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 awoke to glorious sunshine and headed straight out onto the canal, walking through the north of Kidderminster towards Cookley and Whittington. Between which, I passed another milestone as I left Worcestershire and entered Staffordshire.
Whittington is a beautiful little hamlet, with the few houses there all neatly cared for and loved. With the sun shining, the scene was even more enchanting. I crossed a tiny bridge and headed across fields and onto higher paths that avoid the flood plains in the valley between Kinver and Dunsley.
I climbed the steep hill to Dunsley, which afforded incredible views of the valley below where both the canal and river Stour run side by side. Dunsley appears to be a perfect little community, with quaint hillside homes and their well tended gardens.
At the top of the hill, it was the a short walk through the village to a corresponding steep downward trek back to the canal. It is a really nice consequence of there being no footpath along the canal in this stretch that the walker has to divert up and over the hill – the views and the interesting paths make it very much worth it.
Returning to the canal, I walked the easy tow path of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal towards Womborne. I left the trail south of the town and cut across to Himley to join the course of a disused railway, which forms a perfect footpath directly through the centre of Womborne. This gives the walker an entirely dreamlike feel of having walked the full length of a town without once seeing any of it.
The path is a great leisure facility for the residents of Womborne, all of whom have it on their doorstep and many of whom were walking along it today.
At the northern edge of Womborne, the old railway station has been converted into a coffee shop and appears to be doing a roaring trade – I could barely get through the door.
As the path leaves the town it joins the Monarch’s Way, which I had walked on a couple of days ago. This long distance trail is an approximation of the route taken by King Charles II after his defeat at the hands of Oliver Cromwell in the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
It gives the walker a deep sense of connection to the past to know these paths have been walked by many, including Kings, for centuries.
The Monarch’s Way took me as far as Lower Penn, where I left the trail and followed country roads and urban streets towards Tettenhall Wood.
Passing beyond Lower Penn also meant bagging yet another county as I left Staffordshire and entered the county of West Midlands. It feels a bit cheeky adding this to my county count since I’m only just inside the boundary and will leave it almost immediately tomorrow. But, hey, I’m counting it.
Tettenhall Wood is a lovely village, mostly sitting high above the canal, which meant a steep climb to end my day. I headed for the hotel to shower, change and head out for food.
The Day 22 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.
Leave a Reply