Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 030 - Marsden to Hebden Bridge

 

Day:	030
Date:	Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Start:	Marsden
Finish:	Hebden Bridge
Daily Kilometres:	27.1
Total Kilometres:	942.0
Weather:	Overcast and drizzling or raining all day
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£69 for two)
Nutrition:	Sausage roll and orange juice for breakfast; no lunch; chicken, chips and salad and chocolate cake and ice-cream for dinner
Aches:	Right shoulder and right knee sore
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	After a late night catching up on email and other internet stuff, I slept in a bit and didn't leave the hotel until 8:30am.  Given the high price of breakfast at the hotel, I had opted not to pay for it and, instead, headed for a bakery I had seen the previous evening.  They didn't have much range ("still baking, mate"), so I chose a sausage roll and a bottle of orange juice and began the steep climb out of town.  As I did, I crossed the Huddersfield Narrow Canal as a longboat went through the lock.  The canals seem a bit incongruous on the sides of these steep-sided valleys.  Quite an engineering feat. The guide book had warned that the day would be a series of climbs to moorland and then descents to intervening valleys, and it was right.  Not long after I started walking, the forecast rain began and it pretty much drizzled for the remainder of the day.  Despite a few particularly steep climbs, the day was mostly easy walking and it wasn't cold or windy.  I enjoyed crossing the fog-shrouded moors and, with my good wet weather gear, wasn't bothered by the rain. When I stopped for my morning break around 11am, I was passed by a girl hiking on her own and appearing to be following the same route.  We said a brief hello, and she continued on.  I followed after my break and caught up with her about 90 minutes later when she stopped for a break.  We chatted for a while and I learned that Karen was also walking from Lands End to John O'Groats, raising money for charity en route.  She had been on the trail six weeks and was travelling at a more relaxed pace than me.  She was also heading for Hebden Bridge for the night, and there's a chance Keith and I may see her early on the trail again tomorrow. I aimed to get to a pub at Cragg Vale for lunch, but the climbs and descents were slowing my pace and I didn't get there until 2:10pm, by which time lunch was over.  However, it looked a bit expensive anyway and I was running later than intended, so I had a Mars Bar instead and kept going.  Just as well that I did, because crossing the last hill moorland to reach Hebden Bridge took me a lot longer than anticipated.  It was foggy and raining and the path was non-existent for a section at the top.  I couldn't work out exactly where I was after about 30 minutes trying to find something recognisable, so I went to Plan B and forgot about trying to find the guide-book route and, instead, concentrated on finding my way off the hill and down to Hebden Bridge.  I eventually did this, but an hour later than I had hoped. I found the Post Office and mailed off my old maps and asked for my package.  After a lot of searching, the guy said there was nothing there for me.  I was insistent that it would be there and, after consultation with one of his colleagues, my package was found.  By this time it was 4:30pm and I was hoping to meet my friend Keith's train at 5:00pm.  I wandered around the town area and eventually found a hotel with a twin room available, though not ready for another 30 minutes.  They offered to look after my rucksack and then I walked down to the station just in time to meet Keith, who will be hiking with me for the next five days.  Lucky for him, the rain is supposed to clear overnight and not return until some time next week.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 029 - Flouch to Marsden

 

