Total miles: 12.4
Elev gain: 518 ft
Time walking: 9am – 2pm
Miles to date: 438.8
A lovely short(ish) and flat day today, which I was glad of given the weather! I had an earlyish start as the friend I was staying with had to head to work, but this was pretty good as it meant I’d end up with a rest afternoon as well as a rest day!
Today’s route took me across the Severn plain. The river here is pretty small and lies low beneath deep banks, quite different from the Severn I crossed just over a week ago! Apparently it can flood here though, so I was thankful that we hadn’t had an awful summer. Apart from a short stretch along the disused but pretty Montgomery Canal the first two thirds of the day followed the river through fields with views to the ever-nearing Breidden hills and the massive quarry that scars the western side. The banks of the river are quite overgrown so sadly I didn’t get too many glimpses of the river itself but there were a few wider stretches around lazy corners where I saw swans and flocks of geese. Lots of sheep and cows today. Thankfully none of the cows paid me too much attention so my faith in cows is starting to return!
The most exciting part of the morning was coming across lots of plum and apple trees right on the path! There were masses of small but beautifully sweet plums and I collected as many as I could carry and/or eat. Fresh fruit isn’t something I’ve had a lot of on this trip so it felt like such a treat! I collected a couple of apples too, and wondered if I’d find a good patch of blackberries to complement them in a hedgerow dessert.
The rain was on and off for a while and it was back to the waterproof saga. It seems to be a pattern this week – the weather starts out dry and promising, then there are showers, then a period of consistent heavy rain. After the first shower I made it to Four Crosses and hoped the pub might be open for some lunch and a sit down but sadly, as is the case with most pubs I come across, it was closed, so it was a case of continuing on for the last few miles to Llanymynech. Just outside of Four Crosses I rejoined the canal and it was a very pretty stretch. It’s a shame it is no longer in use as it is getting covered in weed (which makes funny trails where the ducks swim through!) but there are some clear parts where the trees reflect in the water.
It was here that the rain started in earnest, after a good few rumbles of thunder! This was proper rain, the kind that feels like it’s starting to seep through even the toughest waterproofs. It didn’t help that it took me 20 minutes to realise that my pit-zips were still open…oops! There were a couple of pretty, but incredibly narrow, locks and a big beautiful house right next to them. It was very picturesque but it was so wet I didn’t dare get my phone out to take a photo!
I arrived in the little village of Llanymynech, where the English/Welsh border is the high street, soaking wet but pleased to see a post office – I can collect another official stamp! There are three pubs, an Indian restaurant and a takeaway (possibly Chinese) but of course none were open, however thankfully the shop with the post office was filled with all sorts of useful foods so I dropped my bag and went shopping! The prospect of two nights in accommodation with a kitchen was very exciting and I determined to make the most of it. Of course, a little convenience store doesn’t give masses of choice but I was still pretty impressed and managed to put together a nice basket of meat, veg, rice, eggs, tea, biscuits and cake. And a warm sausage roll! Heaven to a wet and hungry hiker who has survived on lunches of oatcakes and peanut butter for the last few days! I even bought a paper. Mainly for the purpose of stuffing my wet boots with, but I figured it would be interesting to see what was going on in the wider world and I could see if my brain was still on form with the puzzle section 🙂
Stuffing what I could into my rucksack, the rest went into a bag for life and I was glad I didn’t have far to go to my stop for the next couple of nights. I had a few options in terms of route and decided to continue to follow the canal along Wat’s Dyke Way (which I think I follow again when I head to Holywell from Prestatyn) which a) was flat, b) avoided the main road and c) went past some old Limekilns. Ok, so I didn’t know about c) when I took that route, but this area is famous for its history in limestone quarrying so it was interesting to see! The farm I am staying at is just beneath Llanymynech Rocks which is the old quarry and now a nature reserve. Earlier quarrying was for copper in the Roman times and silver later on, then limestone in the 19th and early 20th century. The canal was used to transport quicklime (the product of burning limestone) westward to the farmlands of the Severn plain, and limestone eastwards to be used in removing impurities in the making of iron and steel. The canal wasn’t in action for long before the railway came along and it fell into disuse. The railway is also now disused, but is much less obvious than the canal!
The last short burst of uphill was tough after a flat day and with the extra weight of my shopping but I soon made it to my farm. And what a spot! I’m staying in a converted bull barn (thankfully bull-free) on a tiny farm (Underhill Farm) that is being run as an eco-venue. The stables have been turned into a kitchen and a bathroom, and larger barns are used as meeting rooms or accommodation for larger groups. Everything has been upcycled, recycled or reclaimed so there is a higgledy piggledy air to the place and it is very peaceful. Aside from a tiny amount of road noise in the distance the main sounds are the sheep in the next field and the buzzards and peregrines! My room is basic but has plenty of room for me to spread my stuff around to dry out, including my tent which is soaking wet! I have a little wood burner which is making the room quite cosy, and I managed to Skype in to my Tuesday yoga class! I love how I can be in the middle of nowhere and still benefit from technology. The yoga is definitely needed, I’m getting a little stiff again! I’m hoping that in Chester, my rest stop next week, I’ll be able to find another sports massage!
My plans for my rest day are to sleep, eat, drink copious cups of tea (they have teapots!), do some stretching, plan the next week or so of accommodation and meet the lovely Chris and Karyl Iles for lunch. It’s a hard life!
