I thought i’d go in the morning as more rain was forecast for the afternoon… but alas, on the drive over it rained, and it continued to do so for most of the mornings walking. My sister left me at the Bridges restaurant and I followed the Shropshire Way for a while towards Shrewsbury. Some woodland walking lessened the effects of the rain, but it was still very boggy and muddy and i nearly fell on my ass about ten minutes into the day.
I’d also seen some men in their tweeds about to go shooting when i was at Bridges, and they took off in their black Range Rovers as i was walking off. I then heard them shooting very close by as I walked…very relaxing…not. Between this, the rain stopping me seeing and well the heavy mist I was a bit grumpy for a while and thought about the myriad ways that winter is crap. I relied very heavily on Maps.me (my absolute favourite app) and eventually found my way onto the Portway heading up to the Long Mynd looking like a drowned rat. The mist was eerie and meant I needed my phone to guide me much more than normal.
It eventually stopped for a brief while and I found a sheltered place to drink my coffee. The peace and quiet was perfect and despite the weather I felt very peaceful in that moment as i’d been looking forward to getting outside all week. On the Long Mynd I finally saw other people as crazy as I who’d gone out for the day. I ploughed over the top along tracks and wound down to Cardingmill valley where I sat under the covered shelter of the visitor centre to finish my coffee before walking into Church Stretton. Even though I was drenched I was glad i’d gone.
#45 Seven Sodden Miles
1Year/52Hikes 2019 