Would you believe it? That bloody dog came for me again this morning but fortunately the landlord was able to call it off before it struck. I had a few words with him after that. What would you expect to get if you crossed an Alsatian with a Great Dane? No funny answers please, it's more serious than that. The landlord had acquired this as a rescue dog, and kept stressing that it didn't behave like this with other people, "it was playing with young children yesterday" he said! I was even more cross because the implication was that there was something wrong with me,which perhaps there is, but I didn't want to know about it just then.
Walking was fine but a bit hot and bothery. I met a couple of girl dog walkers and we chatted. They asked me what best tip I would give for backpacking and I was a bit stumped. Walking on I mused on that - my answer: keep the weight down, by spending money on good lightweight gear.
After arriving at Rutland Water the route joins the cycle track along the A606 for a four kilometre Tarmac slog into Oakham.
I am now on the train home, and will likely post a résumé of this trip later as well as a Dropbox photo show, hopefully with captions.
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Sounds like you're packing in just at the right time: the rain starts (again) in the next couple of days!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading more about this adventure.
JJ
I echo JJ's last line.
ReplyDeleteHope the dog bite is minor - they can be nasty. I wonder if there is something traumatic in the dog's past that you remind it of. No excuse for bad manners and an inattentive owner.
Poor thing. And the dog, too, of course.
that's what they all say when their brute has just eaten a small child - so sweet and cuddly, butter wouldn't etc etc - when they know perfectly well it is a savage untamed beast (as you know, I have form with dogs - and scars to prove it)
ReplyDeleteAll these places that no one - even those who live on the eastern side of England - has ever heard of, although Oakham may be the exception. The Monty Python lot grasped this idea when they did a series purporting to be transmitted by Rutland TV. Included a lads' singing group called The Ruttles.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's even more significant evidence that Eastern England isn't really part of the UK. House prices. In Lincolnshire especially huge houses are still available quite modestly. One might say that the county is simply unfashionable but the house price phenomenon has been going on too long for that. It's clear most people just don't want to live there despite the fact that the towns are still unspoiled - at least that was the case when I visited Spalding ages ago.
I'm sure it has something to do with the land being flat. When I was head-hunted for a job in Illinois (arrived on Sunday, resigned on Thursday as a result of acute depression) I felt oppressed by the flatness. Man needs contours. Instead, in the words of the Rubaiyat, I was only too aware of "this inverted bowl we call the sky".
Your tip about backpacking was characteristic, but you should have added a coda: "But don't let this aspect (the search for lightness) become the main reason for going."
Suggestion for your next foray: a route that takes in the UK's ten biggest industrial estates.
JJ - I intend to do a short summary post. After that I will do another Lulu self publishing book which will be available at a small cost as a pdf download, or for several pounds as a hardbound book. It will use my blog posts as a basis for the text, and will have many photos. I am currently editing all my photos and will put them on a Dropbox slideshow shortly.
ReplyDelete-----------
Thr Crw - Thanks for your double sympathy.
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Gimmer - Previously i have had a confident relationship with dogs, but I have to say that is now wilting.
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RR - I hope to respond to some of your comment in a forthcoming post.
The industrial estate theme is a better idea than the one adopted by a guy I met some time ago who was linking together various football clubs, but then I am biased.
I have walked through Port Talbot, and the grimy parts of Cardiff. Milford Haven was a pleasant surprise having a unique attraction of its own which I did my best to describe in the Lulu book Conrad Walks Wales.
In retrospect, I wish I'd put one of those smiley emoticons at the end of my comment, to make clear I was teasing you about the dog bit.
ReplyDeleteI bit a dog back when I was a kid. There was one the lived in a yard I had to pass each day on my way to and from school. The dog was loud and aggressive, snarling, snapping its jaws, baring teeth in earnest warning. I always walked closer to the street when I passed that yard. One morning, the father of the house hurried through the gate, which didn't close all the way. Dog zipped out, bit my shin and was coming in for another nip after I fell down, screaming. I grabbed it by the ear and bit its muzzle as hard as I could. When the dog yelped, its owner came running back - probably to save the dog.
That evening, my dad went to visit the dog owners. The dog was kept on chain thereafter. But it didn't lunge at me ever again, or bark.
I wouldn't have the nerves to do that again, but your tale of dog woes reminded me of my dog-bite experience.
I hope your wound heals quickly and completely.
:-)