Day:	029
Date:	Monday, 31 May 2010
Start:	Flouch
Finish:	Marsden
Daily Kilometres:	29.2
Total Kilometres:	914.9
Weather:	Overcast and hazy all day, cool in the morning and mild in the afternoon.
Accommodation:	Hotel (£49)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; ham and cheese sandwich and salad for lunch; fish and chips and creamed rice for dinner.
Aches:	Right shoulder still sore, right knee a bit sore and left little toe very tender.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	It turned out I was the only person staying at the hotel and, I suspect, there was no-one else there at all last night.  The same surly cook from last night, even more surly for having to get in to cook breakfast for a lone resident at 8am, got me some breakfast and I left at 9am with the idea of reaching Marsden for the night, without knowing exactly how far it was.  I was guessing 30km, leaving me about 20km tomorrow to get to Hebden Bridge to early enough to pick up my mailed maps, find somewhere to stay, and meet Keith at the station. The early walking was easy on a cool overcast morning, firstly across some low moors (sheep and lambs everywhere as usual) and then along a rail trail which was also the Trans-Pennine Way.  It was a Bank Holiday Monday and there were a few walkers and cyclists about.  The scenery was pleasant, without being spectacular, but I could tell I was heading towards some big hills. I passed Dunford Bridge around 10:30am and then climbed to cross the wall of the Winscar Reservoir which had numerous warnings about hypothermia (no chance of me going for a swim), before gradually climbing into the Pennines.  The grades weren't too onerous and, as I got higher, had views in many directions of stone-walled hill farms rising steeply from valley floors up the sides of huge hills with moorland on top.  Here and there a village could be seen as well as some larger towns in the distance. I enjoyed the pretty scenery and relatively easy walking, reaching the village of Holme about 12:30pm and finding the pub for lunch.  As often happens, several people came up to me in the pub and asked me where I was walking to and were pleasantly inquisitive.  The pub was doing a roaring trade with lots of tourists including quite a number of walkers. From there, my route climbed even higher into the Pennines along some really nice tracks, giving good views all round.  I think there must have been some kind of event on because a number of small groups of walkers, some unfit, some with kids who'd obviously had enough, were coming in the opposite direction. At the crest of yet another big hill, my route joined the Pennine Way for a short distance.  I'm going to be seeing a lot of it in the next two weeks.  A couple of kilometres later, my route diverged to follow and old aqueduct high along the side of a reservoir for an hour.  It was spectacular, if a little narrow and steep-sided in places.  Near the end, I met a mountain-biker coming the other way.  I commented that he was more daring than me, and he replied that he would be taking it easy and had done it before (my heart would have been in my mouth for some parts).  Anyway, when I arrived down in Marsden an hour later looking for a hotel, he rode towards me up the street and gave me a thumbs up. The descent from the aqueduct to Marsden was long and fairly steep and my left little toe and right knee were complaining by the time I reached the bottom of this medium-sized industrial town (I passed a big derelict mill on the way in).  I passed a hotel which looked a bit pricey but couldn't find anything else in the town centre, so checked in and confirmed it was pricey. The room is nice and, for a change, my internet bandwidth seems to be good so I took the opportunity to add my daily walking GPS maps to all of my previous days' hiking.  You can see them for the individual days here, and I hope to add a map to this journal page each day for the balance of the trip.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 028 - Hathersage to Flouch

 

