Day 7 Walking
Knighton to Felindre
Supposed to be 15.75 miles, not sure what I did.
6-7 hours
Roll Out The Barrel for the George and Dragon
Breakfast
Farm Fresh eggs have very dark yolks
Tired and worried about the beginnings of blisters and how to best treat them, and still be able to walk onward. This morning put 6 blister bandages on the left foot and 3 on the right.
The 1800's Clock Tower in the center of Knighton regularly chimed the hour, all night. The clock was only one block from the George and Dragon where I was staying. It definitely was not a totally quiet night in "night -ton".
At breakfast this morning two men at the table behind me were talking about walking Offas Dyke together and I realized one was American. Turned around, caught his eye. Asked where he was from. Washington state. He asked me where I was from, and when I said Wisconsin, he said his mother lives in Marshfield. Laugh, laugh
Met the Australian couple from yesterday outside a bakery as they were looking for lunch food. During the hailstorm they were also caught up on the top, but huddled behind a stone wall and waited it out. It would have been nice to have Gary with me to huddle and survive a storm like that. It would have been like that time backpacking in Baniff when we sat under rain ponchos in a field until the mountain hail storm moved further up the valley.
The new Sealskinz gloves are not totally waterproof, but then the amount of rain they have been exposed to has been extreme. Also, the beautiful black Ahnu boots are not totally waterproof. Probably why the blisters developed yesterday. Where the purple pair Never leaked, and I never had a blister at all on the Coast to Coast.
Departing Kinghton this morning on the Glyndwry Way proved difficult. Had trouble finding it which is really strange because the town is not very large. Different people gave different directions. Tried them all. Finally found it and pulled my way up the first stiff climb only to find a sign at the top pointing in two directions. One was the way I had just come up, the other pointed to the left when I thought it should have been to the right. Lois went left trying to be good and follow directions. Left lead Lois straight back down to the bottom and the town. Apparently a person could choose which route to enter town. Nothing to do but turn around and climb back up. I had started out from the George and Dragon at 9 am and it was 10 am by the time I finally got to where the path really began by turning off the road and heading out into a field.
Where did someone find a McDonald's on this narrow road which is miles from any large city.
Studied the map and decided to take it easier on my feet, especially not spend the entire day trudging through wet grasses and getting the feet even more soaked. The road looked like a good alternative and at one point about half way it met up with Glyndwry's Way, and I thought maybe then I would follow the path for the afternoon up to Felindre where tonight's housing was located.
Walked along a high ridge narrow road with splendid views in all directions. Walked with a local woman and her dog for a bit and we chatted before she turned off into a field.
Continued along road way generally enjoy everything and feeling good about the decision to stay off the exact path.
How a fence hedge is constructed
At one point took the pack off to lay the body down on a gravel lay-by (small space on edge of road just wide enough to allow a car to pull over and let another pass, after all these are Very narrow roads) to stretch the back muscles. Another time used the trekking pole to push and massage the right area.
Ate the best Braeburn Apple, ever!
After walking for a number of hours sat on a bit of grass to eat the cheese, tomato (2 slices), cucumber (2), and mayo sandwich purchased from a little grocery called SPAR in Knighton. Very strange. The cheese was grates and sort of like mozzarella. All the filling kept falling out from between the bread. That was no surprise as shredded cheese is very flaky.
Continue walking and it is beginning to seem like a long time passed and still never reached the next town.
Finally waved down a jeep with two men inside who looked just like each other only one was about twenty years older than the other, and the other was about twenty years younger than the first "other". They studied my map and where I wanted to go. Located where we were at the moment. NOT where I thought I had been going. Had done some squirrelly thing again and was now heading back towards Knighton!
Walk forward, in the wrong direction and get to a tiny village from where I can be steered in the opposite direction (the right one). Arrived in Knucklas to be greeted by a sign saying it was only 2.5 miles to Knighton. I had been walking for close to 6 hours and was practically back where I started.
Kind of threw me for a loop as to how to deal with this. Maybe a bus?? Walked up to a house and knocked. Lady came to door but no idea about bus times or routes. She sent me next door. Sweet little elderly man (cousin in Nirth Carolina) invited me in for tea (went in, but turned down tea). He got out the bus time schedule and sure enough there was one going in about an hour, but I would have to walk a mile. No problem I just didn't want to walk the whole way!
Set off to the designated bus stop area. Saw woman across the road come out of her house and thought I would clarify the exact spot to get the bus. She didn't think there was any bus going in that direction and she had lived there for 40 years. Wait a bit nervously for 50 minutes. Bus came flying around the corner. Lois flags it down. Run about 100 yards and hop on. 2£. Not a bad way to get to a destination with slightly wounded feet.
Bus to mysel
Probably the woman didn't know about the bus going in that direction because she never in the 40 years had a need for it.
Found Brandy House Farm easily and again it is beautiful. I have a room that has been converted from the loft above a stable. Quite nicely converted.
Not bad for a former stable!
Boots are outside in the sun with newspapers stuffed inside to draw the moisture out so hopefully by tomorrow they, and this hiker will be ready for the real deal - walking.
Will get a ride from my host to a place about two miles away to get dinner. Nothing else is closer.
No comments:
Post a Comment