, I was plodding along at a reasonable pace even
though the sun was at hot as lava on the back of my neck. at each
bridge I begged the footpath to switch sides into the shade, but as
per usual my prayers went unanswered.
by late afternoon I felt like I'd had more than enough, especially as
I still had about 10 miles to my destination of Market Drayton. just
as my legs were feeling like jelly, a canal boat caught up with me
(says a lot about how slow I was walking) and made the perfect pace
'car'. for the nextfew hours I played cat and mouse with the boat,
steaming ahead before resting in the time it took for him to catch up.
just before Goldstone I'd had more than enough and gave my dad a call
to see if he could find and book a B&B in Market Drayton, which would
give me the reason to walk that I needed urgently. like a star, he
did and I was on my way, although someone needed to remind my legs
that they now had a deadline.
after 28 miles I was drenched in sweat and could have easily dived
into the canal to cool down. just as this urge was getting too strong
to resist, I saw a campsite out of the corner of my eye, although I
thought it was a mirage at first.
as I collapsed through the gate, the owner may have saved my life by
handing me a free bottle of coke and a bud to put a smile back on my
face. the owner, alex then kindly let me stay for free so repaying
his kindness I ordered a T-Bone steak and wolfed it down with a cider.
these canals are gonna be the death of me...
Sat 30th...
after waking up at 6am to the beautiful sound of something like a
grouse squaking at my tent, I packed up my tent and wrote a thank you
letter to Alex for letting me stay for free.
the woodchip beds for pitching up tents was a fantastic idea, but the
reality wasn't so sweet. I woke up more than twice to the fun of my
tent collapsing on top of me due to the lack of grip the tent pegs
had. the fact that the pitch was free made up for my pityful nights
sleep though.
I instantly felt the heat as I rejoined the Shropshire Union Canal and
knew walking today was gonna be a killer. I ambles along the canal on
a breakfast of one kiwi fruit... hmm filling!
2 hours later I arrived in Market Drayton and headed into town to hunt
down a cafe for some brekkie. after walking down a freshly cooked
full English for only £7, I knew I wasn't going to be walking anywhere.
seeming as it had everything I'd need to stock up and I'd done a bit
of walking to get here, my conscience was clear about resting up for
the remainder of the day.
heading out for a wonder around Market Drayton, the beautiful country
town you meet at the canal is ripped into a million grotty pieces by
the young pikey mums and chavvy kids on bikes. it's funny how scum
seems to ruin even the furthest reaches of this country... and I know
that's quite a statement but I couldn't care less!
back to the sanctuary of the B&B it is for me...
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