Day:	028
Date:	Sunday, 30 May 2010
Start:	Hathersage
Finish:	Flouch
Daily Kilometres:	31.0
Total Kilometres:	885.7
Weather:	Mostly sunny with strong cold winds
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£30)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; fruit cake and Mars Bar for lunch; Sunday roast for dinner
Aches:	Right shoulder sore, right knee a bit sore on descents
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here  (missed first hour)
Journal:	Spectacular scenery, all day. I slept in and didn't have breakfast until after 9am and didn't leave the hotel until just after 10am on a dry and sunny day. My walk began with a stiff climb across sheep pastures and past some beautiful historic houses up to Stanage Edge and the moors.  There was a very strong cold wind blowing, which soon had me stopping to put my Goretex top on to stay warm.  The scenery down into the valley and along the limestone bluffs of Stanage Edge was superb. My early walking was interrupted by a scary accident.  I was walking fairly closely behind a couple about my age, when I caught up to them as they negotiated a very high stile.  It was very much like a steep step ladder straddling a wire fence and was going to be a challenge.  Anyway the woman cautiously made her way over, then the guy was descending the other side when a rung broke away and he fell quite some distance on the side where the cliff was, and landed heavily on his arm and shoulder.  He was wearing a pack and had the wind knocked out of him.  His partner and I both rushed to his aid and, after some careful examination and a few minutes, he recovered his equilibrium and seemed not to have broken anything.  If the fall had happened on the side we came from, the cliff fell away quite steeply and he would have rolled down and who knows what would have happened.  They continued their day hike and seemed OK. There were lots of other walkers out and also some climbers on the rocky bluffs.  The path followed the very edge of Stanage Edge for the next hour or so with fine views all the way, before descending, fording a few boggy streams and then climbing onto the Derwent Moors.  There were grouse butts (hides for shooting grouse from) in several places on the moors and I saw a number of grouse and some very young chicks several times during the day.  At the top of the climb on to the moors, the path swung northwards to follow Derwent Edge.  The scenery was even more spectacular with remote moors on one side and a steep fall on the other down into the Derwent Valley.  I suspect it was a photo from around here that adorned all those metal Derwent pencil boxes I remember from my childhood.  Also below was the Derwent Reservoir, which was used to train the Dam Busters during World War 2 and then later in the movie about them. Above the Derwent Reservoir was the beautiful Howden Reservoir. Along Derwent Edge were high points usually crowned by weird limestone rock formations adding to the scenic splendour.  There were a lot of people out walking despite the gale force colds winds that made walking in a straight line very difficult.  Many times during the day I was literally blown sideways off the path, with my pack acting like a sail, despite its weight. From Derwent Edge, the path descended through high sheep pastures and old falling down stone walls to the forest-bordered Howden Reservoir.  I found a nice spot beside the road there at 3:30pm and had a late lunch of fruit cake and a Mars Bar.  Although the guidebook said there was no accommodation and no food available for this day, I had noticed a pub referred to as no longer offering accommodation and now converted into an Indian restaurant, where I thought I may be able to get some dinner before carrying on and finding somewhere to camp. Before getting there, though, I still had some way to walk, starting with a very pleasant path along the side of Howden Reservoir where there were many walkers and mountain bikers, before turning to another stiff climb, this time on to the remote Howden Edge.  There were no rocky bluffs, just windswept moorland.  I saw two (more accomplished) mountain bikers on this trail but, otherwise, had it to myself.  As it clouded over around 6pm and became very dark with the howling cold wind continuing to blow, it felt very remote indeed.  Nevertheless, it was enjoyable walking and I pressed on towards my hoped-for restaurant.  After a long descent and some walking through a conifer forest I reached the "restaurant" at 7:20pm and found it was a combo pub/Indian restaurant that was serving a Sunday buffet carvery until 8pm.  It also said it offered B&B, but didn't really look like it.  I went in and bought a drink and got ready to eat when I asked about the B&B.  A manager appeared and said they only had a double room that was normally priced at £50.  I said that was out of my price range and she said I could have it for £30.  I agreed and then had my dinner before getting the room.  It was huge and modern with a large flat screen TV.  A good deal.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 027 - Gratton to Hathersage

 

