I’m an armchair football fan. I’ve only ever attended one match and that was because I got given free tickets. I pick up bits of football news and so I know some stuff but my involvement is really minimal.
Walking isn’t like that. You either are walking, or you’re not. You may be interested in walking or like watching other people walk or read books about walking but only by walking along can you claim to be doing a walk.
I’ve now been doing the walk for 37 days which is astonishing. Most days, Bob does walk with me for a short distance but a walk supporter has a lot to do, like shopping and stuff, so we rarely get to walk together. The Severn Valley Railway presented an opportunity to change this. Today, Day 37 of the walk, I would not walk alone, for the most part.
I started at Stourport on Severn Canal Basin and Bob met me on my way to Bewdley. The Severn slipped gently by and the path was trouble free except for a small detour round a building site. We picked up some picnic items in Bewdley and rejoined the Severn Way which runs fairly close to the Severn Valley Railway all the way to Highley which was our end point today.
A few trains chuffed by and the path was a good one. The wild garlic gave the route a particular aroma and we stopped at Upper Arley for tea and cakes.
Friends of mine from Wakefield, Nicky and Hilary, had texted to say they would park at Highley and walk towards us. Sure enough we soon spotted them lurking behind a tree.
We walked together for a couple of miles back to Highley station. On arrival there was some excitement over a swarm of bees on the footbridge across the line. This was a potentially dodgy position with two bee allergic members of our group. A bee man came and took them away (the bees, not Bob and Nicky).
All too soon our train to Bewdley was pulling into the station and we were waving to them and wishing them both a safe return to Wakefield through the train window. Bob looked up the end of season football results on his phone. And one young man asked us how Wolves had got on. As for me, well it’s obvious really, on today of all days, ‘You’ll never walk alone’ even though I’m a Spurs supporter.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart…
God grant us companions for the journey, a quiet night and a peaceful end.
JAL 12.05.2019
Day 37 of the End to End, Stourport on Severn to Highley station.