Day-40 Open to Offas!

A misty and damp morning meant a slightly soggy start to the day from Selattyn hill, with Offas Dyke here it was also an easy start there's no way you can get lost following this national trail with signs everywhere! Initially these led me through simple farm lands until a B road section approached Racecourse common the old (victorian?) ground for Oswestry horse race's not much trace of these with just the ruins of its rather small grandstand visible from the path. From the common my path led into candy woods, a rather good name for these pretty woodlands, although anyone walking the dyke south to north may be too tired from climbing the hills these woods are set in to appreciate the beauty! Personally I found a nice stone built cove with seats to take a few minutes rest and enjoy the scenery and the squirrels hoping around.
But the path must be trod and down I go and with every down there's another up, this one on the road up to Trefonen, where annoyingly my planned stop for food was hampered by the shop having closed recently... No planning for that! Still with plenty of wild damsons to gorge myself on this wasn't such a problem.
The rather busy B road through Treflach and Pont-y-waen leads me to path around Llanymynech hill and on to the redundant Staffordshire canal, even though this canal is no longer passable it is still in the capable hands of good maintenance and the the tow path and lock mechanisms are in good order as are the old buildings and homes that would have been associated with the canal (pic).
Of the canal at Four Crosses I find both pubs closed down but at least the garage shop is still in operation, I bought a cracking locally made pork and blue cheese pie with damson topping! They could have charged twice what I paid for that!.
Crossing some more fields the path runs along the flood defences of the river Severn with views to rapidly diminishing Breiddon hill where mining has certainly shrunk the hill since my last visit... Must compare photos!.
The path followed the Severn somewhat laboriously (or I was just tired!) to Pool Quay, a quick pint there and the Montgomery canal after a few miles became home for the night.

Day-39 jumping the border

Away from Allt Gymbyd rested but far from full, rations are next to none and just a few snacks to keep me going, other than wild fruit that is luckily I see plenty this morning, blackberry's, bilberry's,damsons and sloe so energy was enough.
My path away was following the Clewidian way which appears sparsely used and certainly indistinct, not a problem for long as I'm away from it and after hoping over a few A road's I meet another old friend the Offas dyke path, not been here for about ten years,how time flies! Following the way uphill through steep wood land of Llandegla forest then passing over the Marsh boardwalks of Cryn-y-brain I'm into a track leading to the world's end! This is actually an agricultural estate!.
Following the track around the valley of the estate I come across various check points for, as i found out later an 88 mile cycle race.
Leaving the road for the cycles I keep to the path that wends a precarious way along the scree of Eglwyseg mountain (pic), though even here I couldn't avoid mountain bikes as four of them tottered along this pretty dangerous path towards and past me as I hunker down on the scree to give them room.
At rock farm I rejoin the cycle race for a mile, so many cyclists passing mid race were wishing me luck and giving me the thumbs up! I guess quite a few have cycled the end 2 end!
Down into Llangollen I stop for a Sunday roast of lamb which finally restored my energy, provisions for tonight and new insoles for my boots and I head south up the steepest road I've walked yet! This could really benefit from being zig zagged! Over the top of the hill and down to Pontfadog to find another steep hill to sap my energy! But this is near the end of my day so through Craignant and up onto Sellatyn hill rejoining Offas dyke for a wild camp.

Saturday 13th September

Rest day, eat drink read don't move!

Day-38 into Wales

My pitch high on Brandon point was a good choice as the Dee valley is thick with mist this morning, meaning my tent is only slightly damp and not soaked this morning.
Away and after no more than a few hundred meters I cross into Flintshire and Wales my third country this walk, passing by the Sealand mod firing range before entering an industrial estate, luck on my side again there's a burger wagon on my route, tea and breakfast roll latest one again free! Thank you Sizzlers!
Happily carrying on I pass a very empty looking Toyota factory, where security felt the need to check out this walker! A quick wave and they were on their way tho.
The cycle track I'm following runs parallel with the wirral railway and over the Dee into Shotton, quickly through I'm away onto footpaths to Buckley where chicken and chips for lunch, also getting provisions in for my rest day tomorrow.
South west out of town my route turns from twisty B roads to confusing footpaths and consequently back to little B road's to make the end of the day a little easier, a final byway that was in use for upgrading electricity pylons and I'm at my restday spot at Allt Gymbyd caravan park... Sadly both the bar and shop were closed but such is life I've got just enough food to get me to Llangollen on Sunday morning if I eat up some of the odds of food that have been gathering in rucksack... Will definitely make the pack lighter!

Day-37 ' when you walk through the storm '.....you get wet!

