Our walk today was all along the Severn River, with the river just to our left all day.
But on our right there were train tracks paralleling our course, and all day long we heard the shug-a-shug-a-shug of steam engines coming and going. It was like we were strolling the countryside of the Island of Sodor!
Look at the green engine pulling all those cars! And here is a black engine, running backwards.
We were next to the tracks of the Severn Valley Railway, which maintains sixteen miles of track where steam engines happily shuttle passenger cars full of tourists back and forth from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster. Old people come for the nostalgia of the steam age; young people come to see real versions of Thomas and his friends at work! And on a beautiful sunny weekend like this one, there were plenty of people around. All the engines were working hard to move them from one place to another. We didn't see Sir Topham Hat, the Fat Controller, but he must have been proud. We did see his skinny kid brother.
We passed this green engine stopped on the tracks. We found out that these old engines break down quite often; skilled steam engine mechanics aren't as common as they used to be.
I hope they get the green engine fixed soon! Broken down engines cause confusion and delay!
Today was supposed to be our longest day, but it wasn't. As has become clear, our estimated distances were just that, estimates. We knew today would be long and hot in the afternoon sun, so we decided yesterday that we'd skip breakfast at our B&B and get an early start. We left just after 7am (which really is early, since most of our B&B breakfasts start at 7:30) and put in 3 miles to Bewdley, then stopped for breakfast. Our progress was good even with all the stopping to watch the trains and the cute animals.
So we made it to Bridgnorth with enough time to wander around a bit. The oldest part of Bridgnorth sits high up on a promontory that used to be the location of the castle. It must have been a pretty big castle, but all that's left is one corner of one tower. They blowed it up during the civil war.
Tomorrow is a nice stroll, only 10 miles, to Ironbridge, the birthplace of the industrial revolution.
Thanks Severn Valley Railway - it was fun walking beside your tracks all day, and it was great to see how many people are so happy to watch and ride your trains!
couldn't you have gotten a picture of one of dawn's favorite sheep too? no black-faced sheet today?
ReplyDeletewere you tempted to just sneakily get on a train and tell all of us that you walked it? we would never know . . . .
oops. i should sign my posts. that was me, julie. the no caps writer! hahahaha oh and by the way, you should know that Barbara Grant is lurking and not posting. *waves* hi barbara! we chatted about you guys while in the midst of market of choice yesterday. i don't know about Barbara and Gordon, but i drove my car there. I did not walk!!! ;-] JULIE
DeleteWow, just catching up on a bunch I missed. I can't believe the string of weather. I was sorry to hear about your (fortunately temporary) loss of documents. People really are pretty good.
DeleteIt is really easy to leave stuff behind when you are hiking. I have put my gloves down to sit on when eating my lunch in the wilderness at Aylen lake, only to notice a couple hours later that my hands were cold. My dad left his pack after morning tea two days in a row and only noticed at lunch ... lot's of under breath cursing while trying to find a pack in the forest.
Have fun out there! I can't wait to show Ben the train pictures tomorrow at breakfast.
Alright, here goes a public Mea Culpa: I FINALLY caught up with your wonderful blog. I laughed at the good parts (Dawn in the poo), empathized with the wrong turns and left items, high-fived when the weather gods smiled on you, cooed and billed appropriately at the cute animals, cringed when I saw the obvious trolling for comments directed at me, and overall totally and vicariously enjoyed where you've been. I could try to excuse myself (life, travel, work, etc), but I can hear Al say: "All you've got to do is sit it your cushy chair and read about our exploits...WE'VE got to walk the goddamn track, carrying our shit, and you can't even do your part!" Well, I'm a humble man...resolved to do my part in the future, sitting in my chair, maybe sipping tea, or something like an Otter, and reliving your day. I must admit, reading it all in one, maybe two, sittings, felt like studying for my GREs: "So, what was the name of the cat that sat on Al's lap?" " Who wrote "Onward Christian Soldiers?" "How deep was the muck that Dawn fell into?". Etc.
ReplyDeleteAs penance for being a lousy responder, I will try to provide some geological commentary to accompany you. Like...why do the colors of mud change with the county? (I'm working on it) What rocks were the church stones quarried from? Inquiring minds want to know, and I'll try to provide some useless dreck for the end of your day. Until then, know that I remain your once and future friend and admirer...Gordon
Where is the like button :-)
DeleteEveryone knows steamies are better than diesels!
ReplyDeleteIf you ever decide to do a long distance walk again, please will you let us know so we can take a holiday at the same time - the weather gods are definitely on your side and the forecast is for hot, record-breaking weather for the next week or so - you lucky, lucky things!
ReplyDeleteWhen we did our End-to-End in July (supposedly our summer) it rained every single day!