Day 18 - Wed 22nd - For the first time in many days, it was grey and misty, but very calm. We were on day packs again as Yo was taking our main packs to Knighton before driving home, so we packed everything would end up in the right place. After breakfast, we bade farewell to our kind hosts, and Yo drove us to the start point on the A438. She was going home to Cornwall and we won't see her until we get to Fort William, when she is coming up for the last 2 weeks walking to act as backup again.
This was to be a grey and green day: a calm, cloudy sky and the vivid green of the fields and hills. We started steeply uphill on a lane, which we left to follow the Offa's DYke route pleasantly up lanes and over fields and heaths to 'LIttle Mountain' - a bit OTT for a 1,000 foot hill - but nice walking on the springy turf. The air wasn't clear enough to see the distant views, but this hilly country is very attractive and remained so all day. The path joined the road at Newchurch (in Powys) where do-it-yourself tea, coffee and biscuits were on offer along with a picnic bench in the churchyard. We took advantage of this, put some change in the honesty box and sat happily outside to enjoy their generosity.
The Offas Dyke route then left the road to climb into the hills, but we decided to stick on the road, which was very quiet and easy walking. Roads are harder on the feet, but quicker than footpaths and where they are also more direct we have to consider our overall objective and the length of the day's walk. We stopped at a wayside inn at noon for a pint of shandy and got talking to the friendly local couple within. My first impression was that here were two people drinking early in the day and being rather over-friendly, so I thought they must have a drink problem. It transpired that they were on their way home from a key meeting with their solicitors, and were celebrating the outcome which, apparently,was that they were no longer under the thrall of Barclays Bank. They ran a small machine hire business in Presteigne, and were sorry that we were not passing that way. It is so easy to jump to wrong conclusions just by appearances!
We were walking mostly on roads for the rest of the day and made good time. From a hamlet called Whitton, where the school was coming out, we had a long climb up to the final section of path, over the hill to Knighton. I had gone ahead - I walk faster than John, and prefer to go at my own pace then have a rest while I wait for him - but am not carrying a map. The reason for this is that John as a sophisticated GPS device with all the maps on it. I did have my little laptop in my bag (it is quite light) which also has the maps but I obviously don't use it while walking. So I had memorised the route, and when I came to an intersection I couldn't see an Offa's DYke signpost pointing away from the road. The next road junction was 100 yards further on, where there was a signpost, so I went on and waited there for John. He seemed a long time, and after about 30 minutes I got worried. A van driver said that he had seen no-one on the road, so I actually got my laptop out and checked - I should have waited at the first intersection. John, of course, had seen I wasn't there and assumed I had gone on so did the same as there had been no mobile phone reception for some time.
The final bit of the day was on Offas Dyke, over a last bit of hill then steeply down to the little town of Knighton, where are housed in very comfortable rooms and got a good dinner. John has been walking with a cold, and tomorrow will be a longer harder day with many hills, so we both hoped he would be feeling better!
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