Day 42 Tuesday 28th May

Today was a 20 mile walk from the camper in Monmouth to just over the Severn Bridge the other side of Chepstow.

There was a steep climb up out of Monmouth but the reward was stunning scenery. The hill went on and on but the scenery just got better….

You miss so much when you are in a car! My advice is walk up a few hills and enjoy the views. If you have never visited this area put it on your list.

Further along the route I spotted these standing stones, complete with resident sheep.

The views continued to be amazing and made all the climbs worthwhile.

I met some ladies in a small village called Devauden who chatted and generously donated to Alzheimer’s Society. Thanks ladies!

After walking into Chepstow I headed on to the walk across the old Severn Bridge out of Wales into England.

This is the view of the new Severn Bridge from the old one!

Fantastic day! Amazing scenery and I crossed a bridge that 99.99% of people cross in a vehicle, ………on foot!

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Day 41 Monday 27th May

It has been a great weekend, thank you so much to my brother Brian.

We started the day with the best self service cooked breakfast I have ever had in an hotel. Each item was high quality and perfectly cooked. Well done Fownes Hotel!

It was an hours drive back to today’s start point and I was feeling good after my rest.

Another dry start to the day and a pleasant walk down country lanes.

Passed this curiosity as I walked

Then I spotted this small private museum ……..how many of you remember the 1950’s film “Carve Her Name With Pride” in which Virginia McKenna played Violette?

A little further on I passed James ‘Curly’ Williams who is attempting to break the world record for running from Lands End to John O’Groats. He is running 100 miles a day.

Amazing! Good luck Curly!

If he succeeds he will be second record breaker I have met on this walk!

Further along the same road I met a group of cyclists going from Lands End to John O’Groats for charity!

They were surprised to see me walking in sandals! I do that quite a lot when my feet get hot.

After a chat and photos we wished each other well and headed off in opposite directions. Good luck guys.

There were also a couple of solo cyclists going the same way as I was but they were so busy pedalling up hill that they weren’t inclined to stop and chat! I don’t blame them for that.

Today I entered Wales after a few hill climbs.

I walked into the centre of Monmouth after 16 miles and that is where we are staying tonight.

A very interesting day.

Since I have been in the camper tonight there has been a few heavy showers. It suits me if the rain turns up at night!

Tomorrow my start point is where the van is parked overnight so I will get an earlier start as I head to Chepstow.

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Day 40 Sunday 26th May

Having a great day and the best news of all………….I have had time to bring my blog up to date as the hotel has free WiFi!

It is now 4.30pm and I am off to enjoy the remainder of my rest day.

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Day 39 Saturday 25th May

As I leave Leominster today I am looking forward to a rest day as my last full day off was 13 days ago in Ulverston with my family!

Brian & Jackie, my brother and his better half, have booked us into a hotel in Worcester with them for 2 nights so that I get a full day off! Really looking forward to seeing them and having a break.

I made an early start so that I could finish early and planned to walk approx 15 miles to a point 5 miles past Hereford.

Looks as if Leominster isn’t quite ready to bloom yet!

I was driven to where I finished yesterday which was outside of Leominster on the Hereford road near Hampton Court Castle!

Once again I was walking on a warm and sunny day with stunning scenery.

It was a very humid day and I was soon hot and sticky! After 5 miles I changed into sandals for the last 10 miles.

After about 10 miles I walked through the centre of Hereford and, as the pot of instant porridge I had consumed at 6.30am seemed a distant memory, and my stomach was starting to rumble I popped into the The Kings Fee, local Wetherspoons, (as it was still breakfast time there) for scrambled egg on toast to keep me going.

After refuelling I was keen to get the day’s walking finished and get to the hotel in Worcester for a shower.

Of course I had to take today’s water pictures first!

Crossing the river Wye, some people were paddling in it!

After some mileage through very quiet, narrow, hilly country lanes I was picked up and driven to Worcester. It took about an hour to get there but it is going to be worth it to see family, chill, and sleep in a comfy bed.

Walking will resume Monday morning from the point where I was picked up today but it won’t be early as I will enjoy a hotel breakfast first and then there will be the hours drive.

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Day 38 Friday 24th May

Ludlow is another quaint historic town full of quirky buildings.

Some lovely scenery today but it was a little hazy so not so good for taking photos on my phone.

A lovely man on his school run stopped his car and shook my hand and wished me well. The little gestures mean so much……and then later he donated £30 to Alzheimer’s Society on my Just Giving site. Thank you so much to him and to the others who have spotted the van and stopped to talk and to donate cash. Every little helps.

Spotted this old distance marker, so if you didn’t know how to pronounce Leominster, now you do!

Started me thinking ………. Was it because Leominster wouldn’t fit on the sign that it was shortened and was that why it is now pronounced that way?

Another pleasant day’s walking with lots of colour

Makes me realise this is such a special but ‘all too short” time of year and we should all spend more time appreciating the beauty of our surroundings.

