Day 42 started damp and drizzly at Camp Cross Roads where it was a two mile walk to The Shroppie, the nickname given to the Shropshire Union Canal. I started at bridge 48 and began walking towards Market Drayton. Bob began further along at bridge 56 and walked towards me.
I like walking along canals. They are quiet traffic free green corridors that usually take a fairly direct route. There are often lots of wildflowers and birds to enjoy: a grey wagtail, some cygnets and ducklings today.
This particular canal was built through several fern lined cuttings and in other places along embankments to maintain the height of the contour. The first locks I saw were at Tyrley where the wharf has been restored.
Bob walked back to me again from the Victoria Wharf and we had a canalside picnic with some tasty items he’d bought in town. That left a few post lunch miles to Adderley bridge number 69. By the end of the walk today my total had increased to over 400 miles.
On the way back we took a brief ride via the Wrekin. Back at the campsite, in the evening light, six fallow deer visited the camp. It had been another lovely day.
From Psalm 42
As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, God: I am thirsty for the living One.
On the waterways, as the scenery slips by,
Where the waterfowl nurture their young,
So you restore me.
I am made new by each step;
Each sight refreshes me;
I am remade by the Maker through the beauty of creation.
God, grant now a quiet night and a peaceful end.
JAL 17.05.2019. Day 42 of the End to End from Camp Cross Roads to bridge 69 on the Shropshire Union Canal
(Sorry for lack of photos due to poor signal)