Hullo. How are you? I hope you are having a good day. I’m Mark and I’m walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats…
I stayed at Jessop House B&B in Tewkesbury last night and I must say it is a beautiful place to spend the night with amazing hospitality and tasty breakfast. If you ever visit Tewkesbury, I’d highly recommend staying there.
It was a short walk out of Tewkesbury, along the river and through Victorian riverside industry. Along the way, I came across a lovely car, which brought to mind a Richard Thompson song. So, I lined up a Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention playlist on my phone to see me through the day.
Crossing the river Severn meant hitting another milestone as I left Gloucestershire and entered Worcestershire. I make that my seventh county of the trip so far.
I then joined the Severn Way again, which would take me all the way to Worcester, save for a couple of diversions to visit Upton Upon Severn and Kempsey.
It wasn’t long until I was passing under the M50 motorway, which cuts a striking line on the horizon as it straddles the valley.
I left the river behind for a short while to wander into the town of Upton Upon Severn, which marked another milestone as I hit 300 miles walking along the lanes into town.
Upton seemed a delightful little place. At the Spar shop, I grabbed some supplies and chatted with the shopkeeper who told me her father is a long distance walker and wished me well on my travels.
I then crossed the river again and cut across fields for a while as I continued northwards toward Worcester.
At Kempsey, I left the path once more to visit the church, which appeared outsized for the scale of the village.
Returning to the Severn Way, I passed through a yacht club, where I stopped and chatted to three men who were curious to know where I was walking to. I like these interactions with strangers – dipping in to others people’s lives for just a moment or two. It’s always the case that people are friendly and, as with nearly all conversations with anyone in the UK, it isn’t long until everyone is laughing and joking about something, be it the weather or the madness of some oddball passing through your boating club with the intent of walking all the way to the far reaches of Scotland.
A very short while later, I passed the marker for the boundary of the City of Worcester and started the walk into the centre.
I love Worcester, it’s such a nice city and so steeped in history. I also love Worcestershire – I think it’s a bit of a hidden gem amongst the counties of England. It’s rammed with small, handsome towns and villages, has beautiful countryside and, of course, the Malvern Hills, and has at its heart an excellent county town.
Walking through the city is a panoply of historic and imposing buildings. None more so than the impressive Worcester Cathedral, with thronged with tourists, who spilled out on to the surrounding streets and along the river.
I absolutely adored the walk today, even more so for it culminating in a city I have fond memories of. I dumped my things at the hotel and, as is my daily wont, headed off in search of good food.
The Day 20 Vlog
Fundraising for MacMillan Cancer Support
As I walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, I am hoping to raise £10,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support, who do such a wonderful job of supporting families through the most difficult times. If you are able to spare any amount and would like to donate to MacMillan, please do so through my Just Giving Page.
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