Day:	027
Date:	Saturday, 29 May 2010
Start:	Gratton
Finish:	Hathersage
Daily Kilometres:	43.4
Total Kilometres:	854.7
Weather:	Overcast, misty and drizzling most of the day
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£45)
Nutrition:	Pastie for breakfast; beef & ale pie, peas and chips for lunch; shepherds pie and vegetables and Bakewell (since I visited Bakewell today) tart and custard for dinner
Aches:	Sore right shoulder, right knee a bit sore and wrinkled peeling feet from being wet all day.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	It turned out to be a rollercoaster day.  I woke at 3:30am to hear light rain on the tent which gradually became heavier.  When I woke again soon after 6am it had stopped and, despite a tiring day and late night yesterday, I forced myself to get up and pack up before it began raining again. It was a very grey day, with low cloud and misty patches, but still clear enough to see the rolling hills, farms and stone fences stretching out before me.  I realised last night, after reading the guidebook and briefly getting online (poor reception) with my laptop, that I was facing a number of problems for the day.  Firstly, I was running out of cash (should have topped up in Uttoxeter) and my credit card is virtually useless in shops over here because you require your credit card PIN, which I do not have (signatures not accepted).  My debit card works in ATMs, but not for purchases.  According the guidebook, I won't see an ATM until Hathersage, 40km away, meaning I won't have enough money to pay for a B&B until I get there.  That, of course, assumes that I can find a vacant B&B room given that it is a long weekend and I'm in the heart of tourist country.  I tried the Youth Hostel in Hathersage and it is fully-booked.  Another problem is that my wireless provider sent me a message last night saying I only had one day left.  Of course, they won't let me renew online with an Australian credit card, so I'll have to find an agency where I can renew it with cash I don't have.  Finally, the guidebook tells me that after Hathersage, I may not be able to buy any food for a day or more anywhere along the route, or find accommodation.  Ideally, having camped out last night and given the weather expected today, I would find a B&B tonight and camp again tomorrow night, carrying enough food to see me through a day or more. Despite all this stuff going through my head, I knew I was in for a day travelling through some special countryside and was determined to enjoy it and work out a way to solve the problems.  I was walking by soon after 7am across sodden pastureland and before long had an amusing little incident where my path took me down a fenced farm track leading to a farmyard at the same time as all of the dairy cows were returning to the fields in the opposite direction.  The lead cows began backing up and soon there was a major traffic jam.  I could see that they would all spill back into the dairy with the farmer wondering what the hell was going on!  In the end, I climbed over the fourstrand barbed wire fence into the adjacent field and then reclimbed it when I got the the farmyard.  Problem solved.  My route then took me along a rail-trail before descending through Gratton Dale and emerging on the banks of the beautiful River Bradford in a picture postcard scene of smooth water, a few ducks and swans, tree-covered valley walls and a well-maintained path along the edge. I followed it downstream, meeting some early morning walkers until I reached a bridge and ascended steeply to the seemingly austere village of Youlgreave in steady light rain.  The old stone buildings, grey skies, wet pavements and raingear-clad stoic English holiday-makers made for a pretty miserable scene.  There wasn't many options for a cash-poor walker, so I bought a fruitcake and half a dozen Snickers/Mars Bars as supplies for tomorrow (in case I didn't get another chance) and found a bakery where they micro-waved a pastie for my breakfast.  There was nowhere dry to sit down so I ended up eating it standing up on the footpath in front of a house sheltering under an overhanging tree, pondering my next move. Another problem was that I had not had a chance to mark up my maps with highlighter for the day's route, which always helps me orient myself.  I set off again, in steady rain, and travelled a few kilometres before again looking at the map and realising that, without adding distance, or missing anything significant, I could detour via the small town of Bakewell and solve some of my problems.  This I did, arriving soon after 11am, and found it to be a very busy little tourist town, even in the rain.  I found an ATM, tried two outdoors shops to see if I could buy a second pair of Thorlo inner socks (unsuccessfully), and landed at a pub just before noon where I ordered some lunch and tried by phone to add time to my wireless plan (unsuccessfully...no non-British credit cards).  After lunch I found a newsagent who would top-up my wireless plan for cash and solved that problem. I then climbed steeply out of town to cross one of the limestone ridges then descended to the beautiful village of Edensor and the huge Chatsworth House set in magnificent parklands at the base of a treed hill.  Even in the rain it was impressive and, from afar, I could see lots of tourists walking the grounds.  My route travelled through the adjacent lush green Chatsworth Park for some distance to reach the village of Baslow, where I arrived at 3pm.  Unintentionally, I was now quite some distance ahead of schedule and, knowing that accommodation would be hard to find, decided to start looking.  No luck at the two hotels there. The route then ascended quite steeply to the moors at the top of Baslow Edge.  On the right was misty moorland and to the left a steep drop-off down limestone cliffs to the green valley below and hills beyond.  It was quite spectacular and a lot of people were out enjoying it, despite the conditions, many of them on mountain bikes and some running.  I was a bit envious because I was sure they would be going home to hot showers and a comfy bed, while I was most likely going to be camping in the rain again.  The route for the rest of the afternoon followed the edge of several more "Edges", dipping down to shallow valleys between.  I passed two more Inns, neither of which offered accommodation. To get to Hathersage, I would have to drop down to the valley and then climb back up again tomorrow.  Or I could just camp up high, if I could find somewhere, and then give Hathersage a miss and just continue on tomorrow.  But that probably meant three nights camping and three days and nights wearing the same clothes.  I was already pretty rank.  I began the long descent into Hathersage about 5pm and, to cut a long story short, tried three hotels, the youth hostel and a B&B, without success.  There was one more hotel on the way out of town back up to the ridge, so I bought some more supplies for tomorrow and headed out of town.  The pub had "No Vacancies" in its window, so I resigned myself to camping but went inside to get a quick dinner before climbing the ridge.  After ordering a drink and whilst looking at the menu, I asked the barman whether it was true they were booked out.  He went away to confirm and then returned to say they had one double room left, due to a late cancellation, that would normally be £75 but he would let me have it for £45.  I could not believe my luck, and the day ended on a good note, although still quite a late night.  I'm now a full day ahead of where I need to be to meet friend, Keith, in three days time, but that will give me an easy couple of days after some long ones, and let me have a sleep in tonight.  Almost certainly I will be camping tomorrow night, but at least the rain is forecast to stop.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 026 - Uttoxeter to Gratton

