(Posted Saturday)
Today: 12.1 miles
Total so far: 453.1 miles
Percentage Completed: 27.1%
(Click map to enlarge)
No phone reception here, so who knows where this will be posted from!
I know, I know: Another lovely day; this must be getting boring reading about how this beardy bloke with a problem belly is having such a good time. I am pretty sure it's not to do with the walking. It's the stopping that counts: Where you stop is crucial in all of this.
Having struggled over the slippery screes under the limestone cliffs, with none of the benefits of views, I decided to have a long stop at World's End (thank you, Theo) As I was finishing lunch on a convenient bench, a walkery chap appeared by magic out of no-where and said "Alan Sloman, I presume!"
Being a crap liar, I had to admit to the sin, and Jeff Pepper introduced himself. It was not quite Livingstone and Stanley, but it came pretty close in my book.
Jeff explained he had started out this morning at six from Stoke and by dint of public transport and a firm determination had tracked me down to World's End. If I was going to look for someone, then World's End would be a good place to start as you can work back from there.
We strolled the rest of the way to Llandegla together and Jeff had explained that he had found my blog from Andy Howell's illustrious pages and had decided it would be a Good Thing (the capitals are important here) to meet up with me.
After spending his entire life in the banking system, Jeff broke away and now spends a few days a week helping out in an outdoor shop. He seems to have life sorted.
We spent a happy hour in my B&B (The Old Rectory - an astonishingly ace place) trying to wade our way through a mountain of home-made cakes and a huge pot of tea surrounded by three greyhounds, a whippet and a wonderful family who are living their dream and who have upped-sticks and moved from Surrey to try to run the best B&B on the walk.
We were then off to the Crown, to meet Pam (running the show), Terry, who was sixty last Saturday and enjoying life building kitchens for John to fit, Jan - who used to look after them all and now has a new job but misses her boys madly, Gerraint (I hope I have spelt that right) who has a pencil behind his ear and is a minor deity, and Dawn who is a PA who wears fishnet stockings and who has a black Lab & a Jack Russell and who walks them every morning and afternoon, works and brings up two children.
John has already done his own LEJOG on a bike, and for the last few years has been walking it with his wife in two week chunks and this year will get to Mankinholes.
Another lovely pub, totally built from the bottom up by its customers; as sure a foundation as one could wish for.
Wow, it's a small world! Jeff Pepper and I have swapped many an email about kit :) You mentioning him reminds me that I've not heard from him for ages and ages. I'm glad to hear that he's still well,l and envious of his job in a walking shop.
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