Day 22: Friends Reunited

I’d arrived for my two day stay in Llanymynech clutching my rucksack and a rather full carrier bag of evening wear and luxury toiletries, having had the benefit of collecting the bag after a day walking.
Rather naively, it only now occurred to me that I needed to carry all these accoutrements to my next two destinations, Chirk and then Whitchurch.

My first issue was I couldn’t physically fit everything in my rucksack. After de-layering to my T-shirt yesterday, I now had 5 layers on, including full waterproofs, despite it not raining all day. There was, however, plenty of moisture in the air, most of it coming from my brow.

I was surprised how quickly I became used to the load and was able to make good progress. I was doubtless assisted by my recently purchased toe socks, being modelled for the first time. I am not a man for newfangled ideas but they fitted like a glove and I am down to only one blister plaster with little toe issues seemingly resolved.

My rucksack was still twice as heavy as usual. I was reminded of picking up my grandma’s grocery order from the corner shop in the 1970s, which I am sure led to my disproportionately long arms.

My destination was just south-east of Chirk at Western Rhyn. Keith, my walking companion for the next couple of days, had parked at tonight’s hotel and headed in my direction down Offa’s Dyke, with the intention of meeting me halfway, turning round, and walking back again. I was a little surprised when our paths hadn’t crossed by lunchtime. With no phone signal, I couldn’t check where he might be. I started checking in ditches I passed in case he’d slipped and wondered if he, too, had fallen victim to a random lamb attack like the one that so nearly did for me a couple of weeks back.

Eventually seeing him emerge just before the Old Racecourse near Oswestry, it transpired he had taken a wrong turn and spent some time walking down the path the wrong way! This from a veteran of Marathon des Sables and on one of the best-signed trails I have ever walked. I presume you just head from one oasis to the next in the desert.

It was great to catch up with Keith and reminisce about the old days, when toe socks were just a distant dream in a knitter’s mind. It was a pleasant stroll through meadow and woodland, the last three miles off the path down roads to reach our accommodation.

I omitted to mention yesterday that I’d bumped into a fellow diabetic, walking the Dyke in the opposite direction. Armed (literally) with his Freestyle Libre (the blood sugar sensor that links to your phone that I’ve mentioned before), he had braved the cattle I had bowed so meekly before. He described the Libre as life changing, a perfect example of how new innovation makes life easier. Just like toe socks.

On Wednesday, I’ll be walking on the Delamere Way from the main car park in Delamere Forest to the Hatton Arms, where I’ll be turning left and heading for Sandymoor. If anyone wants to join me for even a bit of the walk, you’d be most welcome. I’ll be setting off from the car park around 8.45am.

Before then, there’s a big reunion with the family tomorrow, it being daughter Rachel’s 30th birthday. We’re celebrating at a posh hotel near Whitchurch. The blog may be shorter.