Day 27: (almost) 20 miles along the Severn

Distance: 19.6 miles
Naps: 1

One question we get asked a lot is "Why are you doing this?". It's a hard question to answer. I'm not sure I can really put my motivation into words. By I can list a few factors. One is that we both like to walk, and we both like walking here, in a country with footpaths, and B&Bs, and a walking culture. Another is that our youngest started university this year, and we wanted something big that the two of us could do. Another is that Dawn and I really enjoy spending time together, and this is a nice way to do that. There's the physical challenge of walking ten to twenty miles per day.

Of course, there's an ego element to it. The idea that for the rest of time, we'll know that we have walked the length of Britain. We've only ever met, in the flesh, one person that's done this walk before. It was a couple of weeks ago, in Bridgwater. We were walking through town, carrying our packs, when a fast walking man crossed over to our side of the street to say hello, and ask where we were off to. We told him, and he told us that he'd walked LEJOG in1986. One of the things he told us is that when we get within a quarter mile of the John O'Groats sign, the entire British Army will not be able to keep us from that last goal. And I think that's true, but I don't think of John O Groats much - yet - and I don't believe Dawn does either.

For me the reason comes down to this: it just seems like the right thing to do for me right now. I just want to be here doing this. Here's an example of what I mean. Around noon today, after walking about ten miles, we made it to the Rose and Crown, in Severn Stoke, in need of a break and some food. We set our packs outside, at a picnic table, and planned to eat the bread, cheese, and apples we'd packed, washing it down with a pot of tea from the pub. We went in to get the tea, and what we found was a warm wood fire, three talkative locals at the bar, a beautiful space, and a barkeeper as master of ceremonies. We felt so welcome and loved the whole feeling so much, that we couldn't leave: we ordered sandwiches from the bar menu, and I ordered a pint of the local cider, and we joined in. Once they heard we were Canadians, we heard connections. The bartender's older sister, over 70 now, has lived, since her twenties, in Kitchener. She'd done missionary stints around the world, and teaches mentally challenged kids. The tall guy at the bar had relatives in Toronto, and talked about driving the 403 through Hamilton. (all these places are part of the background that Dawn and I have). They talked with us, and amongst themselves, about the great flood of 2007, when the Severn, a half mile away, came in down the lane, and flooded the pub. The building was 400 years old, built from hand hewn beams for people closer to Dawn's height than mine.


And all of it - the history, the tired legs, the people, being with Dawn, the food, the drink - that's why we're here.



The weather was great again today. Partly sunny, with light afternoon breezes eventually building up to a pretty stiff wind. The path was flat, mostly along grassland on the shore of the slow moving, wide, Severn River. Peaceful and relaxing. After having a pint and a big sandwich at lunch, it felt really peaceful and relaxing - I suggested we lie down for a while, and enjoy a nice snooze. Dawn wisely pointed out that Worcester was still many miles upriver. But she did let me lie down for a few minutes.


Dawn sat patiently on a stile munching raisins and gave me a minute. Usually I have coffee or tea with lunch instead of beer or cider - maybe that's a better plan on long days.


The final push into Worcester was a little tough. It's our first day over 18 miles and we both had pretty sore feet. But nothing major. No blisters, and my weird toe nerve pain seems to have subsided for now. It was pretty nice to walk past the big cathedral knowing we'd soon be dropping our packs and showering. It was nice to see that the cathedral gets higher billing here than the sauce.


Had a nice dinner at an Italian place, Puccini. It was only a half mile away, but we took a cab. Both ways. Had a surprising and odd experience after our meal. The bill came to just over forty three pounds, which has not bad for starters, mains, dessert, and some drinks. It was all great, so we gave our waitress a fifty pound note, and said to keep the rest. She said thank you, and we gathered up our stuff and made for the door. Out of nowhere someone comes out of the back and stops us, telling us that the don't accept fifties. It was honestly kind of insulting and embarrassing, to be stopped on the way out of a crowded restaurant as if we'd done an eat and run. Since we had no smaller bills, we ended up stuck blocking the door where they ran our credit card. For forty five pounds. I still don't understand how they can not accept some currency - doesn't the picture of the Queen make it legal tender in this country? Can any of you from here explain the rules to us on when we can use cash, and what cash is ok?

Tomorrow is a rest day for us! We'll be doing laundry and checking out the cathedral. Not sure if we will blog or not. Feels like we have so much to say, but I'm sure our readers need a rest day as well!

Location:Worcester, UK