Total miles: 17.2
Elevation gain: 2,337 ft
Time walking: 10am – 6pm
Miles to date: 382.7
Another damp day! Thankfully it was dry to put the tent down and pack up this morning. In fact, thankfully my tent was still there…the wind during the night was so strong I thought I might blow away at points!
After a breakfast overlooking the view I headed off a little later than planned as it took a while to make sure my phone was charged – my charging cable has gotten all twisted and I have to hold it in place to charge…I’ve ordered a new one now to pick up en route in a couple of days as mine is pretty much a goner, eek!
I don’t know if it was because I was tired from not much sleep (wind, rain and helicopters!) or because of the threat of rain or something else, but I found the first few miles slow going and not terribly interesting. I think yesterday spoiled me! The first bit along the river was pretty (although somewhat disconcerting to be following it downstream…) and then it was a mixture of fields, tracks and roads, all of which were perfectly pleasant but not terribly exciting. A nice surprise was bumping into Rob from Sydney, we’ve been following each other on instagram and hoped our paths would cross today. It was quite by luck that they actually did in the end as he had to get a lift to Hay so couldn’t do the full walk, but I happened to be walking along that bit of road as he got dropped off! We chatted for a bit – it wasn’t quite the pub/cafe/hill we’d imagined but it was nice to meet and he donated to the cause which was sweet.
I contemplated taking a break as I was getting a bit hungry but as the rain kept coming and going and I had heard rumours of a church a few miles ahead that offered refreshments to hikers I decided to push on. The tiny little church of St Mary’s in Newchurch did indeed offer refreshments and shelter (no loo sadly but can’t have it all!). There was a kettle, tea, coffee, squash and biscuits, with a lovely note and a request for a donation in return for the refreshments. It was such a lovely gesture, so welcoming, and welcome! I duly made myself a cup of tea, had a biscuit and some of my snacks, while reading the visitors book and drying off a little. I love reading visitors books. People come from all over! There were lots of people walking Offa’s Dyke who were very glad of the shelter and warm (or cool!) drinks. I looked through to see if I could see any other end to enders, but I didn’t come across any. My friends from yesterday, Pascaline and Alison, who were about an hour ahead of me, had stopped there earlier – I could tell because they had written in the book too!
Back out into the drizzle feeling refreshed after my warm drink my spirits soon lifted further as the path headed out into a common, and although the views were partially obscured by clouds there was still a marvellous sense of openess and space and I felt myself finally getting into my pace. It was only about 4 miles to Gladestry where the route description promised a pub, so I decided I’d stop there for the loo, some chips and a sock change. Sadly the pub was not open (I shouldn’t be surprised really, as pubs in the sticks rarely open outside of lunchtimes and evenings, but as it was specifically mentioned in the official route description I had high hopes!). Thankfully, the beautiful church in Gladestry, also a St. Mary’s, had taken after the other St. Mary’s and opened its little kitchen up to hikers. It went one better and also had a toilet, which I gratefully used! I nearly didn’t stop for another cup of tea but decided it probably would be a good idea to change my socks and have a rest before the final few miles up over the hills, so I sat and enjoyed the peaceful church for a while, musing over the hospitality my fellow hikers and I had been shown.
This kept running over in my mind as I walked the next few miles and I thought about how wonderful it was that these tiny communities had thought to open their doors to people passing through, regardless of their faith or beliefs. It really warmed my heart and not for the first time on this walk it made me question what small things I could do to make life better, or nicer, or easier, for others. One tiny act on one person’s part can have a much greater impact on someone else’s life. I thought of the cup of tea, and the £1 donation I had given for it and it struck me that in today’s society we seem so intent on getting everything for the lowest price possible, not giving thought to the value of what it took to produce a particular product or service. Take the cup of tea today. The £1 I gave might seem a lot to some people – after all, you can buy a whole bag of teabags for a pound (and I’m ignoring water, milk, electricity here) – but for a cold, wet and tired hiker seeking shelter from the rain, that cup of tea, and the thoughtful hospitality behind it, were priceless!
Anyway, as I climbed the hill – the largest of the day – onto Hergest Ridge – I was very glad I’d stopped for the break and warming drink as the weather quickly began to close in. It was a couple of miles of ridge walking, although not as high as yesterday, and it was very atmospheric watching the mist roll in! Sadly it meant I didn’t get to witness the supposedly brilliant views but walking up there in the mist and rain was still wonderful!
Dropping down off the ridge, back in England again after spending the majority of the day in Wales (save a brief jaunt over the border in the middle of the day, a theme that is to be repeated over the next few days) it was a mile or so into the little town of Kington, which seemed like it would be quite pretty when it was open and not raining. The campsite was a short way out of town and when I arrived I spotted Alison who had just finished putting up her tent. I wasn’t as far behind as I thought I was! It was still raining so I quickly put my tent up too and got my bag under cover, a bit pointless really as it was already soaked, but thankfully everything in it seemed pretty dry. A lady in a camper van near us came over with a big umbrella and offered me a cup of tea! Today seems to be the day of kindness and tea!
I was contemplating whether to hide out in my tent and cook dinner with my stove (I say ‘cook’, I actually mean boil water and add to dehydrated expedition food…!) or to brave the rain and head to the pub. Alison helped me decide by inviting me out with her and Pascalina (who is taking the sensible person’s option of staying in a b&b each night..!). Pub it was, and right decision too. Steak and chips at the Oxford Arms. Best chips I’ve had in ages! And it was lovely getting to know the two women and hear about their respective long distance walking adventures. I may have added a few more to my list…!
The rain had more or less stopped for our walk back to the campsite which was nice, and it’s supposed to be dry in the morning so I’m hoping I might be able to dry a few bits out before I go. A slightly shorter day tomorrow, supposedly only 13.5 miles, but then I’m a bit suspicious about their measuring as today was only meant to be 15….still, it shouldn’t be one of the longer days! Which is good, as it’s supposed to start raining again mid-morning…!
Well, it’ll be what it’ll be..! Night night! xx