As usual when I stay in a hotel I can't sleep!  Oh 1am why did you wake me?
On the plus side it meant I was up and packed and away by 7.30 leaving me ample time to walk to my surprise, which I've obviously given away with the pic! Yes I was allowed to wander around the ground at Liverpool football club! Many thanks to Rachel for organising this it was very special for me to see the ground that my relative, former Liverpool player Phil Neal used to wow the crowds!
Even opportunities like this can't hold up the walk (too much!) so off I go threading through the victorian terraces surrounding the stadium and down into the city centre, and wow a stunning centre it is! The architecture was incredible, I've obviously read to many incorrect stories about Liverpool as a place! The grandeur of its time as the second largest port in Britain during the days of the Empire and the title door to the Americas was obviously not overdoing it!
Down to the Mersey, and with the famous Liver building behind me I catch the equally famous ferry across the Mersey! It's a tourist boat so I get a tour of the sights along with (inevitably) a few lines being sung from ' ferry across the Mersey'...Good cheesy fun!
Into Birkenhead for lunch and more victorian terraces to navigate, then back into the countryside and a little wild fruit foraging, before walking into Neston for supplies, down to marshes along the river Dee and on to Burton point where a nook high up in a hill gives me a great view of the sun setting over the Marsh and eventually the lights of Wales.
Wales actually being only a few hundred meters to my left as I look south!.

Day-36 a short day

With a slight mist rising from the canal into another azure sky I'm off on my last leg of the Leeds to liverpool canal, without a great distance to walk it's nice to kick back and just saunter along and stop more than I've been doing of late feeding the minnows that rise to the surface once you've not moved for a bit and taking a bit more time chatting along the way, I pass Haskayne, Lydiate,and Maghull before leaving the Canal at Aintree heading south in a remarkably warm afternoon to my 1.45pm stop at a Travel lodge for the night,  feeling hungry I visit a nearby KFC and my hunger decides the size of my dinner...a six piece bargain bucket that I demolish! Guess I needed it!.

Day-35 we're on a roll!

Right first off I'm going back to last night....
As I lay in the tent listening to the birds and watching the light fade I became aware of a roar outside, I could only describe it as being similar to the sound of a large ship going upstream, which with the apparent depth of the river Ribble was impossible! Curiosity took hold and I looked out to see a wave of water over a meter high going upstream, I've finally seen my first tidal bore!  Thankfully from a good three meters higher than it reached!.
By this morning normal service had resumed and I packed up and headed west with flocks of geese, lapwings, ducks and the occasional cormorant for company.
Following the Ribble valley way south to its beginning /end the path I need becomes amorphous again! Not being where it should be and not east of its course so it had to free west.... Yep took way to much faffing to find it but hey Ho I did!
The path goes along side the river link of the Lancaster canal and Leeds to Liverpool canal which at change of tide must be hazardous for barges as during a rest I watched the tide change and the still river became a torrent! Away from the river on small B road's until with great fortune I find Sizzlers snack van, being hungry as ever I order the biggest breakfast roll I can get and a cuppa tea, joining in with the banter between a chap delivering coal and the lady owner (pic) the conversation comes around to what I'm doing with such a large pack on my back, after the story is told I go to pay for my second breakfast only to be told it's free due to the charitable nature of my walk! (do I need to explain the title?) great lass who really made my morning with her kindness.
Away down the A69 to Bretherton and back on to the canal network, although the tow path here is non existent a regular path takes you along until the tow path emerges, after about 5km I leave the Leeds and Liverpool canal and go into the pub at Rufford, burger and chips a pint and some tea, and a cheeky use of a socket to charge my phone. Taking the b roads west in walking in farm lands as flat as the fens, where they are growing carrots, onions, potatoes and turf, my path I planned around Martin mere wetlands and wild fowl trust was a bit of a let down as I'm jammed up against 10 foot electric fences and not the hoped for wetland views. Something you cant plan for. Back to the canal and after a quick pint at Heston's bridge I find a nice little spot to pitch by the canal.

Day 34's photo!

