Day 25 - Penkridge to Abbots Bromley
The day started off well as one of the staff at the Littleton Arms gave me £10 first thing - her daughter had had leukemia in her childhood and she told me that I had inspired her...another nice morning. Couldn't find the footpath through Penkridge so after a slight detour I went under the M6 with a shortish run along the canal towpath until crossing a bridge and picking up the Staffordshire Way. Initially I lost the footpath and followed what appeared to be a distinct trail through a cereal field : a guy was walking ahead and actually took the correct route so I backtracked and followed! When I reached a small copse I was trying to work out whether I needed to take the bridleway or footpath when a voice suddenly boomed 'hello, hello'...it was the guy phoning someone in the middle of the trees but I thought I'd gone a little bit cuckoo and could hear the trees talking! After Bednall, more cereal fields but this time I can actually see what the crop is - wheat, as the ears are showing. A nice sandy track uphill took me into Cannock Chase Country Park : the Staffordshire Way was extremely well marked and the terrain exactly like the New Forest ie sandy trails with lots of open plains covered with heather. A lovely downhill track took me down to Sherbrook Valley and the brook which I followed through beech and fir tree coppices and eventually out onto the A513. I planned to make a visit to Shugborough Park where everyone was dressed as in 1805 so you could ask them about their lives but they weren't aware of anything from the 20th and 21st centuries! Taking the shuttle bus to the house, Bill the driver got chatting and told me he had cycled John O'Groats to Lands End in 45 hours as part of a relay team 20 years ago! A quick look round the house (which was the home of Lord Lichfield of photographic fame) where I met one of the room ushers who had 'crewed' for Bill's cycle team - he gave me £10! Tea and treacle cake (with cream for energy!) in the teashop then a walk around the grounds before setting out again on my journey, this time picking up the SW over Essex stone footbridge and dropping down to follow the canal towpath. This time there was lots of activity both with boats and people - seems everyone was out painting their vessel. Saw a duck with 12 ducklings and a pair of swans with 6 cygnets. I was a bit miffed at being 'overtaken' by a guy out running but he was only going 4 miles and didn't have a backpack! I didn't have the heart to say how far I was travelling! Wildlife tour continued with the sighting of a rat who quickly scooted back into the vegetation. Having left the canal I then ran into Colton across buttercup strewn fields. I spotted a tawny owl which appeared to be fast asleep in a tree and 'stalked' closer to get a photo before it flew off...quite a wildlife tour today and this was definitely the highlight. I went the wrong side of a strip of trees, ending up at a farmyard in error - having retraced my steps I bumped into the farmer and acted exactly like a 'tourist' ie apologetic and surprised when I eventually found the correct route. Unfortunately this was a path between nettles and barbed wire so impossible to actually run without risk of sting or cut. I then dropped won to run below the dam of Blithfield Resevoir and into Abbots Bromley. St Nicholas church houses 6 famous reindeer antlers and a hobby horse costume which are used in the annual 'horn dance' held on the 'Monday following the first Sunday after the 4th September'...it's believed to date from 1226 although the antlers are even older, having been carbon dated back to 1065 and therefore extremely valuable. Just a short jog upto Marsh Farm for the night. Unfortunately no internet - nearest would be library in Sheffield for which there is hourly bus but didn't think open on Saturday anyway! Unsure when I'll be able to next update blog - feeling more isolated now! John going to put 'temporary communication problem' notice on web! Ongoing plan was to eat in castleton but really nothing else to see. Went back to coffee shop I visited yesterday for latte and chance to write postcards. Back over hill but this time via Hollins Cross view point. Sun was lovely on way up met about 25 walkers coming down but windy once hit top and down other side 3 new boies in my room! Wrote down days adventure as no way I'm gonna remember! Start Pennine Way tomorrow and to be honest I'm a little scared!
Mileage 20.38 and time 4.42