Sunday August 26, 2007
Black coffee / tea, flapjack (dunked to soften) and we set off at 0840 - after a fair amount of feet inspection and debate on the best way to protect feet from more damage. NKB did know best here .
Nance had gotten into the habbit of checking her eyes every morning....every mirror was an opportunity to check tht they were still there:
There was a cool breeze but the sun was starting to heat up the day. Laying in the grass ahead of us we came across two figures - Father and Son who were walking the Essex Way too - there mission was about half of ours - we ended up walking in one day what they managed in two. The fact that the son was only aged 10 and neither looked professional ramblers, we still felt good about ourselves!
We needed some water - at a house advertising 'Duck Racing' we stopped and asked to fill our empty water bottles. The lady of the house was in charge of the ducks….she had 2500 of them (in the back of her car) and had sold every one in aid of raising money for Gt Ormand Street. Nance went a little quiet at this point….2500 ducks? All in a car? Sold for £1 each? They are going to be raced? How do you arrange 2500 ducks on a start line? How do you know which one is yours? Do they have numbered bibs?
A few minutes down the road, after thanking the duck lady for her water, wishing her well with her fund raising and spotting her Shetland Ponies that she uses for the 'Shetland Pony Grand National', I finally established that Nance was very confused by the whole Duck Racing phenomenon.
'No Nance, they are not real ducks….they are yellow bath ducks'.
We stopped to pose for pics:
Nancy was having a low moment…the heat and the mileage was getting to us both - not even the 'smoking dogs on leads' joke got a laugh anymore - the ipod was in use.
A few joke about Deaf Cats lighted the mood for a while.....
Lunch at Coggeshall….Nancy wanted to go 300m off the route to a shop and get lunch and dinner - 'it is Sunday, most shops will be closing early' she pointed out. I refused to walk any further than necessary……a pub luch was had - a case of MKB (Mark Knows Best).
and a bit of map inspection:
And some syphoning of water into the camel baks:
A five minute nap in the yard of the church of Great Tey
and then down the beautiful Chapel valley to the river Colne. Nance was trying out her new 'photo stance' and i had a stick for nettle poking.
We pushed on to a pub I knew well in Fordstreet…..not well enough though…..it is closed Sunday afternoons. In defiance (and hoping the landlord might take pity on us) we fired up the stove and had some Southampton Hilton Hotel complimentary hot chocolate.
Another two miles and I guaranteed Nance there would be a shop that we could get supplies for dinner at. (I knew there were two in West Bergholt….surely one had to be open at 1840 on a Sunday night). Another case of NKB ensued…both shops closed!! ANOTHER 2 miles to Great Horksley and we walked into the 'Half Butt Inn', ordered two beers and a menu - 'Sorry, we only do Sunday lunch…we have crisps'. The beers were sunk whilst we came up with a plan….'Is that Dominos? Yeah, one large pizza delivered to the Half Butt Inn please'.
One thing this pub did have was milk……we managed to secure enough for morning tea!!
We were both in pain…..both our right ankes were hurting….pill popping and cream rubbing was not helping.
At 2200 we set off north out of the village and found a quiet spot to camp.
Injury count - same five but now larger blisters and two cases of tendonitis.
Wild animal count - monkjack deer, pheasant, grouse
Fruit stolen – 1 raspberry.
Text messages - MS fifteen versus NB seven.
Mileage - 20 (53 total, 27 to go)
Notes: My house (with electricity, water and beds) was only 2 miles away...
- Posted by thestowe on 02/09/2007.
- thestowe's site
Please sign in or join etribes to add comments.
