This picture looks really tidgy now i've rotated it. Hope it looks ok on screen. It's a man made landscape. A limestone quarry that's become a nature reserve. After a breakfast of cereal and susan's delicious homemade scotch pancakes i set off at 9, my earliest start yet. I'd seen the forecast last night and knew that i was on the border between the dry south east and the wet north west today. It was cloudy but dry as i made my way up llanymynech hill, the only climb of the day. On the other side of the hill was the nature reserve, and at the bottom a fascinating heritage area where the lime kiln was. Well worth a visit for any 19th century industry fanatics out there. I pottered about for an hour or so, then headed off south. I'd been told by some of the walkers i'd met so far that this was the least interesting day of the path. It was pleasant enough though, following a canal bank, then the dyke, then the river and finally the canal again. All on the flat. I tried walking slowly but couldn't seem to, so i made myself stop at regular intervals so i didn't finish too early. The stretch along the dyke was rubbish. It was only about 3 feet high. It couldn't have kept jimmy crankie out, never mind owain glyndwr. At 1.30 i reached the river severn so i stopped to eat my packed lunch. I realised then that i was sitting next to the same river i would be looking at right at the end of the walk. Except i was walking south and the river at this point was flowing north. I was also surprised that it was only 200ft above sea level with so far still to travel to the sea. Across the river i was looking at the imposing breidden hills, where caradoc held out against the romans for 9 years. I tried to imagine how it must have looked then, before the huge, ugly quarry existed. Then the hills disappeared. I spent ages before the walk trying to decide whether to head south to north, as most people do, or north to south. I chose north to south because firstly prestatyn is a better place to leave than it is to arrive at, and i wanted to walk from more familiar territory to less familiar territory. The main reason for doing it the other way round is so that the wind and rain are behind you as you walk. Heading south though you can see what weather is coming your way, and that was my BIG MISTAKE. As i sat eating my lunch facing north east, the rain was creeping up behind me, and before i could say "oh bugger the map's getting soaked. Where's that waterproof coat gone? Why's that zip stuck again?" the landscape was a sea of grey. I got togged up and set off again, head down. The fields by the river were full of cows and sometimes bulls. They looked at my bright red jacket with interest but couldn't muster up the energy to run after me. I followed a cow with 771 branded on its bum for almost a mile before it ran out of field. I wondered whether there was a number 666 and if so did it know its true identity? The rain stopped after about 40 minutes, the sun came out, and that was all the rain i had. Then a bonus. A pub that my guide book said was closed was open. Had another good pint (hobson's). A mid-walk pint is fine as long as it's not actually mid-walk at all but near the end, because things really slow down afterwards. During the last few miles i was pondering how exciting long distance walking is. Then i decided the reality is that mundane things just seem far more exciting ("wow! I've never seen a gate latch like that before!"). After yesterday's episode i keep wincing every time i pass a dog now. I form a closed body shape and make a sort of "Eew" noise. Like john inman used to (though i suppose that was more mincing than wincing). At one point a dog appeared on the opposite side of the canal. It stared at me. I heard a whistle. It's owner was calling it. It didn't move. It didn't want to go back to its owner. It wanted to bite me. I walked away and didn't look round for at least 2 minutes. It had gone. Maybe it couldn't swim. After reaching buttington i had another mile and a half detour into welshpool to the westbrook park hotel, my first night in a pub. The room is a pokey little hole. Thankfully jon, tom and hannah arrived ready to walk with me tomorrow so we went off to find food. They are camping at a pub a couple of miles away so we ate there. Meal rating: 8/10. A much better steak and ale pie today. Just needed a good shortcrust pastry, not puff. Fine beer yet again (tanner's). Only problem, It's been chucking it down all evening.
