Chirk to Llanymynech. 17.83 miles, 2,930 ft of elevation, 24,479 steps
Chirk was charming. We had a curry last night hosted by a man who used to work in the Curry Garden in Blackheath. He left 20 years ago to bring his kids up but would have been there in mine and others sweet spot – you know who you are, and how much a part of our Blackheath lives this place was. Small world! Today started sunny and warm and stayed dry and clear all day. David Vernon (from now on referred to as ‘Vern’) yet again lucked out….some people are just born lucky . We walked under the famous Chirk double Aquaduct/Viaduct. Apparently the train crossing was made higher than the canal due to its superiority as a form of travel. Or it could be that the aqueduct needed to be level with the canal…… next to it we also saw an ancient homage to a well known symbol of fertility and intelligence. Or it could have been just been a very immature piece of modern art….
We did eventually get to Offa’s Dyke and the start of what I see as the homeward stretch. The paths are clear and well marked, the scenery fantastic and the company good so we had a great day. a better day at least than the man who lost a boot……
We were all loving the walk and finally got up to the old race course (Oswestry race course) with yet another wonderful example of a stupid noble/rich Englishman losing all their family wealth built up over generations, from bad decisions and bad gambling ….
All great stuff and we soaked up the history as we negotiated stile after stile. By this point it was a tough walk with plenty of hills. The views however were spectacular and of course the phone cannot do it justice. Therefore I will just post some fairly unflattering shots of us all…
We finished the day in Llanymynech in the cross keys pub. A very bland looking pub but turned out to be a great, friendly local with a lovely landlord. The best welcome so far… “come on in, here’s some water for the dog. We will sort out the rooms later. What’s you drink? First one on the house……”
After a couple of pints, and having let ‘Vern’s’ hands subside from some weird swelling , it was time for dinner. Grahame has joined the gang for a walk tomorrow, Keith came to join for dinner and we all five went over the road for another curry. The most surreal curry house, it was packed for such a tiny hamlet – and the waitress was from Thailand – . Brilliant!
Fantastic!! X