I DID IT! This photo is me at the inauspicious finish of the walk, marked by a rock with a plaque on it. The photo was taken by paul. More of that later. For the first time on the walk i was packed and ready to go straight from breakfast, because i couldn't get out soon enough. Breakfast was served in last night's indian restaurant. The floor was still covered with rice and bits of poppadom. I was the only b&b guest so as soon as the girl there had served up she locked the kitchen and left. I sat there on my own waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. I considered making myself a packed lunch but thought better of it, mainly because i didn't trust their food. So i was away by 8.30. I had to make myself stop thinking that i'd almost finished, because there were still a good few hills to climb and it was the longest day of the walk. I started by crossing the bridge over the river wye (wasn't that a film?), then had a seemingly endless climb up the first hill. The day was a series of ups and downs, with a spell along the river and hardly anyone in sight, amazing for a bank holiday sunday. I'd done the wye valley walk years ago, albeit on different paths and over two days, so i knew not to expect much in the way of views. It was woodland all the way, with just a few viewpoints. The weather was uniformly grey all day, no sun and no rain. I stopped at brockweir for a pint of my new favourite beer, wye valley hpa (not sure I'll get it in mold), which threw me right out of my stride for the climb up the hill overlooking tintern abbey. After regaining my composure i hit the road into chepstow with just 4 miles left. It had been a beautiful walk so far, despite the constant hum or roar of the A466 (depending on how close it was) which runs the length of the wye valley. I didn't meet anyone going in the other direction today. Yesterday i had met a swiss girl on day 2 of her walk. She was asking me all about it and it reminded me that i'd first met other 'dykers' (sorry) on my 2nd day. Now i was the seasoned walker, but it was nearly over, and I'll be in my second week back at work before she finishes. I think people i've met going the other way towards the end of the walk have seemed disappointed that i look quite sprightly. Maybe i should have torn my clothes and crawled along the ground like michael palin at the start of the monty python programmes. So as i was saying it had been a beautiful walk, then with 4 miles left it all got a bit silly. The path hits the road into chepstow then spends 3 miles trying to keep off it by heading through back alleys and housing estates. It was during this spell that i met the bloke with the camping gear again. He was sitting in a bus stop having a rest. We had a chat then i said i'd see him at the end for photo taking (this was indeed paul). This was when i found an offa's dyke sign which was an old out of use one. I followed it but was actually following the old route back up north. Anyway to cut to the chase i soon came upon the bus stop where paul had been, but wasn't any more. After walking 15 miles this was not amusing, so i was even less amused when i was stung by a wasp almost immediately (hey i've got the set this summer, a bee and a wasp). I was now charging about all over the place and not really sure where to go. At this point a nice old lady pointed me in the right direction and within a few minutes i was out of the housing estates and on the final short stretch to the finish. I've done enough long distance walks now to know that the end is always a huge anti-climax. You do a bit of punching the air, then wonder what to do next. In this instance i tried to take a photo of myself by the plaque but the camera kept falling over. Thankfully paul arrived to do the job (listening to wagner. Why didn't i think of that?). I thought he'd already have gone because of my wrong turn, but he'd done exactly the same thing. Now there was no option but to head for the railway station, on foot. When planning the walk i couldn't find anywhere to stay in chepstow so i decided to head for caldicot because it had a castle so must be nice. It's possibly the ugliest town i have ever seen. I couldn't find anywhere serving food, so i bought a kebab and sat in the town centre watching the locals fighting and the police filling up their vans. The walk relaxation vibe has already gone! Not much point doing a meal rating really. Fight rating: 7/10. Locals docked marks for going all pathetic when the police arrived, or running away. My b&b is a vast improvement on the previous two at least. So as the sirens continue to wail outside, i am left with a few decisions to make. Best ofs, worst ofs, that sort of thing. My final post tomorrow will address these burning issues. Stay tuned! Aside: happy birthday harry mac. We must have a game of chess soon, and tell your dad we must go for a beer soon.
