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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.

My River runs to thee… My River wait reply
(Emily Dickinson)

Today was another walk along the Severn Way. No rain and the sun coming through the trees made patterns on the path, which was on the whole dry. The river itself was running at least a foot higher than usual after the recent rain, I was informed by one riverside resident.
I started at Grimley Church with Bob. This section had been a trying one for Hannah 7 years ago. Muddy with poorly marked paths and misdirections it was one of the ‘there be dragons’ sections of the Severn Way. Bob’s phone app would help us to get round any recurrence of that problem, we hoped. Having negotiated that section we were glad to see that a community cafe had opened in the intervening years and was serving delicious breakfast sandwiches.

Next door was the office of Faith at Work in Worcestershire, the local workplace chaplaincy. It’s good to know there is still such a multidimensional chaplaincy in this area.

I called into St Martin’s Church Holt before getting to Holt Bridge and crossing over to the path on the other bank of the river. The Spring is not yet over but Summer is coming on and so the bluebells are nearly finished here whilst the wild garlic is at its pongy-ist best. There are still lambs in some fields and in another a groups of Shetland ponies. But it is mostly green: every possible green.

I met a few people walking in the other direction and eventually one of those was Bob. We stopped at Lincomb Lock for a picnic and from there the stroll into Stourport on Severn was easy enough. The town is well know for its locks and basins of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal built at the end of the 18th century.

As the river glides by there are many signs of its earlier activity:
The debris caught in roots and branches,
The rock cliffs and muddy paths,
The locks of the canal builders still working today.
Walking through the green,
I pray for the people who draw life from the river, for both work and leisure;
God, grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.
JAL 11.05.2019
Day 36 of the End to End, Grimley Church to Stourport on Severn.

May the good angel of the Lord accompany you
(Prayer for Pilgrims seen in Worcester Cathedral)

From Church Street in Kempsey to the Church at Grimley, a summary of Day 35 of the End to End. We were a bit delayed getting started due to heavy traffic on the Worcester ring road. On arrival in Kempsey I knew about the footpath diversion, which went onto the A38 instead, familiar from yesterday. Today’s section of that road, due to various road works, was just two miles to the Worcester ring road. If this report is beginning to sound a bit circular that’s a common feature of ring roads.

I crossed into the city and found my way via the canal basin at Diglis Top Lock on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, back to the Severn Way. On the way into the city I’d been wondering what it might have been like to have been a pilgrim walking into Worcester before the Reformation. I later saw the place in the Cathedral where the body of a 15th century pilgrim had been found in the 20th century.

We had some lunch at the cafe in the cloister before visiting the cathedral. Amongst the memorials I was glad to see there was one to Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, also known as Woodbine Willie, a Chaplain to the forces in WW1. He had served as a priest in a church in the Worcester diocese before the war.

Bob accompanied me out of the city to the footbridge that enables the Severn Way to cross to the other bank. It was a good path on the whole, close to the river, through small patches of woodland and lined with wild flowers but nowhere near as wet as the last two days.

Bob met me at a riverside pub beside the river and we had a drink before continuing by road to Grimley church to rejoin the Severn Way there again tomorrow.

Walter Raleigh’s Pilgrim Prayer

Give me my scallop shell of of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope’s true gauge,
And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage.

JAL 10.05.2019
Day 35 of the End to End, Kempsey to Grimley Church via Worcester cathedral

And the rains came down and the floods came up,
But the rock built house stood firm

The rain is nowhere near enough to cause a flood yet. But another day of walking along the Severn Way through very wet foliage didn’t really appeal. A second plan was made with minimal wet Severn Way and as it was Bambo moving on Day, we drove up to the end point at Kempsey church to leave the car there for me to pick up at the end of the walk.
Whilst doing this is became obvious that there could be a third plan with no Severn Way today, and that would be via the A38 as it had a footway all of its length from Upton upon Severn.

At this point I should explain that Bob had already expressed the view that some local A roads can be good routes because of this feature. I had said I’d prefer paths as road walking is not really my thing. But then on Day 34 when a wet path did not seem such a good option, I chose the A38.
On a wet day there’s not so much to see anyway. Even the Malvern Hills were largely obscured. But there were purple green winged orchids on the verge and many other flowering plants. The cow parsley was as high as a bovine’s eye in places.

There were also old milestones marking the route to Worcester, although somewhat inconsistently.
My first stop was St Deny’s church at Severn Stoke which has weathered more than its share of floods in the past. It is concerning that the flood years come closer together: 2007, 2012, 2013. In all three of these years the church was flooded to a height of well over 30 inches in the Nave. It still stands and offers regular services. I seem to remember there was work going on with the flood defenses when we came this way on Hannah’s walk in 2012.
I met another walker coming towards me also avoiding the wet Severn Way but in the other direction. He was walking the three Choirs Way which is another lovely route in this area.
A butty van called Wendy’s kitchen provided a welcome drink of hot chocolate about lunchtime. And soon after that a farm shop selling local asparagus provided a distraction.
My car was parked in Church Lane, Kempsey, also known for flooding. Before I set off I found out that the footpath for tomorrow has been detoured along the A38 to Worcester due to various bits of work going on.

