Craignant to Llangollen
11.30 miles
6 very WET hours
For being a freezing cold house last night when climbing into the bed there was a pleasant surprise - the bed was warm! Couldn't figure out if the heat came from above or below the body, but it was absolutely lovely.
Thank you, thank you, Riv and Diane!
How the first two cups of coffee are started.
My room was sort of carved out of the mountainside. Three windows. Above the bed the window was at, or even slightly below, ground level. To the right the window was open down to the garden and the small area where the Land Rover was parked. The left window was where the hill slopes down, and kept on going down. Down, down, towards the valley. Far down to the valley. Rather a strange feeling. Kind of like the window to the right feels like a normal 2 story house. Above the head window, is a bit claustrophobic, as it feels like the hill and dirt could envelope me. The window to the left, well, a person could just slip slide away for a long way.
Mountain Rescue Helicopter
Tall wet field.
Giant trees with smooth trunks that are covered with moss.
Riv, short for Riverton, the B&B host, seems to be getting slightly beyond the ability to handle the business. His wife was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after they bought this old wreck of a crumbling barn and began to turn it into their home. She lived for 8 years and passed away in September of 2000.
Riv carried on in her absence with his normal retired life for a few years until a friend suggested he "do" something with his life, his time, and his house. Start a B&B. He did that 8 years ago.
Whose house is this? Maybe Bucky's?
These two came out to greet me on the path. They seemed to be good buddies.
Riv's Land Rover was only 6 months old. He had taken his other vehicle in to a shop for servicing and arranged to collect it on a Monday. Monday morning he received a call from the service garage saying there was a problem. Riv immediately imagined some costly unexpected repairs. Turned out the service center had been broke. Into over the weekend and all the owners tools were taken...and Riv's car. Service garage's insurance bought Riv the new ride.
Diane had first come here as a B&B guest, and kept coming back. She has her own place "over in England" in a town called Wim (at least that was what it sounded like to me), but comes here often, more often than not, and helps Riv in many ways (read between the lines).
Diane is responsible for all the flowers. Yet, when Riv gave me the ride down to the village for that meal (lamb burger - kind of dry) and came to collect me, I sensed he was very sad.
At the house Riv kept wanting to show me photos of his dead wife and talk about her. Brought out the compassionate side of Lois who felt sorry for the lonely old guy (even if he has this slightly younger woman who seems to care a lot for him).
All this personal drama has to be absorbed by the hiker when taken into private homes, offered tea (maybe cake) and conversation, and given a bed (and a breakfast).
Hotels can certainly be more impersonal, predictable, have private bathrooms, no fluffy bedspreads, floral wallpaper, photos of relatives on the walls, old towels that are very rough (dried on a clothesline rather than in a dryer), stacks of books on shelves and floors that obviously are from private collections, or there for visiting grandchildren, people who have a history to be shared...but a hotel would be warm.
I was thinking about John Kerry falling and breaking his leg while out for a bike ride in France, between all those important meetings with world leaders. Not only the pain he must be enduring, but the feeling of letting people down, a lot of people, so a double mental blow.
My own fall last December seems a bit minor in comparison, but I had my own intense personal pain, and the mental pain of letting my family down over the holidays. My family might not be of the standard of "world leaders", but they are my family, and they are most important to me.
Stove Arga. The stove in the kitchen. Plan to look it up, and the cooking and heating process once back a home. Interesting about the heat supply. Stove and oven always on. Eggs are cooked right in silicon paper type product, no pot or pan needed, just wipe the paper off.
Australian couple from Sidney that I had met stayed last week at this home. They were the ones with the ones with heavy luggage, and were staying abroad until the end of July.
Black sheep are not wanted for their wool so they are number one candidates for the dinner plate. Farmer just below the B&B has white sheep (not sure what color is on their behinds). Farmer below that one has a black ram that continually figures out a way to mix with the women in the field above. The combined product often is bi-racial. Top farmer is not happy with this result.
These black sheep must have been a special purebred variety as they were on the grounds of Castle Chirk.
Hugs goodbye to Diane and Riv. Diane later emailed me wanting to know about the Ahnu boots. I highly recommended the purple, but not the black leather. She was also interested in the Marmot rain suit.
Began walking from where yesterday ended. Up and over many fields (stiles). No rain for a couple hours and tried to walk fast.
Took the alternative route to go by Chirk Castle. Kept walking.
The path rejoined the canal tow path and today there were lots of the Narrow Long Boats out. Number were for tourists to ride the canal. Most were private and the people seemed to be living on them, or using them as vacation homes/campers/boats.
Lots of stile crossings today.
Ate lunch at Froncysyllte where it was warm, and DRY, inside.
This biker just took his bike out from inside the narrow long boat he lives on. Going to give his legs a stretch on dry land.
Where is Mr Bond?
From what could be seen in passing by the interiors were similar to a camper. Here is sink with dishes waiting to be washed.
Campers at their campsites. Oh wait, Narrow Long Boats at their moorings. There were lawn chairs, grills, and toys outside on the opposite towpath.
Like Urban dwellers, these residents are using what small space they have to garden.
This boy and his mom and gotten off their narrow long boat in order to hand raise and lower the drawbridge so they could pass through.
Former Chirk Castle Lime Company.
Life of a dog on a canal boat.
Iron was covered with lambs wool and cooked molasses and poured over the iron frames while hot and that formed a solid barrier that didn't leak. The bridge joints of iron were made in Ellesmere Shropshire.
Pontcyslte Aqueduct supports over the River Dee.
Baby bibs drying in the window.
Chatted with couple while eating tuna with Welsh tea (couldn't tell the difference from other tea). They are traveling with an RV and towing a Smart Car for their day trips.
Maybe the rain brought them out, but there were lots of snails traveling today.
Mother and child in a rainy pasture.
The sign light up as it photoessays a speeding car.
Llangollen, tonight's home is very touristy. The rain really poured the last couple hours of walking. When I arrived here in what is like a mini Wisconsin Dells (fudge shops where is course the fudge is made with Welsh cream), the streets were crowded with people all wandering around, in the pouring rain.
People sitting outside eating and drinking in the rain.
River Dee in Llangollen.
My main goal was to look for an outdoor type shop as I hoped to get new gloves. Found what looks like a better pair of Sealskinz. Showed the sales person my sopping wet pair bought back at Hay on Way and it was suggested I write a complaint to the company. You can be sure I will do that as I am very good at complaining.
Lots of water flowing very fast.
John was wearing pink jeans when I arrived at Glasgwm in Llangollen.
Nice copy of a painting from Peru hanging in the entry hall here at Glasgwm.
Smallish room tonight but is doesn't matter. It has an en suite bathroom with a tub, and is warm. After the body had a nice hot soak, all the walking attire from today was tossed in for a washing. The room is strewn with drying items. I feel a bit like Kit in "The Sheltering Sky" when she washes all her items and drapes the clothing about the room.
Still raining and very windy outside.
Finally just put the rain jacket on and walked back over the bridge to locate dinner. Didn't spend much time a sloths options as it was POURING, the socks in the sandals were already soaked, and the long pant legs were quickly sucking up water to the knees. Jumped inside a place and tried to wipe the moisture flowing off the face. Ordered a salad. Grilled Halloumi (cheese) with crispy chorizo. The cheese was Extremely salty. The chorizo salty and fishy tasting. The lettuce was "head". The carrots were orange, and normal. It looks far better than it was.
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