After a sendoff from the Tudor Arms, Dave Stayte and I set off down the Severn way. One slight difficulty with this plan was that Dave is 25 years younger than me and was carrying about a quarter of the kit weight. This we moved markedly faster than I normally would, nearly 2.8 miles an hour.
We followed the Severn Way , no mean feat as it is almost devoid of signposts. The path leads by the Severn with diversions around Sharpness Docks and Berkeley nuclear labs.
After Claire’s dog had widdled over me at the start, I hoped we would avoid further dog problems, but no.
First up was a terrier who refused to come anywhere near us and whose owner was unable to catch or control it. We had a welcome five minute break while he rattled treats at it and finally caught it and managed to lead it past us .
Second was an Italian mastiff cross breed who again not on a lead had a hatred, according to his owner, of walking poles. We negotiated this beast to arrive at the Anchor at Oldbury where we had excellent food.
I bid farewell to Dave and settled down to a good night’s sleep