Day 37: Montgomery to Knighton

Distance: 20.6 miles
Time: 9 hrs 15 mins
Weather: Very hot and sunny
Cumulative distance: 631.6 miles

A very tough day of steep hills in the blazing heat, wonderful hospitality and a rescue.

Jeff met me outside the hotel and we set off knowing that we had a challenging day, even before hearing that it was going to be the hottest day of the year.

Jeff is Canadian, but has lived with his family in England for over five years. In that time, he has visited more areas of the UK than most British people visit in a lifetime and, having recently taken the UK citizenship test, his knowledge is greater than most.

We set off at a good pace, but before too long we had reached the infamous switchbacks, a series of steep hills and steep descents. On a normal day they would have been a challenge, but in today's blazing heat they were really punishing. We drank litres of water and filled up our bottles several times, including in a children's care centre up in the hills.

At Newcastle-on-Clun, we decided to divert to the Crown Inn for an iced drink. We joked on the way that it couldn't possibly be closed on a hot Saturday afternoon, but sadly our worst fears materialised. Then human kindness intervened. A nearby resident and his wife invited us into their garden, brought us a jug of iced juice and even made a generous donation. So it's a big thumbs down to the Crown Inn (we spotted several other customers they missed out on) and a mighty three cheers for Derek and his family for showing immense kindness to two hot and sweaty complete strangers.

In the extreme heat and without the benefit of over a month of long distance walking, Jeff's legs decided that they would be punished no further. We hatched a plan, which involved me walking 8 miles to Knighton carrying Jeff's smaller backpack, collecting Jeff's car and driving back to collect him. In the meantime, he would relax in a field next door to a B&B in an otherwise remote location.

I walked at a fast pace and arrived in Knighton in 1 hour 45 minutes, had a rapid iced coke then located Jeff's car. Although I hadn't driven for a month and, more significantly, hadn't driven an automatic car for over ten years, I made it safely to meet him and was relieved to hear that his legs were improving. What does concern me is the number of injuries my walking partners are experiencing!

Jeff dropped me off at my B&B, where I had a refreshing cup of tea with the friendly owners, Bernadine and Mike. After a quick shower, I ended up dining at the local Indian restaurant.

Today was probably the hardest day's walking of my entire journey, with tiring ascents and descents coupled with intense heat. Jeff should be proud of the distance he achieved in these challenging conditions.