Saturday - August 25, 2007
A cold night for me (no sleeping bag - just damp clothes and a waterproof liner). Nancy was warm in her sleeping bag. I blamed the cold on being at a bottom of a hill with a hedge to catch and hold the falling cold air. Nancy insisted I was cold as I had not bought pyjamas - a case of NKB (Nancy Knows Best).
Stove on, and realisation that I had forgotten the tea bags -a major source of lost brownie points. Coffee with the only two sachets of powered milk we had – the lack of powered milk was the second source of lost brownie points within the space of 5 minutes - not a good start to Saturday!
Broke camp by 0820 and started the first of the planned 30 miles. We were short on water when we arrived at the 'Log Church' - there was a tap outside where we filled out camel baks. Nancy investigated the church products:
whilst I amused myself with this sign:
What does it mean? Please let your dog of its lead before it lights a cigarette? Burning dogs must be fully extinguished and the smouldering subsided before being put on the lead? If your dog is on fire, please let it off the lead? Writing this 5 days later and I am still laughing……
This sign also amused me....little things please little minds:
Sainsbury's provided breakfast (fruit) and lunch that was taken 5 miles later at a pair of churches (Willingale). We soon 'set up camp' - it felt like this again - drying out the kit in the midday sunshine. I was waiting for someone to tell us that we 'can't camp here'. We scouted for a tap to fill out water bottles….but as people were arriving with flowers and containers full of water, it was clear that no outside tap was to be had.
So, Nancy picked a house with a hose (where clearly no one was in), knocked on the door (gently) and promptly helped herself to water!
We walked and walked across the essex countryside..throught the Easters, Pleshey and Little Leighs. The countryside was providing good amounts of food....we both tried a sloe....just for that feeling of an instant dry mouth!
Nancy navigated for a while....even she knew it was bad as she held her head in her hands in disgrace:
Just after 1800, once again out of water, we came across a man filling up water bottles at a spring…..i jumped in and started filling bottles. If he was drinking it, it must be ok was my thought. He announced he had been drinking it for years and had no side effects…He then rode off on his bike waving us goodbye with his third hand (that had 6 fingers to it)!
It was hot….really hot with only a gentle breeze. It was unlikely we were going to make it to the planned pub - we were knackered and the injuries were mounting. A pub 1 mile away was the goal…..walking down the side of a field towards Fullers Street I could see the pub in the distance. Last time I visited this pub it was closed for refurbishment…..it was still closed for refurbishment – but the owners were sat outside admiring their work todate. Another two miles and we came across a 'Thai Pub' - it was more like youth club with inbread locals handing out cash for the youths to put into the fruit machines!
We arrived knackerd....and started on the Pimms.
The bar lady was not the sharpest tool in the bag…..the basic ingredients of a 'Pimms and Lemonade' seemed confusing to her and when we ordered Spaghetti Bolognaise, the repsonse was 'you want the spaghetti with the errr…..errr sauce?'.
Nance had an all over body wash in the toilet's sink, whilst I sat and festered on their leather sofas attempting to lift my arms above my shoulders!
Shoes were replaced and we set off in the dark looking for a 'campsite' - on the footpath at the top of a hill sheltered by some overhanging trees - warm and dry night!
Injury count - five blisters, two frozen shoulders one case of tendonitis and a dog bite.
Wild animal count - green woodpecker, fish, deer, rat, hedgehog (flat), rat (flat), toad, dog (domestic, but bity)
Fruit stolen - apples, plums, blackcurrants.
Text messages - MS zero versus NB three.
Mileage - 28 (33 total, 47 to go)
- Posted by thestowe on 02/09/2007.
- thestowe's site
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