For all the saints, who honour small villages with their names and faith stories;
We give thanks.
For all the saints who labour in all weathers to mend roads, control floods or bring in the harvest;
We give thanks.
For all the saints who staff small shops, campsites and takeaways feeding passers-by and locals;
We give thanks.
For all the saints, that they may rest from their labours;

Grant us all a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 09.05.2019
Day 34 of the End to End, Upton upon Severn to Kempsey via the A38.

They shall find a little Saxon Chapel there
(from a poem by RA Hopwood).

Today’s walk was the longest so far and probably also the wettest. It began outside the Red Lion at Wainlode Hill and rain soon made its mark. There was also some mud as overnight rain had made a difference to the path in places. I decided to use the road to Apperley rather than the Severn Way path to avoid the wet foliage on that path. Bob caught me up and we walked to Odda’s Chapel, a small Anglo-Saxon Chapel at Deerhurst. It is a simple building built in 1056, to remember the brother of Earl Odda, a local Saxon landowner. It is now maintained by English Heritage.

From there I rejoined the Severn Way and walked into Tewkesbury. In 2012 Hannah had come this way on a very hot day and my Dad and I had waited in the Abbey which was lovely and cool. Today was very different but shelter was still very welcome. The Abbey is a wonderful Norman building, originally a Benedictine Foundation. I particularly appreciated the small square stone corner made to remind us of the Tomb of Jesus On Easter Morning: empty and simple. I had a long conversation with two volunteers in the Abbey Shop about LEJOG while I bought some chocolate (I later ate some of it under the M50 bridge).

The Park was an ideal location for a wet picnic. Then we followed the Severn Way out of town via Avon Lock. The Severn Way swaps to the left bank of the river for the path to Upton upon Severn. This was the wettest part because, as I predicted, the long grass, nettles, docks and cow parsley were very wet and I was soon soaked from the knees down.

The rest of the route, including under the M50, which was a dry bit, was fairly uneventful. Bob came back for me and we walked to Upton upon Severn together.
After we finished walking, the late afternoon was drier and overall the best part of the day weather-wise. However from the orchids at Corse Lawn in the morning, to the little Saxon Chapel of Odda and the Norman Abbey Church at Tewkesbury later in the day, this long walk through the quiet Severn Valley had its high spots, even if it also had quite a lot of wet ones too.

The green grass, the brown earth, the grey skies:
Signs of the rain we need.
The flood gates and water height indicators:
Signs of the conflict between humanity and environment.
For centuries human industry and the flow of the river
Have striven to keep pace here.
In our generation we need the wisdom
To maintain a healthy balance for all creation.

In your mercy, empower us to make mindful decisions for a sustainable world.

JAL 08.05.2019
Day 33 of the End to End from Red Lion Wainlode Hill to Upton upon Severn via Odda’s Chapel and Tewkesbury Abbey.

After a few days rest, and picking up a hired campervan at Glossop, we set out to join the route again at Gloucester. We’d spent our first night in the smart red campervan that Bob has named Bambo (rather than Bambi) at Alton. Setting off from their on Day 32 we had a three hour drive to Gloucester.
First we needed to drop the Picanto at the end point of the walk so I would be able to pick it up later. This was the Red Lion Wainlode Hill. Hannah and I had camped there on her End to End 7 years ago.
Bob then dropped me at the toilet block in the car park in Gloucester we’d last seen in the rain on Thursday. It was about 1.30 pm which was later than we would have liked.
I bought a sandwich and set off on the Severn Way again. It was quite near the river level and rather overgrown with nettles already, with fallen trees as an extra hazard, which made progress rather slow.

I took the road through the village of Sandhurst, with a stop at St Lawrence’s church. At the end of the road a farmer in a tractor encouraged me onto the track to Sandhurst Hill, with the promise of a seat at the top and ‘the best view in Gloucestershire ‘.
From that seat I could see back to Gloucester Cathedral. After that it was more or less downhill to the Red Lion where the car was parked.

Bob had taken Bambo onto the next campsite at Blackmore End. I drove there via two small Worcestershire wildlife sites. I was trying to find some orchids I’d read about. After we’d had some our meal, Bob and I went back to look for them as it was only 10 minutes from the campsite, and had a glorious evening enjoying the spread or orchids across the meadows.

Consider the Lillies of the field,
They don’t work by spinning or weaving,
But nothing is better dressed than these flowers. 

May we be ever mindful of the vital importance of each species, 

Each one an irreplaceable part of the complexity of the cosmos: 

As we look around us, we need to heed the warnings to change our behaviours. 

For each earwig, shield bug, field mouse,
We give thanks. 

In each orchid filled meadow or cowslip lined cutting, we stand in awe, lapping up the evening light.

God grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 07.05.2019

Day 32 of the End to End: from Gloucester to Red Lion Wainlode Hill.

