Day 10 – Llanwddyn to Meifod

I woke at seven having enjoyed the most wonderful sleep.  I gathered my things together, did my stretches and applied plasters to a selection of my blisters so that I could have a quick breakfast and be on my way.  However, Michael turned out to be great company and he spent a lot more time chatting than serving or cooking.  We talked about my work, the media, the local area, children’s education and his former career amongst many other things.  Since 1979 he had been the estate manager of the dam, lake and surrounding area but decided to leave when changes were made to the company.  At that time he looked at what his assets were and thought the house and its location was the greatest of those and began B&Bing.  He’s very good at it.  He said that now that he’s in his seventies he’s thinking of downsizing. 

I was very touched that he’d cleaned my boots.  He said it was “all part of the service”.  I left at 9.15 without getting to meet his wife, the wonderfully named, Daphne Duggleby.  I walked into Abertridwr and then into woods at quite a brisk pace.  It amuses me how I consciously and unconsciously allow the tempo of the music I’m listening to to dictate the pace at which I walk.  However many hundreds of times I’ve heard those songs before they will forever remind me of this walk now.  It was a lovely day with areas of blue sky between white clouds.  At 11.30 while negotiating some bogginess my stick snapped in two.  This saddened me.  It had been providing good physical and emotional support. 

It seemed that I sprinted to Dolanog which was just over halfway.  Around three o’clock I entered a field and soon realised it was inhabited by cows.  I haven’t previously disclosed this but I have a bit of an issue with cows.  This is slightly controversial but I think they are pure evil.  I’m not sure of exact figures but I would imagine that dozens, if not hundreds, of people are injured by cows each year.  Normally, when walking, I take detours to avoid them.  So far on the Glyndŵr's Way I’ve only seen them off in the distance.  All of my fears and beliefs were confirmed today.  When I spotted them I was trying to tell myself I was being unreasonable and they are up there with cats and dogs in terms of friendly cuddliness.  I speeded up and tried to give them a wide berth but they started walking towards me.  All of them.  And then some loud mooing began.  I don’t speak cow and didn’t know if this was friendly or aggressive but it got louder and louder.  Of course I walked faster and faster and so did they.  It would be overly dramatic to say they were running after me but they were definitely power walking.  I was sure to be trampled to deaf like a bovine Midsomer Murder.  As I ran I made a mental note to return to eating meat or buy some leather shoes at the very least if I survived.  With the help of my genital protecting hat I went over a barbed wire fence and then climbed over a gate.  I’m sure it looked highly comic to anyone watching but I was more than slightly anxious. 

Soon after narrowly escaping death by cow I was crossing a particularly boggy area and found myself a new stick.  I kept it for twenty minutes until I reached the road to Meifod.  I got rid of it because it was about eight feet long.  If I was more intelligent I’d have broken the top of it off.  As I walked into Meifod at 4pm I noticed that the whole village had the aroma of manure but suspected it might be me.  

The Tan Y Graig B&B is very lovely.  As usual after arriving I showered and rinsed my flasks at my feet and rested.  The presence of croutons in the plughole may have confused cleaners who have followed me during the week.  My evening meal was provided by my host Eleri who I talked to about her children’s careers and academic careers.  She did, rather curiously, ask if I’d picked and eaten any wild mushrooms while walking.  “No.  Picking them off the supermarket shelf is as adventurous as I get”.  I can hear torrential rain hitting the windows but it’s the final stretch tomorrow and I don’t think anything could stop or slow me down.