Total miles: 19.2
Elevation gain: 451 ft
Time walking: 8:30am – 5pm
Miles to date: 540.9
Today was a day of three distinct sections, and although I finished relatively early compared to some of my long days, it felt loooong!
The day started off perfectly, with an early start, making a cup of tea and munching on some granola as the sun rose all hazy over my campsite. There was a very heavy dew which meant my tent was rather damp but it was so fresh and peaceful that it didn’t really bother me. I packed up and made a move, supplementing my breakfast of granola and welshcakes with the numerous blackberries growing along the path.
My plan was to make it to Flint, about 4 miles along the coast, for a second breakfast and to pick up some water (I didn’t really bring enough with me last night). I didn’t go as quickly as I’d planned as it was just so beautiful! I remembered how much I love walking in the early morning and decided I would try to have a few earlier starts. The estuary was incredibly calm and peaceful, the water was so still it reflected the clouds nearly perfectly. The only life seemed to be a handful of seabirds flying along, suddenly plummeting into the water to catch fish, then rapidly rising and continuing their flight, leaving only the slow circular spread of ripples to mark their dive. I made my way along fairly slowly, just enjoying the peace, feeling incredibly happy and lucky to be doing what I’m doing. I wanted to make the most of the wide, calm estuary and fresh air as I knew soon I was heading towards the much more industrial section of the Dee!
As I neared Flint I kept an eye out for the castle. It is one I’ve wanted to see ever since I saw Shakespeare’s Richard II, one act of which is set in Flint Castle. I was surprised that it only made an appearance as I rounded the last bend, past the old Flint dock. It was tucked away much more than I expected, from the seaward side at least. It’s much more prominent from the other direction which seemed the wrong way around to me. The castle itself isn’t huge, but the four corner towers and connecting walls are all there, albeit in a state of ruin. I learnt that the castle was deliberately ruined after the civil war, when the new parliament didn’t want to risk it being used in future conflict as it had been by both sides during the war. There was a picture suggesting what it might have looked like before it was ruined and it did look quite impressive with the water coming right up to the walls (which it no longer does).
The short detour into Flint itself was a bit of a shock to the system after the quiet of the estuary – busy roads and bustling with people – but civilisation does bring the benefits of coffee and loos! I came across the characterful Court House Cafe which claims to be based in the second oldest building in town. After thoroughly enjoying my soya latte and breakfast panini a family stopped to talk to me and ask me about my trip, making a donation too. Then the owner of the cafe came over and gave me some bottles of water and juice for free to take with me. People really are so lovely!
Leaving Flint, the path soon left the estuary and followed the main road for a number of miles, into Connah’s Quay. It wasn’t the nicest section of the walk, but it was interesting to see all the massive power stations, factories and other big industrial plants which was a first for this journey. My feet didn’t enjoy the miles of tarmac, but there was plenty of that still to come!
At Connah’s Quay the path rejoins the Dee, which is just a wide brown river now, with no hint of the lazy, expansive estuary it becomes a mile or so downstream. There is a good view of the Flintshire Bridge from here, which I had been able to see since yesterday. It’s the largest asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in the UK and it is quite beautiful, in a modern architecture way. It reminded me of a smaller, asymmetrical version of the old Severn Bridge.
At Queensferry, after a quick detour into the Asda there (once again feeling rather out of place in all my hiking gear when everyone else is just going about their daily business!), the path shared the cycle path along the River Dee into Chester. It was four miles of perfectly straight, flat walking and it was dull and painful! For some reason (I suspect human intervention) the river here is dead straight. It was plod plod plod, with no real landmarks by which to judge distance, and by this point my legs and feet are aching. Flat walking might be quicker but it can be just as hard on your muscles as it is so repetitive, there is no alteration to gait or pace, and my legs and butt started to seize up. I had to keep stopping to stretch out and to relieve the monotony with some chocolate or sweets! The weather kept me on my toes with big black clouds all around – I could see the sheets of rain coming down – but I willed it to go around me, not over me, and remarkably other than a little drizzle I stayed dry!
Reaching the first bend in the river was a relief as past here it was only a mile to Chester, with the Welsh/English border to be crossed for the final time this trip. The border is marked by two standing stones and a “Welcome to Wales” flagstone. Interestingly, no welcome into England! On the edge of Chester I joined the Shropshire Union Canal and watched some boats going through the locks, then followed the canal along a section of the city walls before heading off to find my hostel, not far from the canal itself.
Remarkably, despite my long day, I managed to arrive at 5pm! If I hadn’t have been so tired it would have been the perfect opportunity to explore the city a little but after a couple of long days in a row I was exhausted. So my evening consisted of doing some much-needed washing, having a shower, drinking tea and stuffing myself with an amazing Indian takeout! Thankfully I have visited Chester before, so I don’t feel too bad about not going out. One more long day tomorrow and then a rest day, and I’ve found a nice b&b to stay in near Acton Bridge so it’ll be a little bit of luxury for two nights!
