Not the best of walks (just over 7 miles) – did anything go right?
The Elizabeth Line had signal delays; the train from Paddington to Hungerford ran late; I couldn’t get an Uber to the start of the walk and the bus alternative didn’t appear to be running, and where was the town hall bus stop anyway? But eventually I got an Uber, with a very pleasant driver, Mohammad Ali.
A stunning beginning to the walk but mainly stony tracks between hedges for much of the way. I got into a bit of a tizz a couple of times with finding the correct route. I was following a route on my OS app and it took me up a non-existent path. It was actually a boundary line but the app insisted it was a path and I ended up going along the wrong path and then having to backtrack and re-route. Another path was overgrown and impassable which also required a re-route. I was conscious that with having started the walk late (1pm) there were limited daylight hours available – I needn’t have worried. A glass of Malbec in The Great Decoy pub at Hurstbourne Tarrant was my reward whilst I waited for an Uber to Andover station. There was still fun to be had when the train to Clapham Junction skipped the stop due to a fire at CJ meaning going all the way to London Waterloo. Then a tube to London Bridge and a train home by a route that avoided CJ. Home by 8pm – what a day!
All images taken with the phone. Note to self – take a paper map next time; double-check the route on the OS app; make sure the OS app records my activity as I walk! Note that all my long walks can be found here.
Feel free to leave a comment…