Offas Dyke Day 9 Upper Shirley to Buttington

Day 10 pictures

A rather warm night that needed only a sheet to be comfortable, another summer day predicted, albeit in late September.

In spite of the room facing south and our curtains not drawn, and only slightly painted, the red sunrise did not do its magic until 6.50AM, later than our usual getting up time.

Breakfast at eight, most electing to have just the cereal and fruit and eschewing the full English (sounds like the full Brazilian, tho with less hair).
Sue took us to Brompton Crossroads where we started an eight kilometre straight line walk along the dyke.
It was already warm, we were in short sleeves with the Australian obligatory sunblock. Temp 24⁰.

Montgomery Castle

This took us across fields, beside fields, along avenues of trees, all the while with very little rise and fall.
We passed Montgomery of yesterday’s blog, this time partially obscured in the hazy conditions.
We made good progress and consequently had a rather late morning tea in a field with sheep, who studiously avoided us.
After morning tea, just out of a nondescript village, Kingswood (not the Kingswood I hear you say) we started our days climb. Initially up a tarmac road, where our progress was disturbed by a quartet of Canadians coming the other direction. They were chatty and sweating, just like us.
Having dealt with them, it was up and up, until finally we entered a forest, the track levelled out and it was shady and cool, a delight for walking.
Our walk continued through this nameless forest, past a rather unusual dam like structure, holding back no water, then past a very still pool, with the sign “Private Fishing” . Here Margaret proceeded to throw the top of her drinking bottle into the pool, such that it was irretrievable!
We then passed an intriguingly named Pant y bwch, a farm I guess, before yet another climb to Beacon Ring, the zenith of our day’s efforts.

Beacon Ring hill fort

Beacon Ring is an old hill fort (old as in unimaginably old) that is ring shaped around the top of the hill overlooking Welshpool.
Here we meet a couple of blokes who I challenge with “You must be English?” To which they reply “Yes, why?” To which I respond “Well you’re sitting in the sun, we Australians would be sitting in the shade.” Eve and Margaret have walked on to find a lunch spot, in the shade I presume, and I chat on to these two guys.
I bid them farewell, walk on to find the chosen lunch spot to be in full sunlight!!
Our lunch spot does have great views over the valley and Welshpool, though idiosyncratically, Margaret IS sitting in the shade, off track facing into the rather impenetrable forest.
Lunch over it’s then down, down down  nearly 300 metres to our accommodation.
Coming through a field, we meet us with a herd of cows and calves bunched up on the fence right in our path and in light of our previous experience we try and give them a wide birth.
Buttington our destination is reached, however we can’t find our B and B and walk on hoping to chance upon it. No such luck and we end up crossing the railway line and the River Severn (remember that from day 1) until we give up and phone Sue. We missed our accommodation by about 10 metres, as we didn’t know its name.
Showered and feeling less sweaty we head off into Welshpool for some shopping, in the car.
The main reason I am going, is to get a cake for Eve, it’s her birthday tomorrow and we need a cake for breakfast.
There is a big supermarket there and we get what we need. I am running out of lip sunblock however can’t find any sunblock at all. I ask one of the shop assistants who tells me they have stopped stocking that, as summer is over!! Can you believe that?
Sue has got Eve a terrific card for tomorrow, however as usual I can’t think of anything to write that is either funny or appropriate.

Eve's birthday card

As we leave the B and B for dinner at the Green Dragon, I say something that makes her laugh, then fart, and I have suddenly have my bon mot “May all your laughter turn to farts”. It’s appropriate when you see her card!