Day 17: Newcastle to Welshpool

Today's walk continued north along the Offa's Dyke trail, except for the last couple of miles. Towering storm clouds threatened to unleash their might on all those who dared to walk the hills. But they just passed by, rumbling and groaning like angry giants, seeking out something else far away and more deserving of their mood. (Well, that's the way I imagined it as Josh described his view of the sky as he trudged on.) The meandering trail and the rise and fall of the land continued to slow Josh's pace but he phoned me at about 13:30 to say that he was standing on top of a hill and looking ahead at the last of the major hills for as far as he could see. Ahhh. At last! What a wonderful feeling!
Of course perspective plays a part in making those distant hills look insignificant and I'm sure that he still has a few to overcome before he reaches Oswestry. Still, having put the last of the major hills behind him, his pace quickened and he arrived at a campsite, about 2 miles south of Welshpool, at about 19:30. Early enough to relax in the last of the evening light, read his book and cook up a meal of ...noodles. It always seems to be noodles or pasta, noodles or pasta. Actually Josh told me that he passed by a fish and chip shop in one village and almost succumed to the desire for a filling portion of hot and tasty chips but the expression on the face of the proprietor, frowning back at him through the window, persuaded him that he would save the experience for another day. It may be time to change that T-shirt, Josh! ;-)

It's tough being a long distance back packer. Everywhere you go you have your house on your back. A big, cumbersome, heavy mass that swings about threateningly every time you twist or turn. Just having an animated conversation with a shop keeper can be enough to send his blood pressure soaring as he desperately tries to follow your dialogue with half of his consciousness while the other half is constantly recalculating collision paths between the swaying mass on your back and the contents of his shop, including the customers. But a backpack is your survival kit and you can't leave it unattended. Someone should setup a chain of backpacker's lockups, like deposit boxes, that could be discretely housed in most villages where backpackers congregate. That would be a weight off everyone's minds, (and backs). In the meantime I suggest that you take your pack off when preparing to enter a chip shop. I would still recommend changing the T-shirt though, Josh. ;-)

Josh told me that the campsite where he stayed last night had very good toilet facilities. In fact the shower impressed him so much that it seems to have been the highlight of his visit. It was a power shower with multiple nozzles that spray jets of water to massage every part of an aching body from all directions at once. And what's more... it had a radio built into it! So he tells me that he was able to sit on the toilet this morning and listen to a whole episode of "The Archers". Luxury! (Sorry. That may be a little too graphic for some.)

Tomorrow Josh hopes to reach just NW of Oswestry to another campsite, also on The Offa's Dyke trail. He will be following roads tomorrow so he expects his pace to pick up.

Distance travelled today: Approx. 17 miles.