Maggi drove me over to Steve’s house from where we continued to Monmouth after picking up Matt.
The journey took us past Ross on Wye where we stopped for a bowl of soup at The King’s Head, rather expensive for what we had.
We arrived at The Premier Inn just after 3 in good time for the Man City v Arsenal match kick off at 4:30. To
my surprise Steve wanted to leave the hotel at 3:45 when the walk to the pub would only take 5 minutes. I know I am a keen supporter, but he is almost obsessive.
The match consisted of two halves. The first half had City with the majority of the possession but Arsenal led 2-1. Just before the break Trossard was sent off. In the second half City knocked on the door but failed to break it down until the last minute of the match when Stones equalised. Both Steve and I were desperately disappointed. However I thanked the defence for holding out for so long.
We left after another round and then moved to the Piccolo Restaurant for our evening meal. I ordered a vegetarian pasta dish which filled a whole and was ok.
Monday 23 rd The rain falls
It rained as we left the hotel and continued throughout the walk. We followed the route we took last year which began with a steep climb. I managed this without too much difficulty. The path then levelled out while the rain continued to soak us. Finally we descended back to the River Wye down a slippery slope. I took the caution of picking up a stick and using the fence to stop me from slipping over.
After crossing the Wye on a rope foot bridge we found a primitive shelter for our lunch. A brief respite from the incessant rain.
The route back follows the course of the river which flowed in the same direction full of mud and sediment. The brown colour made it very unappealing.
Eventually we arrived back at the hotel and I removed my sodden clothes. The water had seeped through to my socks and underpants. The only remedy was a long wallow in the bath.
Nick, Jon, Matt, Steve and I all stayed at the hotel. Mark and Garry stayed in two pods at the campsite. The sent a WhatsApp to say they had chosen to stop in the Punch House where we found them on their second pint. Mark
though has converted to Guinness zero for health reasons. I didn’t find out till the next day his motivation for the change.
From the pub we walked around the corner to a Mexican restaurant called Moko for our supper. I ordered a Burito but it contained far too much cheese for my liking. I managed to scape enough food from this giant pancake to have a reasonable meal without causing me any indigestion later that night.
After the food I returned to the hotel and bed.
Tuesday 24 Home via Gloucester Cathedral
After my full English breakfast Matt and I waited for Steve to finish his article for the Diver web site. We then set off and stopped in Gloucester to visit the cathedral.
The magnificent building stands proud in the town centre. However the centre has seen much better days with many empty shops and loads of litter on the streets.
The cathedral on the other hand shines. We had a long visit with lots of interesting features to read about and admire. The 15th century eastern stained glass window is beautiful.
I really enjoyed walking up the steps to the transept and look down on the altar and choir. The medieval masons had surpassed themselves in producing this wonder to religious imagination. A coffee in the Comfy Pew cafe and then we left the town for the bulk of the journey home.