Day 55 - Hay-on-Wye to Lower Harpton/Old Radnor

We meet up again at Evesham. As a result of his late departure time from home, John has had more than sufficient time for a bacon sandwich. Ben and Gary need to slum it and take on board a sausage roll whilst waiting at Worcester for the connecting train to Hereford. Quite a long cab ride to Hay - and in a break with tradition, John has an in-car kip on the outbound journey. We arrive around 11:15 and, after resolving the important question of our official start point (the car park or the Blue Boar) we wend our way down to the Wye and over the fields to Clyro. The woods through Bettws Dingle provide welcome shade from the sun before the more open fields leading to Newchurch. A couple of climbs between Newchurch and Gladestry are eased by some comfortable turf underfoot and, to afford yet more comfort, there's the temptation (not resisted) of the Royal Oak at Gladestry. Our arrival at afternoon closing time doesn't mean that our ciders have to be rushed, and we leave with springs in our steps (relatively speaking) which help the climb up to the moorland of Hergest Ridge. Past the site of the former Kington racecourse, and by this stage Gary is having to make disturbingly frequent adjustments to his below waistline attire due to the detachment of the button at the top of his shorts. In Kington itself - which isn't as much of a toilet as Gary has previously banged on about - there's a short debate about whether we should indulge in a further reviver. The decision not to means that we'll almost certainly get a lift from Lower Harpton to Old Radnor which has been kindly offered by our hosts at The Harp, but conversely, the hill out of Kington is now distinctly more challenging than the post-cider hill out of Gladestry. It leads to Kington golf course which is, apparently, the highest in England at almost 1,300 feet. The next couple of inclines, Rushock and Herrock hills, are walked round rather than over, so the final mile or so of the day is pretty easy going. However, it's still something of a relief shortly after getting to Lower Harpton, to see a car driven by Angela from The Harp arriving to pick us up - even more of a relief when we realise, from the comfort of the car, the distance to The Harp. And what a location when we get there. Having walked around the south west coast it seems strange to say that the views (over the Radnor Valley) are probably the best we've experienced at any of the places where we've stayed. To take full advantage, we have a drink outside in the early evening sunshine before showers/baths and supper. And, even after the views, we're not disappointed by the rooms, the food and the hospitality - Gary even obtains a safety pin for his mobile shorts. Just the one sticky this evening, although it is preceded by a port with our cheese. Unlikely that tonight's Argentina v Holland World Cup semi-final will match the entertainment of last night's Brazil v Germany game, so no need for sleep to be delayed by the footie.