A bit of a mixed day. Pleasant road walking and tracks took me to south of Alsager where I found a farm shop and café. A bacon butty snd tea supplemented the tin of rice pudding i had back at the Air B and B.
Ages ago I bought a new tin opener and chucked it into my kit. Could I hell-as-like make it work. I took it to Laura my host who found it had a flip out lever, but even then we gave it up as a bad job. I will have great delight in bining it when I can buy one suitable for those approaching their eighties.
From the breakfast café a public footpath went accross wasteland. Even from the start I had to cross a ploughed potatoe field leaping from furrow to furrow. I lost the path about four times ( mostly my fault) and trekked through a perished crispy brown field crop intermingled with weeds. My socks were plastered with sharp grass seeds as if been propelled like lead shot. I stopped at a stile snd tried to de- seed the socks but it was going to take forever so I continued just wearing my compulsory black support stockings. In the middle of all this I fielded a phone call from Martin (PostCardFromTimpotley)
who was offering to give me some company. We had a few email exchanges and eventually agreed got meet with him approaching me from the opposite direction.. I was all geared up to snap my approaching butler but he suddenly appeared from a farm track on the left. What a gent! He gave me tea, opened gates for me, fed me bananas and sandwiches and as I know full well maintained his reputation as a good egg. Martin left me at one point to move his car and the nre-met me as before. I have to admit to being driven that last couple of kilometres to my Air b snd b but I am now seeing this more of a holiday than a dedicated trek.
Martin had researched the area of my destination and was pessimistic. When i arrived Kami was the most welcoming host and her house, based on her Indisn background was full of interesting and new to me artefacts, pictures and other art expressions - wonderful. Ksmi is a non driver but she helped me with a bus timetable do I could go and eat at the Old Swan where I now sit typing after an excellent mesl, mainly poached salmon.
I had taken the bus to get here , bu when I walk back I will have filled in all but a few hundred yards of the distance Martin drove me.
Thanks again to Martin for his company and I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that my Air b snd b turned out to be so good, as did the Old Swan.
Three cheers for Martin - that was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteYes, we’ll done Martin. You’re still doing good daily mileages Conrad. Impressed.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad we managed to find you a great place to eat since the Offley Arms Steakhouse was out of action due to a recent fire there and that you had a good rest here at my place. I hope today goes smoothly for the next part of your trek :)
ReplyDeleteA most enjoyable day out (that replaced a long list of domestic chores that I was pleased to have an excuse to postpone) and great to see you progressing well, Conrad.
ReplyDeleteActually, I thought your b&b would be fine, but I was concerned for your stomach. I’m delighted to hear that with the aid of your host that problem was solved.
I’ve not seen the M6 so empty for a long time - it was an easy journey home and Sue was presented with a 3 course dinner on her return from work.
I do hope you can continue enjoyably with a mix of short days and ‘holiday’ days during which you can explore your locality in more depth. There’s an argument in favour of staying two nights in every (or every other) accommodation if you have the time and the budget.