Sandstone Trail Day 2.
Distance today: 12.3 miles.
Total distance: 775.9 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
I was up, packed, and ready to go by 6 o’clock but this was still not early enough to beat a jogger who had already run up the hill and looked like he was having a breather before he ran down again. One thing you could say about Bickerton Hill was that it offered some lovely panoramic views. The sky was clear and it already felt like it was going to be a beautiful sunny day. Even better news: today was the day I was going to get my new boots. Big Sis to the rescue. Sian had very kindly agreed to meet me at Grindley Brook, which was where I hoped I would be staying.
As fine as the weather was, the trail continued to be fairly lacklustre. More fields waiting to be harvested. I passed by the Manor House Stables at one point and this did at least provide an interesting distraction. The whole operation oozed money and seeing the number of staff and horses made me wonder how much would it take to keep this kind of thing going. Lucky for them they had ex England footballer, Michael Owen on board.
The last mile and half to Grindley Brook were along the canal which, ironically given my previous moaning about them, came as a welcome change. I bumped into a guy called Peter who was a member of the Whitchurch Walkers walking group. As such, he was probably more interested than most about my trip and before he left, he generously gave me £20 for the cause. Amazing.
When I reached Grindley Brook, I sat down for a cup of tea at a canalside café. When I rang the the Canal Side Caravan & Camp Site to ask if I could book a tent pitch, the man who answered the phone clearly couldn’t be bothered with any niceties. We’re closed. Did he know of any other campsites in the area? No, bye. Thanks for that. After a quick google, I found Hadley Park Caravan Park which was not far from Whitchurch. When I rang them, the conversation was almost the exact opposite of my previous one, the upshot being they had space and I was really going to love their new showers.
I arranged to meet Sian at the Horse and Jockey pub and she duly arrived at around 12 o’clock with boots and a very leggy, excitable Labrador puppy called Ruby. Growing up, we’d had a black lab called Scrumpy and Ruby was definitely more lean compared to her slightly shorter and more barrel-shaped predecessor. It was good to see Sian in happier circumstances given what she had been through over the last couple of years. We grabbed a bite to eat at the pub, and spent a couple of hours sat outside catching up. I tried on my new boots and I as I hoped, they felt like they didn’t need any wearing in at all. The G-390s may not be perfect but they were very comfortable. My parting gifts to Sian were my old boots and a few maps – for her to keep until we next met up.
Back on the towpath, I headed for Whitchurch. Did I mention that it was hot? In spite it being a relatively short day for me, I was flagging. It was probably a combination of the heat and a lack of both sleep and hydration. The campsite was fortunately right next to the canal and was a big open space with a central lake/pond. They had a couple of shepherd huts and pods but the majority of customers had caravans or camper vans. I think I was the only one there in a tent and so probably the only one who was bemoaning the fact there was very little shade.
By the time I’d pitched my tent, it was still only 4 o’clock and so I thought I’d head into Whitchurch to get some provisions. It surprised me how far away it was. I always imagined canals to be close to the town centre. An aimless wander exploring the various streets, culminated in me stocking up at the commendable Refill Your Boots and the less commendable Sainsbury’s. Back at the campsite, aside from the usual food, shower routine, I took advantage of the comfort offered by a small hut next to the lake. Apart from catching up on Instagram, my main task was to work out how I was going to rejoin the MaeIor Way seeing as I hadn’t anticipated going as far as Whitchurch. It’ll be fine.
