|
Journal: |
I went down for the early 7am breakfast, joining seven
construction workers also staying at the pub. The breakfast was fine
except for the coffee which easily took the prize for the worst of
the trip so far. I knew I had a fairly big day to reach the
Youth Hostel at Coalport, my target for the day, and also knew that
there was nothing available in terms of food or drink until a pub at
about 22km. Accordingly, I stopped at a newsagent on the way
out of town and bought a couple of cans of Diet Coke and two small
Snickers Bars.
From Craven Arms, the first hour or so involved climbing
gradually to the top of Wenlock Edge via some little-used country
lanes. I strode out determined to make good time and enjoyed
the cooler and overcast conditions after the heat of the last few
days. The lane passed farms surrounded by low wooded hills and one
tiny village and I felt like I had it all to myself.
Wenlock Edge is a 30km long limestone escarpment with a steep
drop on on side and a valley and hills to the other. My route joined
the Shropshire Way, a lesser-known long distance footpath for its
journey along Wenlock Edge and beyond. There weren't all that
many opportunities for views on the steep side because of the trees,
but glimpses were had every now and then. To the right,
gentler side, I could see farms and more wooded hills.
Generally, the path was easy to follow and easy walking as well, on
soft leaf-covered ground. Mostly it stayed in the pretty woods
but sometimes went the other side of the fence to skirt the
farmland.
I made good time to the Wenlock Edge Inn, where I intended to
have lunch, arriving at 1pm to find that there was a power outage
from the apologetic innkeeper. I sadly retired to a grassy
patch across the road and drank my remaining can of Diet Coke and my
mini Snickers Bar while if reviewed the afternoon's plans on the
map. As I packed up to move on the innkeeper came out to tell me
power had been restored, but I decided to keep moving with the idea
of getting a substantial afternoon tea in the town of Much Wenlock,
a further 7km on. I arrived there soon after 3pm and found a
very well preserved historic market town with many fascinating old
buildings. I found a cafe in the main street and ordered soup and a
roll for lunch. While eating I read the flyer about the
upcoming festival week and saw that one of their guest speakers was
to be Dave Moorcroft, a phenomenal runner from my day (who I think I
met once), who incredibly still holds the British National records
for 5000m and 3000m.
After my break I passed through some more of Much Wenlock
including the very old Guildhall and the even older ruined Wenlock
Priory, although I could only take pictures of the latter over the
fence without paying admission. The Shropshire way then
crossed more farmland and traversed another escarpment, Benthall
Edge, as it approached the historic and still active industrial area
around Ironbridge. This area was really the centre of the
Industrial Revolution and had a real sense of history, including the
first cast iron bridge and lots of old preserved mill buildings.
As I passed Ironbridge, the last town I would pass for the day, I
called ahead to the Youth Hostel, 3km ahead, to make sure they had
room. No answer, but I knew it was a big Hostel, so carried
on, sure they would have a bed. When I got there at 6:30pm it
was fully-booked for school groups! Curses! I went to a
nearby pub, but they were also full, so I ordered dinner and bought
a few drinks and candy bars to take with me on the assumption I
would probably be camping. I continued on trying one more pub
which did have a room, but was too expensive, and eventually found
myself a spot to camp in a small wood near a busy road. It
seems to be mosquito heaven. I called ahead and booked myself
a room in a pub at Penkridge for tomorrow night and will aim to be
there before 5pm to collect my mail and my next set of maps.
|