 

Day:	026
Date:	Friday, 28 May 2010
Start:	Uttoxeter
Finish:	Gratton
Daily Kilometres:	41.0
Total Kilometres:	811.3
Weather:	Mostly sunny and mild
Accommodation:	Free camping
Nutrition:	English breakfast; soup, cheese sandwich and chips for lunch; bangers, mash and cauliflower cheese and treacle pudding and custard for dinner
Aches:	Left achilles a bit sore
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here  (missed first two hours)
Journal:	After a 7am breakfast, I slipped across the the 24-hour supermarket I had noticed a couple of hundred metres from the guesthouse and picked up a couple of things before hitting the trail around 8:20am.  For the first time, I forgot to put my GPS on until I had been walking for a couple of hours so today's distance contains an element of estimation. The early pathfinding was a chore and more than once I found myself thigh deep in stinging nettles trying to decipher the guide-book instructions and identify anything looking remotely like a trail.  However, as the day wore on, things improved as the route gradually climbed into the hills.  There were some long sections along beautiful woodland trails following the River Dove through steep-sided valleys.  Gradually I got higher and occasionally had some sweeping views across the rural countryside on a beautiful day.  I stopped for a late lunch in the village of Swinscoe and then was pleasantly surprised as the route descended through the bare hills of Lin Dale and emerged at the classically beautiful Dovedale where the River Dove flowed through a limstone gorge with steep grassy sides and craggy limestone bluffs contrasting with the gently flowing river amidst overhanging trees.  It was a popular spot and there were many people out walking. I followed the River Dove and my route upstream to the little historic stone cottages of Milldale, where I detoured 2km to the Youth Hostel I planned to stay at, only to find that it had been entirely booked out by some families for the long weekend.  I had feared this might be the case and had tried three times to ring and check but never managed to get past the recordings.  Curses.  I reevaluated and decided to return to my route and walk to the village of Biggin where I knew there was a pub, but didn't know if it had accommodation.  Camping was always an option, but the forecast is for rain to set in overnight.  The walk to Biggin continued along the bottom of some beautiful steep-sided valleys and I enjoyed the late afternoon sun.  As feared, the pub didn't offer accommodation, so I bought a meal and left around 8pm to look for somewhere along the way to camp.  I eventually found a quiet corner of a field where I don't think I can be seen.  Strictly speaking I'm supposed to ask the landholder for permission to camp. After setting up the tent, I tried to book a hostel online for tomorrow night, but it is fully-booked.  I fear I could be in for a few days of wet camping out on this holiday weekend when I'm, unfortunately, passing through one of the most popular tourist areas.  Oh well, I'll just have to keep moving and camp if necessary.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 025 - Penkridge to Uttoxeter

