Monmouth to Buckweir – Bridge on the River What? (2nd blog today)

An ok sleep and an early start. I walked up the Main Street through the town and had a really good breakfast. Loads of tea and great sausages. Toast with jam. Yummy. And I was sat outside so I listened to Richard Hawley on my iPad. Truelove’s Gutter. What an album. 

I like it here. The cafe owner was a Chinese woman in her fifties perhaps, a pleasant person. Her son and daughter worked in the cafe; Dad was obviously Caucasian and they were a lovely, polite and decent pair. The son was earning pocket money to support himself at Stirling University. Good luck lad.

I walked down to just around the corner from the bridge I needed to cross. For a laugh I asked a bloke which way it was to the Bridge on the River Wye. He guided me the wrong way! Must’ve not liked war films. I had to wait until he’d gone before I ignored his directions.

I recognised the bridge as I’d driven past it many times back and forth to Cardiff.

Looking upstream the boys’ school was out rowing.

I decided to give Offa’s Dyke Path a miss today and follow the Wye Valley Walk down the river bank. Good choice.

The river was clear and low, with hundreds of swans cruising on the water.

A couple from the campsite had a boat and paddled past me rather elegantly. 

A pleasant journey with trout jumping and wildlife crashing through the trees away from me, though I couldn’t see what. Probably deer. I hope the couple don’t get washed out to sea like this old gimmer in a village en route.

The walk wasn’t too long. Just 11 miles. However the last mile was up a really steep hill to the campsite. It was knackering. I put up the tent, got a shower and slept for an hour. Then I got up and went down to the valley bottom again for food and drink in the local. It was quiz night and inevitably I got invited to join a team… The Young Ones and Dave. We won and my contribution was the best. In fact I’m brilliant. Who thinks I’m brilliant, put your hands up? Fair enough. But I’m not bad for a 58 year old….. Have we been here before? 

A pleasant night with an extremely hard climb back to the tent. Made it in the dark. 

Night night.