My advice is choose this time of year for your epic journey!

You really never know what you will see on this journey……..spotted this on the other side of the road.

You see so much more on foot than you do in a car!

Today was a bit special as I achieved the 600 mile point in my walk……..

time of a celebration pint!

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Day 37 Thursday 23rd May

Left Church Stretton for a pleasant day walking through tranquil lanes with excellent scenery! Visibility is good and I reflect on how lucky I am!

Wonderful deserted country lanes! I am loving this………takes me back to childhood………

For those of you who don’t really know me I am not a materialistic person, I have never envied people for their possessions …… however I do remember when I was a very busy working mum and I saw people ambling along the country roads that I did envy them having time to do that.

So you could say I am now living the dream!

Before long I passed this pair and had hoped to put in the video of their gobbling but unfortunately it would not load here!

The approach road to the town of Ludlow is odd as it goes down the middle of the golf course and the race course. The horses race across the road and the golfers play both sides of the same road. I can only assume there is no golf whilst there is a race meeting!

This was a colourful building on the way into Ludlow.

This cosy family group were resting by the riverside when I walked into town.

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Day 36 Wednesday 22nd May

After a night in the camper, we decided to have breakfast at Wetherspoons and have a walk around Shrewsbury before going back to the start point for the day.

Just a few pictures of the old buildings in Shrewsbury

My walk from Shrewsbury to Church Stretton was along some quiet roads and a fast B road!

As always I found some water.

Shropshire is lovely and the weather is good. What a way to spend a few weeks.

You could do it too you know! All you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of another!

I met a lady yesterday who had just come back from a long distance walk across America and she said she just couldn’t stop walking!

Church Stretton seems a nice place! No steak tonight it had to be the chip shop.

I suppose I should be glad that for once in my life I can eat chips without worrying about how many pounds I will gain!

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Day 35 Tuesday 21st May

After the photo shoot at the Crewe Arms we had to head back to Whitchurch.

A big thank you to the Crewe Arms, the staff couldn’t have looked after us better!

After the drive back to Whitchurch for the start of the day I was back onto the canal towpath

This bridge appeared to have a door in it and was the same the other side. I haven’t seen one like it before and wondered what it was for! Can anyone enlighten me?

I then walked through some beautiful countryside and once again the weather was good. It looks as if cyclists are very welcome here, there was no signpost for the motorist just the cyclist!

I passed through Wem, a sleepy market town.

It really was a scenic walk on quiet roads in the sunshine, excellent.

Shrewsbury was today’s destination, birthplace of Charles Darwin.

I love Shrewsbury with its ancient twisted buildings, if you haven’t been it is worth a visit!

As it is Tuesday and Shrewsbury has a Wetherspoons I was looking forward to a nice big juicy steak! They didn’t disappoint (I need that big lump of protein to maintain my strength and stamina) I also need the WiFi to update my blog and the beer to rehydrate me?!?

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Day 34 Monday 20th May

It was yet another fine day for walking! I have been so lucky.

Today after some road walking I had the pleasure of some time walking along the Llangollen Canal towpath to Whitchurch.

I love canals and canal boats and spend many of my walking hours near home on the canal towpaths so this made a very pleasant change from the roads!

I came off the towpath at Whitchurch and explored this small town.

We then headed to Crewe for the night. We desperately needed to do some laundry and Royston had done his research and found a launderette in Crewe. We turned up there to find that the internet was out of date and it was no longer a self service launderette but was now a laundry XL Cleaning. However when Matt the owner heard that I was walking John O’Groats to Lands End to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society he kindly offered to do our washing free of charge!

Thank you so much to Matt, Vicky & Lesley

We then went on to Best Western Crewe Arms Hotel who had offered us Dinner, Bed & Breakfast. The staff on duty when we arrived were very friendly and helpful. We really do appreciate the generosity of the Best Western hotels. Thank you very much to all concerned! It is so nice to have a hot shower and comfortable bed after a day’s walking! (and good food!)

This week is Dementia Action week so I hope there will be more donations for Alzheimer’s Society.

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Day 33 Sunday 19th May

Dropped at yesterday’s pick up point!

Another dry day for walking and before long I was crossing my first canal the Trent and Mersey.

As I approached Acton Bridge I spotted this beauty steaming up!

It was getting ready for a cruise from Acton Bridge to Ellesmere Port on the River Weaver.

This is Acton Bridge which is a swing opened in 1933.

I felt good and my stop point was scheduled to be at Tarporley but I felt good and walked on a little further!

I opted to continue to the Red Fox which I thought would be a pub where I could get some liquid refreshment!! However it turned out to be an Indian Restaurant which was closed for refurbishment!

We drove to Winsford to food and liquid refreshment!

I am feeling good since seeing how far down the map I am! Changing from 20 miles a day to 15 miles a day makes me feel I am being lazy.

