Day 33: Liverpool to Buckley

Distance: 19.6 miles
Time: 8 hrs 10 mins (including pub lunch)
Weather: Hot and sunny
Cumulative distance: 555.9 miles

A varied walk to Wales in baking heat.

Jeremy served an alternative on the standard breakfast with fresh fruit, followed by bacon muffin, then drove me to my starting point. It already felt warm and the temperature would rise further.

I walked through residential areas, before reaching country lanes. I was heading for a country pub in Raby to meet Roy, my Liverpool FC companion who lives near Chester. Over a ploughman's lunch and a couple of pints of Liverpool Lou beer from the Baltic Fleet brewery, we talked about my experiences of the walk so far and Roy's recent work as a RSPB volunteer.

I had plenty of miles to cover in the afternoon, following off road tracks before eventually joining the Dee Marshes cycle path. This was one of my major route planning achievements, as this brand new path helped to save some mileage but, more importantly, allowed me to avoid Queensferry, a busy industrial area with a fast dual carriageway not designed for pedestrians. The route was a great success, but the heat slowed me down  and significantly increased my water intake, but there were no opportunities to refill my water bottles.  When I eventually reached civilisation at Shotton, I desperately needed refreshment.

The first building I reached was a Wetherspoons pub, so I went in to buy a pint of coke with ice and lemon. The barman enquired about my walk and gave me the drink on the house. The manager made a generous donation and tried to offer me food and more drink, then several customers made donations. I was touched by their hospitality and kindness.

By this time I had reached Wales, the third country of my journey. The bilingual signs, including those on the cycle path, were the first indication that I'd crossed the border.

With careful map reading and some off road paths, I navigated my way to Buckley, from where Gordon collected me. Gordon and Shelley are more university friends and they live with their son Owen near Mold. We had a tasty sausage dinner and later sampled some Welsh Black beer from the Great Orme brewery.