Today was Day 31 of the walk and the last in section 1. If all went to plan I would walk into Gloucester and have walked over 300 miles so far.
I began on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal building of which began at the end of the 18th century. It was once the widest and deepest canal in the world. Although I didn’t walk the whole of it it was a lovely walk, an easy flat path, and interesting in both wildlife and local sites.

Saul Junction is quite a busy place and also good for second breakfast at the Stables cafe. Bob had caught up with me by this point so it was two for breakfast.
At Parkend Bridge he went to take the car onto the days end point at Gloucester as I walked on. We met again near Hempsted Bridge and took a detour into the village to St Swithun’s church and the Lady Well. The well house was probably built in 14th century and has a statue on one side said to be St Anne with the Virgin Mary. The statue is damaged like many from that period. The well house is Grade 1 listed but unfortunately the well is now said to be dry.

Back on the canal we walked passed the site of the Priory Llanthony Secunda previously linked to the Well House.

It was clouding up and the kind of weather for which Gloucester has won recognition in Nursery Rhyme was soon pelting down on us. We walked swiftly through the dock area currently being redeveloped and onto the gothic cathedral, the not quite final point of this stage of the walk. That accolade was reserved for a convenient toilet in a car park on the west side of the city, where Bob picked me up.

See you back here in five days!

God grant us a quiet night,
A peaceful end for today and this part of the walk,
A safe journey and a calm return.

JAL 02.05.2019
Day 31of the End to End, Frampton on Severn to Gloucester.

• One of the places on my list to visit on the End to End was Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. As I walked past the entrance road today was the right day for the visit. I was Day 30 of the walk and the beginning of week 5. I’ve seen and heard a lot if birds already on this walk but not quite so many diverse species in one place.

From Psalm 104
The birds nest beside the wetlands and sing among the branches of the trees. 

Slimbridge is a wonderful place. The birds are abundant, from the local to the more exotic. They look splendid and make a wide range of sounds. We heard whistling Ducks and a male cuckoo calling (which hopefully you can hear on this audio)

My favourite sight of the day was the Kingfisher bringing fish to the hole in the bank where the family were nesting. There were also some mammals and amphibians to admire.

Jesus said:

Oh Jerusalem how I wish I could gather you up like a hen gathers her chicks.

Some of the Ducks and geese already have young. Others are nesting both in the reserve and on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal that I later continued to walk along.
There’s also a lot of wildflowers like the pungent wild garlic.
Today miles walked for LEJOG was fewer than other miles walked for the first time since the walk began.
As the birds call to each other at the end of the day, flocking to a safe roost.
So we gather close to you, our God.
Like a mother bird you shelter us.
May we mirror your care in the way we care for others,
Particularly our care for vulnerable people.

JAL 01.05.2019
Day 30 of the End to End, a visit to Slimbridge and a walk on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to Church End, Frampton.

You prepare a table for me;
My cup is full to the brim.
Surely goodness and mercy
Will be my constant companions.

The tide recedes,
The tide rises.
The wooden boards of the dock are revealed
And then covered again.
A lark rises from the grass,
A gull calls from a post.
The tide recedes,
The tide rises.
Be still and know God.

Prayers
For those who live and work on or by the river;
For those who have seen much change:
Those who welcomed that,
Those who resented it.
Lord have Mercy.

Praise and thanksgiving to God
Creator, Companion, Spirit.

JAL 30.04.2019
Sharpness picnic site on the Severn Way.

Having joined the Severn Way yesterday near Avonmouth, today’s walk, which was Day 28, was all on the Severn Way.
This meant it was fairly straightforward and I made good progress along the side of the river Severn in fair weather.

From Severn Beach I walked to New Passage and Old Passage. These two small riverside villages were the places where the ferries used to depart to take passengers across the Severn to Wales. This was the only way to cross before the bridge was opened in 1966. John and Charles Wesley had made the crossing.

Bob came to meet me on the path and we walked into the Severn View services together and had a drink and a snack there.

The next section of the path was to Oldbury on Severn. I met some cattle but apart from that I had the path to myself. Bob walked with me a bit at Oldbury to get a view of the power station as it was a similar type to one he used to visit in Wales 30 years ago. It is no longer providing electricity to the National Grid. There are a number of wildlife walks around the perimeter of the site.

I decided to walk onto Shepperdine in order to gain some miles so I could have some spare time to visit Slimbridge WWT later in the week. Shepperdine’s tiny iron church of St Marys is the smallest I’ve visited so far. It was erected in 1914 and services are still held there.

St Mary’s outside and inside

On the way to our accommodation in Almondsbury we made a detour back to Oldbury on Severn to the community shop for a few items, and then to St Alrida’s church. One of only 2 churches dedicated to this local saint it was built on the site of an Iron Age hill fort and I’d seen it from the Severn Way.

• 

Lord now let your servants go in peace:
Although the Way is long, you are still remembered here,
Your faithful servants offer worship and service,
Telling the story, keeping alight the light of faith,
To bring you glory, Creator, Son and Holy Spirit.

JAL 29.04.2019
Day 28 of the End to End, from Severn Beach to Shepperdine via Oldbury on Severn.