Ben fails to
come under starter’s orders due to a sprung fetlock (i.e. a sprained ankle)
which he believes to have been sustained on a treadmill in that most unhealthy
of places, the gym. A day watching England win the cricket World Cup 24 hours
ago has not provided a cure. The other three of us meet at Peterborough station
where a bit of re-arranging of this evening’s plans is required, not only
because of Ben’s absence but also because our accommodation at The Boathouse
B&B is no longer available due to some workmen needing to stay there for a
bit longer than originally envisaged. The proprietor has arranged for us to
stay instead at The Anchor pub (also in Sutton Bridge) which sounds perfectly
acceptable. It’ll be for the same price and there’ll be no charge for Ben’s no
show. And we can have supper there so our booking at the Riverside restaurant
is cancelled. Finally, our taxi driver this evening and tomorrow morning
declares himself unavailable so we’ve been placed in the no doubt reliable
hands of Messrs Ace Cabs. A day’s worth of admin in quarter of an hour.
It’s only a
20 minute rail journey to Spalding where we’re met by a pre-booked Colin who
gets us to Marsh Farm just after 11:30 with John showing not a little surprise
at the efficiency of the directions which he evidently gave when booking the
cab. Back on the embankment, we’re soon hoping that the underfoot conditions
don’t last too long because, although the terrain remains flat, the grass is
pretty high, with some encroaching shrubbery, and therefore quite tiring to get
through. We still manage to achieve just over 3 miles in the first hour by
which time our hopes have been realised and there’s an easily identifiable
track as the embankment turns to the south west to run alongside the River
Welland. Whilst the countryside around us is as flat and unremarkable as it was
on our last trip, the views are considerably improved by what is a dry and
increasingly warm day. The sort of weather to create a bit of a thirst and,
when we go over Fosdyke Bridge almost at the end of our second hour (having yet
again crossed the meridian), we can’t resist the temptation of the Ship, our
intended finishing point on the last trip. Our stay is a mere 4 minutes, but
enough time to have a refreshing half and decide that it would have been a very
comfortable nestler if we’d managed to reach it in June. Now on the southern
side of the bridge, we turn north east and spend the next hour or so walking
back along the other side of the Welland – and back into the eastern
hemisphere. We’re maintaining a pace of about 3 mph and, after around 10 miles,
we finally catch sight of the Wash and turn right to continue parallel to the
coast. However, between us and the sea, there’s still a wide area of marshland
which around Holbeach St Matthew becomes – or incorporates – an extensive MoD
weapons range. And there is now a narrow road alongside the embankment (for MoD
traffic) onto which we occasionally divert.
Sometimes this is because of a gap or obstruction in the embankment, and
sometimes we simply decide on a change of underfoot conditions. But along one
stretch, there are notices advising that there are birds nesting in the marshes,
and we do catch sight of what our rural affairs correspondent informs us is a partridge
with chicks. Not just any old partridge, but an English partridge which
apparently makes it a rare sighting – so probably just as well that our rural
affairs correspondent doesn’t have his shotgun with him. By now it’s pretty
clear that we will arrive at Gedney Drove earlier than the arranged collection
time of 6:45 and so, shortly before 5 o’clock and with just over 3 miles to go,
we decide to phone Ace Cabs to see if we can bring forward the booking. John’s
ETA of 6:15 is regarded as being a tad optimistic by Gary – who is feeling
increasingly weary – so we rearrange the pick up for 6:25. In fact, we get to
Gedney Drove just before 6:10, but Ace Cabs very conveniently arrive just 5
minutes later and we reach the Anchor in Sutton Bridge around 6:30. By now Gary’s
weariness has reached a stage where, according to John, he is receiving
sympathetic (or pitying?) looks from the bar staff. He is, however, capable of
joining John and Mike in a post-arrival pint and of ascertaining that, whilst
Ace Cabs cannot provide a car at our previously booked time of 8 a.m. tomorrow
(school runs again), they can get one to us at 7:30. Given that breakfast at
the Anchor is from 7 o’clock, this is not too much of an inconvenience. We’re
taken to or rooms which are in a building over the road from the pub and prove
to be very comfortable with efficient showers. By the time we reconvene for
supper Gary has recovered, but his decision not to follow the others in
ordering a large plate of fish chips and peas, and going for scampi instead, is
regarded by John as a rather “wet” option. As is the request for “just a glass”
of white wine as an aperitif. The realisation that three glasses of white wine
would cost 75p more than a bottle leads to the inevitable result, and Gary ends
up making a pretty fair contribution to the ensuing (and further) consumption.
But no stickies for anyone before retiring.
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