Day-34 unexpected kindness

After a night listening to the screech of birds (owls?) in the beech trees overhead, I wake early with no great rush to get going as my first move is for provisions in Garstang. I quickly find a Booths supermarket and purchase a bench breakfast (exactly as it sounds!) and food for the day, moving off from said bench I head back to the canal.
Out of town the canal briefly follows the M6 to Bilsborrow where it slowly (as is the won't of canals) veers west, passing some canal workers repairing the tow path a few hellos are exchanged before continuing quickly on.
Leaving the canal for Woodplumpton, I stop at the Wheatsheath pub for dinner and a pint, great pub and great people here as I raise another £8 and then as I pay I'm told the food is free! That really caught me of guard as it's very much a first for me! Can't state how appreciated that was!.
Walking away with a full stomach and a smile I cross the M55,and head into Preston where walking along I see a chap in the uniform of the canal repairs team, not just any worker but one of the guys in the pic!.once I leave the canal I appear to have become invisible again!  People obviously too busy to say hello.
Finding a Lidl store I stock up again for the evening and cross over the river Ribble at the bridge, here I become visible again! And chat with a cyclist who is considering cycling an end to end route... Do it!, nice bloke and a good chat at the end of which he also donates!.
Walking from the clamor of the busy roads to the quiet of the riverside embankment the city soon fades away and I'm among wildfowl and a different raucous noise for tonight.

Day-33 Canal desires! ;-)

A chilly night always means a sunny morning, today's no exception the sky is azure blue, perfect! And the sky dominates my horizon as I walk across the thick clay like surface of morecambe Bay, I've walked a curious number of surfaces on this walk and this is one of the more odd! But saying that it's a good walking surface and progress is good into Hest Bank,into the town and back to the canal that's leading me on through today, with the sun shining down and sparkling in the water progress is relaxed into Lancaster, taking the loop east the canal keeps a nice view of the city and the dominant castle in the cities north.
Leaving the canal briefly to go into the center for breakfast and snacks, I'm drawn to the impressive city hall and facing it a huge statue of Queen Victoria! Very stern visage!
A quick visit to Greggs again (not sponsoring me!) and a chat a bloke as I ate, nice how this impresses people! During this chat another guy sat quietly at the other end of the bench as I stood to go he thanked me for what I'm doing, turns out he was homeless! This won't help him personally but to be appreciated like this was incredible.
Humbled I move on back to the canal and out of this impressive city... Must return one day.
The canal wends it's way through the country with an avenue of trees, with the sun bright above dappling the water. the mood I'm walking in is blissful!
At lunch I pass a canal side cafe where I purchase a baked potato, always good for energy, then with the trees becoming fewer and the sun brighter, I'm walking amidst a flotilla of Butterflies and dragonflies! Beautiful, this day couldn't get any better!
But it does, stopping to chat to a group of people with border terriers.. Has to be done, they offer me a few beers to take with me and to up my water! How appropriate that their barge is called Plodder! Lol
Nicely loaded up I wander until I spot a good place to camp under a beech tree just north of Garstang.

Day-32 Half day n Rest

The camp on the wrong side of the sea defence worked out well without any tidal disturbance, a little drizzle was the worst I got, nothing in not used to!
To reduce the time spent walking today I opted to stick to the b road that the cycle track follows, very little difference in distance just simple to do.
The track went thru Dallam tower's deer park... No deer just sheep and on into Beetham.dodging in and out of woodland to Yealand storrs,uphill to Yealand Redmayne and then up a Hovis add steep hill through Yealand Conyers.... Wonder what Yealand means???
Passing through Warton and into Carnforth I find the first available cafe for a full English breakfast.. Can't get enough of these!
Out of town via the Lancaster canal my first on this trek! And the going is easy and flat... Also a first!
Into Bolton-le-sands for supplies and across to the coast at Morecambe Bay for my rest at Red bank farm camp site.
Pitched and chilling a well loaded cyclist pulls onto the site, unloads near me and we get chatting, seems he's here to attend a 60's - 80's festival where he'll be celebrating northern soul!
Great chap and some good company.

Day-31 Foot sore!

After yesterday's mammoth push (well it felt that way!) my feet ache badly and my get up and go has done just that! Achingly I still have to follow suit! Into Bowness on Windermere for provisions and then straight up a road that runs up and out of town at an alarming angle to the top of Bram fell,tiny B road's and the track in the pic take me to Gilding mill and then appropriately a place called Crook Foot! You couldn't make it up!. Here my luck improves with masses of blackberries to munch and damsons too!
Going into Crossthwaite I take a break on a wall overlooking the valley, a car stops thinking I'm a local and asks directions to Witherslack Hall school, which I could help with,noticing my rucksack they kindly donated £5.
A tiny Lane across the valley and a footpath up the other side and my path goes around the flanks of the cliff edged Whitbarrow scar, up and on top of this hills plateau and a fascinating landscape is mine to explore of sssi woodland and the rocky but pleasant land that I've found for my dinner break.
Down through the woods to Grain farm and looping roads to Levens for provisions, under the A590 and follow the A6 road to Haversham, a couple of long straight roads that wouldn't be out of place in the fens and I'm camped looking over the marshes of Milnthorpe sands.