Today was a very special day for me as Ben, my eldest son, was running a marathon around Lake Windermere. I just need to explain to everyone who doesn’t know the story. Ben is General Manager at Castle Green Hotel at Kendal and at his staff Christmas party for 2017 he challenged all his staff to do something for themselves in 2018, that they hadn’t done before, and he committed himself to running the 2018 Windermere marathon. Ben works long hours and has a family but he trained and completed the marathon. I followed his progress during the marathon on Find Friends and made the decision that if Ben could make the time to train for and run a marathon I could do what I had always wanted to do…….walk John O’Groats to Land’s End!

Ben was the inspiration to get on and do what I had always wanted to do! Thank you Ben!

I am pleased to say that today Ben completed the Windermere marathon in under 4 hours ! Well done Ben!! Thank you!

At this point I want to say a big thank you to all my sponsors

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Day 32 Saturday 18th May

Today was a significant day on the walk!

We left Best Western Lancashire Manor Hotel after breakfast. Thanks guys!

We drove back to the finish point for yesterday.

A good days walking in mild, decent weather!

As I walk I am aware of the changes in blossom on the trees.

I have no idea what this tree is but there were lots of them on my walk and they were beautiful! I crossed canals but will save the ‘pictures from a bridge’ for the more important crossings that came later in the day!!

As I walked into Warrington I walked into a tide of Warrington Wolves fans on their way to the ‘match’.

After walking through the town came some significant milestones

Crossing the Mersey without a ferry!

Then crossing the Manchester Ship Canal!

This was closely followed by crossing the Bridgewater Canal

That is Bridgewater with an ‘e’. Later in the walk I may be posting a picture of the Bridgwater Canal.

I have passed the 500 mile mark and was encouraged by the dot on the map that showed my location. It does look good!

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Day 31 Friday 17th May

A duller start to the day but it brightened up later!

I have been really lucky with the weather so far!

Walking today was through lots of residential areas on pavements.

Yet another picture of a river from a bridge but I am sure you prefer a view of a river or canal than one of the motorway from a bridge.

It was a fairly uneventful day of walking and I was picked up in Wigan and we headed off towards another bed for the night! 2 nights following…….. I will start to get used to this luxury.

On our way we spotted another Wetherspoons, The Brocket Arms and we had a meal there as I was hungry and it saved me cooking.

We then went on to the Best Western Lancashire Manor Hotel who provided us with a complimentary Bed & Breakfast.

Thank you so much ……. we really appreciate how supportive Best Western have been on this trip. They are working very hard to help me raise more funds for Alzheimer’s Society.

Please share the link to this blog with anyone whose family has been affected by dementia.

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Day 30 Thursday 16th May

Another nice day but thankfully a little cooler than yesterday!

I also have a shorter day today as I am ahead of schedule and we have been given a complimentary room for the night.

I am well past the half way point and am now starting to think about how many miles are left rather than how many I have covered!

Spent some time in Preston and followed this lively grandad!

We stayed at the Preston International Hotel after eating and having a couple of drinks in The Grey Friar Wetherspoons in Preston.

Thank you very much for your hospitality Preston International Hotel. A comfy bed and WiFi really does help me catch up with the blog!

At this point I have to tell you all that there are several reasons why you can’t read a new blog at the end of each of my days!

1. Sometimes after 8ish hours of walking and cooking food, eating and washing I am just too tired to think!

2. Sometimes I have no phone signal!

3. Often I have no internet!

I really appreciate that you spend your time following my blog please share it with anyone who will be interested!

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Day 29 Wednesday 15th May

It was a warm sunny morning and I opted to walk in sandals. I was taken back to the country lane where I was picked up the evening before and everyone was enjoying the sunshine so I met more people today.

Before I had even left the van we had a conversation with a couple who were walking their dogs along the lane.

I walked on and crossed a road into another country lane and met a man who gave me a local history lesson about the lane and the fact that it was part of the route the Jacobites took from Scotland into England.

He put some change into the Alzheimer’s can and advised me on places to stop for nourishment in Lancaster.

I crossed the Lancaster Canal

As I got to the Millennium Bridge in Lancaster and had my photo taken a couple started a conversation.

They were Roy & Maureen Fordham who live in Devon but it turned out that Maureen worked in the laboratory at the MMB in Camborne in 1960’s, the same place that I worked from 1976 to 1980 and we knew the same people! Such a small world.

I walked on through Lancaster and spoke to several people who put coins in my collecting can.

Back out in the countryside and plenty of sights along the way!

A cyclist passed me and came back to chat and to give a cash donation. Hbe was Keith Boocock. He took a selfie and kindly shared it on his Facebook page to help raise donations for Alzheimer’s Society.

Thank you Keith, good luck with your business venture.

Check out his business on Facebook The Pawchester Hotel

Later when I reached Garstang and we were eating our evening meal in the van another very interesting man came and chatted to us and donated £10 to Alzheimer’s.

A sunny hot day, a day of walking in sandals meeting lots of interesting, generous people.

Thank you to all of you for making the day special!

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