Sweat, sun & stings

Day 51 to 54: Warwick

? 0km

?0m

We spent 4 days getting vaccinated, visiting family, watching the football on a big screen and swapping out gear for replacements along with a lot of planning, eating vegetables and sleeping.

Day 55: Uttoxeter to The Trent & Mersey Canal nr Cannock Chase

? 25km

?234m

We got dropped back at Uttoxeter after already having a few teething problems, Tom had to rearrange his bag having pulled it apart to wash, ensuring it was all put back together correctly. We started hiking about 11:30, it was muggy and the sky was looking threatening.

The guide book describes this section of the trail as one of the worst so we were determined to keep the day positive, especially as we were newly rested and ready to roll. I don’t think it was as bad as described but can understand why, we made our way through many fields and over stiles avoiding cows, enjoying the wheat and barley fields. We stopped in the beautiful village of Abbots Bromley just as the kids were finishing school, it was an adorable town with a very cute green and Tom picked up some water from the local shop as we were wild camping that night.

The day continued with very much the same terrain but it still didn’t rain! We passed over the railway and some accompanying train spotters and joined the Trent and Mersey canal path which was lovely, there were lots canal boats moored up, many of them in fabulous condition.

We had about 3km to go before we intended to start looking for a camp spot in Cannock Chase but spotted the perfect spot by the canal away from the path. We sat on the bench it had and reminded ourselves about what distances we had over the next 2 days and decided to call it a day and take the spot.

We boiled water for dinner and as we filled our noodle pots the rain came down so we quickly put then tent up.

Day 56: The Trent & Mersey Canal nr Cannock Chase to The Meadow Field, Kiddemore Green

? 32km

?293m

We woke at 05:30 snoozed until 06:00 and left the spot by 07:00 pretty much. I thought I had lost ground sheet bag in the hurry to put the tent up in the rain, but did find it a couple of days later. It decided to spit with rain just as we left so we put waterproof jackets on but by the time we reached Cannock Chase and were climbing a little through the woods they had to come off. Cannock Chase is a nice woodland area with big paths, lots of runners and tracks for cyclists. There was a cute river crossing with stepping stones that I enjoyed.

The rest of the day through field boundaries felt like a battle of thorns and nettles, many of which were as high as us. We were following the Staffordshire way nearly all day but some of the paths were in very poor condition and were a nightmare to walk through and make any kind of progress. We were bashing and stomping and getting stung from nettles and spiked by thorns it was very slow going.

When we got to Penkridge we stopped in a cafe for a coffee each and shared a cherry scone with jam then cream.
We stocked up on a lunch from the Co-op and headed on. Sadly the next few fields were just as badly kept and we even had to make a stop to empty shoes picking the seeds and grains from the material of our socks, they somehow get stuck right in the fibres and are a nightmare to remove, very much like a splinter. We ate our lunch by a small river and cherry tree crop which on reflection was probably not the best idea as we later discovered we had been bitten a lot by mosquitoes.

Today is another wild camp day and we found a corner of a meadow field that was nice and hidden. Apart from someone racing around the land nearby on a small engine motor bike we were not disturbed, but we were feeling rather beaten up by the land and it’s insects.

Day 57: The Meadow Field, Kiddemore Green to Pool View Caravan Park

? 32km

?448m

Didn’t sleep the best and was dreaming of the grand national when the alarm went at 05:30, we had a quick 10 mins snooze then got up to pack stuff and the very soggy (from dew not rain) tent. It was a perfect blue sky morning and the start of a great day.

We walked down nicely clear marked tracks and field boundaries in the cool morning sun and bumped into Ali and her dog who was delighted with our story, told us that we had some fabulous scenery to come and even offered to call her husband and ask him to get the kettle on. We declined as her home was not quite on route but she was wonderfully kind.

Our only concern of the morning was actually the lack of water, as it had been hot and we were drinking much more, and with wild camping we need at least a litre of water for dinners as well.
We had spotted a fuel garage on the map but as always there is no guarantee these places are still open but we were in luck and even though we were at a camp site that evening filled up on 1.5 litres each.

We joined the Monarch’s Way which continued on down country lanes and well cleared paths. We enjoyed admiring the crops, taking photos of derelict buildings and then smelling a wonderful couple of fields of roses.

Here we bumped into a gentlemen who was sort of interested in our trip but more interested in the Monarch’s Way section that we had walked that day, turns out he is the president of the way and therefore explained that the secateurs in his hand. They were not for roses but were for clearing the way on the trail. He told us he had walked 10miles with his strimmer the day before and as the day went on we were very grateful he had.

The Monarch’s Way is a 625 mile long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Sussex.

We got to Ironbridge about 14:30, it was much smaller and more beautiful than I had imagined, from one side of the river looking across with the bridge was very cute and sweet. We crossed the bridge and scouted out the ice cream just to get us the half a km to the Co-op where we stocked up on a few supplies. We then stopped off at a beer garden for a beer for Tom and an orange and lemonade for me. Service was frustratingly slow but we got our drinks in the end. We then headed back out of Ironbridge to our site for the evening a caravan site. It was pretty poor, located under some huge power cables and not very clean. The fact that laundry facilities were only in the ladies, presumably on the assumption that they would be doing the washing, really summed it up.