 

Day:	025
Date:	Thursday, 27 May 2010
Start:	Penkridge
Finish:	Uttoxeter
Daily Kilometres:	37.4
Total Kilometres:	770.3
Weather:	Mix of sun and cloud and breezy.  Warm when sunny and cool when cloudy.
Accommodation:	Guesthouse B&B (£35)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; cheese and chutney baguette for lunch; chicken vindaloo and sticky toffee pudding for dinner.
Aches:	Left ankle sore occasionally.  Feet tired but improving.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I woke up to find, happily, that the rain had cleared overnight and it was clear and sunny outside.  I left the hotel at 7:45am after breakfast and, after spending 15 minutes in the small supermarket in town getting some supplies, started walking seriously at 8am, with the goal of maintaining a good pace (without racing!).  Penkridge was just waking up as I walked through the high street on my way to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal which passed through the eastern fringes of the town.  I was now predominantly following another long-distance footpath, the Staffordshire Way which, like the Shropshire Way, wasn't heavily used and spent a lot of time following the overgrown edges of fields. The guidebook wasn't too positive about the day's walking to Abbotts Bromley, but it turned out better than I expected.  The initial kilometres along the Canal were very pleasant and there was a lot to look at.  A mix of long barges ranging from those looking very lived in, to the sparkling well-equipped ones which were hired out to holiday-makers.  The locks, lock-keepers cottages and bridges were all very historic and well-kept and, on the side opposite to the towpath where I walked, houses with immaculate gardens and barge landing docks were also interesting. All too soon, the route left the Canal and I spent an hour slogging across sodden grass fields and nettle patches where the footing was difficult and the walking hard.  However, that soon passed and the route crossed Cannock Chase, a large area of undulating forests and heathland criss-crossed with many grassy walking paths and bridleways.  It looked like a great place to run a classic English cross-country race, and I'm sure many of my friends will have done so.  I met quite a lot of walkers, riders and mountain-bike riders enjoying a pleasant spring day on the Chase. Then it was back to canal towpath walking, this time along the Trent & Mersey Canal, with the same kinds of barges, locks and bridges.  Nearby was also a main rail-line along which high-speed, aero-dynamic, and flashily-painted Virgin trains seem to pass every fifteen minutes or so.  Around noon, the path left the Canal and headed north-east to the village of Colton, where I found a pub and had lunch.  Checking the map, I could see that I was making good time, and would easily reach the guide-book target, Abbotts Bromley, in the early afternoon.  This put me on track to cover the extra 10km to Uttoxeter, where I had much more chance of getting accommodation for the night.  I left the pub around 1:15pm and, after some more field walking and crossing the long Blithfield Reservoir wall, reached Abbotts Bromley at 2:30pm.  Here I had the choice of following the guide-book (Staffordshire Way) route across 10km of field margin footpaths, or walking the same distance along the main road.  I decided the latter would be faster and no less scenic, although I would have to deal with traffic on a road with narrow verges for a couple of hours. I travelled cautiously, getting off the road into the bordering hedges, for oncoming vehicles, but still made good time and reached the centre of Uttoxeter soon after 4:30pm.  I tried a hotel in the middle of the small historic market town, but the barmaid told me it was £50 just for a room (no breakfast).  I said it was a bit high for my budget and could she suggest anywhere else.  She named one other hotel, but said she thought their rates were the same, and then she thought of a guesthouse a few minutes walk away, which might have lower prices.  I thanked her and said I would come back if they were no better.  She then insisted that she would ring them on my behalf to save me the walk, and did so, telling them I would be right down when she heard the price was £35 B&B and they had a room.  How nice was that! I found the guesthouse and checked in, having noted a cheap and cheerful pub on the way down that would do for dinner.  I texted my 2004 Three Peaks team-mate, Stephen, to tell him I had arrived and the name of the pub, so that he could meet me there for dinner, which he duly did.  The only time Stephen and I have spent together over the years was that Three Peaks event, but our shared near-death seasick experience on the yacht ferry trip down to Barmouth had forged a great bond and we had a very pleasant evening, during which he pretty much sold me on his new sport of para-gliding. To top off a very nice day, my feet were the best they have been for weeks, touch wood!

