Distance - 8.25 Miles
Geocaches - 5
Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine July 2019 - Walk 8
I'm so out of practice, I forgot to consult the Good Beer Guide before heading off to Ross-on-Wye. They're in Tier 2, I'm in Tier 2, all should be good for that most illicit of pleasures - a post walk pint.
9 hours later, we're all in lockdown 3, with the only distinction between the Tiers - whether you can get a hair cut.
The walk is a beauty... but not without its doubts. How bad are the icy roads going to be? The early stages are along the Wye but will it still have banks or will I need that Lidl middle aisle snorkel I purchased on a whim, along with presentation pack of six Belgian Beers?
Only one way to find out - get on with it.
I start at Wilton Bridge and although there are signs of flooding, the sub zero temperature has made the mud hard. Its passable, as I work my way along the river and through some serious agriculture.
Along the Wye |
Through the Agriculture |
Its a 15 year tradition for Mappiman to walk the Wye Valley - but this has always been around Tintern - where believe it or not, I have managed to find a different route each year. Wales, I think, is completely shut down and you are only able to walk from your front door. I'm sure my solo walk would have been harmless, but there are only so many hills I am prepared to die on.
But the Wye is a long river and I pick up a splendid section of the Wye Valley Walk at Bulls Hill. I can see what's coming - lots of up and downs, as I knock off Howle Hill and the highest, Chase Hill. Lovely, wild walking but few photo opps due to to the trees.
The Wye Valley Walk |
Occasional gaps in the trees for the Snow Capped South Malverns |
A chance for a breather at Chase Hill Fort and I receive confirmation from base camp that there are two potential good beer guide pubs at my destination disposal. I even get an image with the details that show the micro pub does not do food, so I know that won't be open.
My final hand-pulled cask is going to be in JDW.
Still, I've got the app, I know it will be a splendid and cavernously safe location and I could smash an all day brunch on a blue plate.
The Last Good Beer Guide Tick in 2020 |
Mask up, sanitise, find my seat and attempt to spark up the app. I am approached my the manager.
Who wants to see photo proof of my address.
I won't bore you with all the details and my own opinion but with no traditional ID on me - thank god I had just ordered a Tilly Hat in the sales and had a digital receipt. Me and the fellow Tier 2 Manager can be friends.
This - plus one time email passcodes from HSBC when ordering through the app and you have to ask whether its worth the trouble. Maybe sherry-addled Tramps in bus shelters had it right all this time.
A gorgeous Theakstons Old Peculiar and a breakfast that included chips convinced me I am right to fight the good fight.
This was £1.29 |
I will be telling my grand-kids about pubs and they will scarcely believe that a pint was less than half a costa coffee.
A nice walk past the sights of Ross on Wye (the town is crying out for an Adventure Lab Cache) and I say farewell to another thing I hold dear.
Football with no fans and VAR is dead. Quality Ale in fascinating locations filled with good cheer is dead. Going for a walk in Wales is dead. Trains.... aeroplanes..... live music... live comedy.... all dead.
Two questions remain - how much is a bottle of sherry and what time is the Bus to Kidderminster?
Farewell Ross-on-Wye. Farewell to a way of life. |
Love it, and hate it, obviously.
ReplyDeleteOne of my last pints in a pub was in St Ives (Cambs) Spoons; a £1.29 Abbot that was nectar.