Day 31 -- July 1, 2011 -- Kington to Knighton -- 14 miles

The Shadow knows

Today was a glorious day. The sun was shining, the meadows were filled with flowers, and the birds were singing all day. For almost 30 minutes this morning I was serenaded by a raptor continuously screeching its message while it circled above in the wind currents. The locals call it a buzzard, but it wasn’t circling dead carrion as vultures typically do. And since it was morning, I did not yet smell like I was dead.

Today’s route climbed to the top of seemingly every hill around, providing 360˚ views of the surrounding patchwork quilt countryside. Among the hills, the route passed through beautiful woods, and over rippling streams.

Although the scenery was incredible, I am getting a little tired of all the pastures filled with sheep or cattle. Perhaps the warm sunshine had an effect, but it seems as if the barnyard smells of manure and ammonia proliferated more than before, and the flies were more numerous. Still, those minor inconveniences could not spoil the day.

Pam and Bob

En route, I encountered Pam and Bob, perhaps the most avid walkers I’ve met in a long time. They just returned from two and a half weeks of hiking in the Pyrenees, and were already out hiking again on Offa’s Dyke.

After the usual shower and laundry, I went out to dinner. The first venue I tried was too crowded to be enjoyable. The second pub had a small group watching the Wimbledon semi-finals, so I went in for a beer. The crowd departed as soon as the Brit lost, and I moved into the restaurant for dinner. There were Pam and Bob, and we had a friendly conversation about the best places to walk. They live in the area I’ll be passing through next week, and we made tentative plans to get together again.

My B&B tonight does not have WiFi, so this posting will be a day late.

Which is the bull?  Hint: the trail is 6 feet in front of his nose ring.

© 2011 Ken Klug