Day 60 (still no Gary): 5 September 2014 Near Oswestry to Overton Bridge

Taxi Johnny from the previous day picked us up promptly after a decent breakfast at the b and b adjoining then pub, where we had spent the night. We were redeposited at our crossroads and were under way by 8.40. Plenty of time to make our day’s destination, the Cross Foxes at Overton Bridge, where we were to be collected at 3 30 by Taxi Johnny, with plenty of time to make the train in Chester. Despite managing to take the wrong path almost straight away, we were soon back on track and making good progress northwards. Today was the day we were to say goodbye to the Offa’s Dyke walk (who wants to go to Prestatyn anyway) and strike off northeast along the Dee. Although this was the one thing we had to worry about, we naturally managed to miss the turn we had intended to make, shortly before Chirk, but got back on track quickly enough.

Our planned route involved a crossing of the Ceiriog, whose north bank we followed for a section that splendidly took us under the viaducts for the Llangollen Canal and the railway, then a pleasant section along the canal before, crossing a main road, we were on the Llwbyr Maelor Way and on the last leg to Overton Bridge. Still plenty of time…but when we were around the Ceiriog/Dee confluence, we managed to go wrong by staying too close to the river. One of John’s cross-country recoveries, involving much scrambling through brambles and bracken and up slopes that challenged Ben’s vertigo (hypnotherapy or not), we eventually got back on track. We were now a bit short of time, but a frisky load of bullocks enabled us to get through Flannog farm briskly enough, and after a rather easier stretch along the Dee, and the old helpful short cut, we made it to the pub at Overton Bridge with twelve minutes in hand.

Our travails were not done yet, however. Taxi Johnny was nowhere to be seen and had to be summoned from Oswestry. His confident demeanour began to wear a little thin as he decided to take us to Chester station through the clogged middle of the city, spurning the rather empty-looking by-pass. We were both booked onto a particular train, John so that he could do a nifty change at Milton Keynes Central and see Gloucester’s first game of the season at Northampton. Missing the train would have been a disaster (although John may wish he’d missed the game: Gloucester lost 53 -6: tries by North (3), Pisi, Burrell (2), Fotuali’i and Fisher).

We made it by just over a minute and were grateful for the red wine freely (as in readily not gratis) available at buffet car. 16.3 miles in 6 hours, 40 minutes.

Day 59 (no Gary) – 4 September 2014 Pool Quay to near Oswestry

Despite Gary’s enforced absence looking after his mum, John and Ben went ahead with the walk on 4/5 Sept. Perhaps surprisingly, Ben managed to get the right train at Euston and negotiate a change at Birmingham International. John then joined him at Birmingham New Street and the depleted party arrived in good order at Welshpool station (the one that serves a by-pass) soon after 10. Taxi Johnny deposited us at the pub at Pool Quay, which at that hour had more of an excuse for not being open than usual, but a search of the outside revealed no trace of Gary’s guide to the Offa’s Dyke Path (north). A nasty-sounding dog put us off asking at the door.

A pleasant if unremarkable couple of hours along the canal and by the Severn (which at that point is describing a long clockwise turn and flowing east – we left it eventually and struck north again), eventually took us to Four Crosse. Here for the first time on that day we managed to get a bit lost, in a cemetery of all places from which we eventually emerged by retracing our steps to find Parson’s lane. Another bit of canalside action, and since it was rather warm, with nine miles under our belts we decided to reward ourselves with a lunch stop a – the Dolphin at Llanymynech where we doubled the lunchtime crowd and, remarkably reduced its average age. The pub did us a good sandwich though.

The walk after lunch was more undulating – we climbed up around the side of a hill and were soon crossing Llanymynech golf course, possibly more famous for being Ian Woosnam’s home course than the fact that Ben had played there once on a cricket tour. Some quite demanding ups and downs, not helped by a sign for ice creams put up by children who turned out to have consumed their stock, brought us to Moelydd Uchaf.  A fine crest with commanding views.  From there it was downhill all the way to the end of the day’s walk just before 6 30:  the crossroads of the path with theB4580, where Taxi Johnny from Oswestry (more about him on day 60) was soon persuaded to turn up and take us to our designated pub at Whittington. Total distance 18.7 miles in 7 hours 5 minutes.