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 024 - Brockton to Penkridge

 

Day:	024
Date:	Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Start:	Brockton
Finish:	Penkridge
Daily Kilometres:	33.5
Total Kilometres:	732.9
Weather:	Cool and overcast
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£45)
Nutrition:	Snickers Bar and flavoured milk for breakfast; shepherds pie and chips for lunch; chilli con carne, rice and sticky toffee pudding for dinner.
Aches:	Sore left heel and ankle
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	Got up at 6:30am and, after some last minute foot treatment, didn't start walking until 7:15am.  Accommodation isn't all that easy to find in these parts (not quite so touristy) and last night I booked an over-priced room in a hotel in Penkridge, where I aimed to be before 5pm so I could collect my next mailed pack of maps from the Post Office. In theory, it should be a relatively comfortable day and I tried to set off at a good pace, although my heel where I had a deep blister last night now felt bruised when I put any weight on it.  I tried to nurse it a bit with a limp whilst walking steadily.  According to the guide-book, the day had few scenic highlights and the paths were sometimes challenging.  Both observations turned out to be correct, with the route almost entirely across flattish farmland via minor roads, bridleways and field footpaths, with just a couple of small woods thrown in.  Having had a fairly big dinner last night, I wasn't famished and didn't bother having anything to eat or drink until reaching a service station where the path crossed a main road around 10am, where I had a Snickers and flavoured milk.  It was cooler and I was wearing my light thermal top for the first time in nearly a week. From the service station it was another couple of hours of mostly country lane walking until I reached the pub in the very small village of Bishop's Wood where I aimed to get some lunch.  I arrived at 11:45am and sat outside at a picnic table until the pub opened at noon.  I went in and ordered some lunch and soon discovered that the chirpy young barmaid had attended the same primary school in Melbourne, Australia, that I attended, Bentleigh West, only about 40 years later!  Her family had returned to the UK, but she planned to emigrate back to Melbourne in the not-too-distant future. I left the pub around 12:45pm, confident that I would reach Penkridge in plenty of time to get my mail, but the quality of the paths deteriorated markedly for long stretches.  Many times it was along the narrow uneven edges of crops and in some places the exits from one field to another were so overgrown, they were easy to miss, and I did a couple of times.  Before long, I began to realise I didn't have as much time up my sleeve as originally thought.  In the end, I reached the Post Office at 4:50pm and discovered it was open to 5:30pm, so no dramas.  I picked up my new maps and mailed off my old ones before retracing my steps a little to the hotel where I had booked a room. Not long after I arrived, it began raining, and hasn't stopped since.  I was aiming for Abbotts Bromley tomorrow, where a team-mate from the 2004 Three Peaks Race was going to meet me for dinner.  However, I haven't been able to get any accommodation there so will try and make it to much larger Uttoxeter (nothing booked yet), which is a further 10km, making it quite a long day.  The guidebook is again quite negative about the quantity and quality of field path walking tomorrow, so I may look for some road alternatives, especially if it's raining.  After tomorrow, the scenery should start getting interesting again, and the paths better, I hope.