Important Info

Planned kilometres: 29 (cummulative 550)

Kilometres walked: 29 (cummulative 584)

% Completed (based on 1800km trip): 32.4%

Weather: Sunshine, overcast inlate afternoon

Pubs visited: The Holt Fleet

Pints: 0 (cummulative 60)

Kms per pint: 9.7

Blisters: 0 (cummulative 2)

 

Worcester to Kidderminster

This morning was continuation of walking along Severn Way and after leaving Worcester I didn’t pass anyone else on the trail for the whole morning.

 

As I was walking along the trail, I got lost as Google maps showed trail going off side direction up a road, however the trail marker went straight ahead via a set of gates. I decided to go straight ahead as I had the same issue with Google maps that day before and the sign posted trail was right. Well today Google was right.

 

I was following a trail through the forest and the trail got worse and worse and I went on and required me to climb over and crawl under fallen trees and I had to take of my pack and drag it through a couple of times. I knew then that I was not on a proper path but didn’t want to back track 45 minutes, so keep pushing on and following the river as I knew Severn Way came back to river. I think the trail I was following was a very old one as there was a broken wooden walking bridge on the way, so I kept walking and then the trail just stopped. I heard a tractor start up and could see it through the trees but had to find a way to cross a creek to get into the paddock. I found a fallen down tree and used that to cross the stream, the right-hand part of the tree was rotten and so I carefully got myself across on the solid left-hand side using my poles and branches.

 

After crossing the creek, I walked along the river on edges of paddocks only to find a sign when through about 4 paddocks saying private land and no public access. It didn’t help that this sign was facing me and when I looked on the other side of the post, there was the same sign on the other side. I did the only thing I could and keep going across the fields as I could see a road a couple of fields over and thought that will get me out and I could get my bearings. After climbing over a barbed wire fence near the road, I came out into the car park of The Holt Fleet pub (and back onto the Severn Way trail). I decided that this was a good place to have lunch and a rest in the river garden bar.

 

The rest of the walk along Severn Way was uneventful, especially compared to my morning. I passed lots of caravan parks with fixed caravans and chalet type buildings for people to holiday (or live?) on the river. I also came across fields with what looked like caravan grave yards.

 

 

I also passed through a section where the whole side of the paths and hill were covered in white flowers

 

Public right of ways can take you straight through people properties and previously I have walked through farm sheds, across people’s gardens and today, the right of way went straight through a working boat repair yard. 

 

At Stourport on Severn, I finally left the Severn Way and joined the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal walk and followed this directly to my hotel which was on the canal.

 

In Worcester, I went to PC World to try and get a replacement laptop battery, but they didn’t hold them in stock and to order would take a few days. I told the lady serving me that I was leaving the next day and she googled alternate suppliers and found I could order one that night from John Lewis and they would guarantee delivery by 2pm the next day to one of their stores or a Waitrose supermarket. I ordered at battery at 9pm on Tuesday night and I got a text at 11:30am today (Wednesday) saying my battery was ready to collect from Waitrose supermarket that I nominated in Wolverhampton.