Blog

I spent a lovely evening with my old friends from university, Anna and Bondy and their extremely affectionate dog, Monty. It was great to get a home cooked meal (thanks again Anna).

Fortified by bacon sandwiches Anna drove us to Alcester where Dave and I would start our walk. Dave seemed confident. A 7 hour walk to cover 20 miles was mentioned more than once. He set off striding out well for a man with short legs and we were soon out of Alcester and into the countryside. 

The walk began well with green fields, few hills and lots of cows. However, I soon discovered new perils when walking with somebody else. Dave was waxing lyrical about Leeds’ chances of relegation and Liverpool’s title credentials when I made the first of several navigational gaffes. We somehow managed to walk back on ourselves to the same spot we had walked by 5 minutes earlier. I then read the map the wrong way round and we did it again! There were questions asked about how I had managed to get this far and wasn’t it amazing I hadn’t ended up in Portsmouth. I vowed to pay closer attention.

We walked on over stiles and through gates when shortly before lunchtime I did it again. This time, I was too fascinated listening to Dave’s discourse on the state of the nation and we ended up walking up a hill for a quarter of a mile or so when we shouldn’t have. It was a very pretty hill. It ought to have been the right way. 

Dave was possibly a bit peeved by this but happily we were soon at the Fleur de Lys pub for lunch, wolfing down their famous steak and kidney pie. 

After lunch I detected some changes in Bondy’s demeanour. We had walked maybe 12 miles, 11 in the right direction, when he first mentioned his famous dodgy knee. To begin with I thought nothing of it. It was remarkable he hadn’t mentioned it already. It’s his go to topic of conversation. However, he was quite noticeably slowing down. 

We passed pretty villages, a canal and a beautiful National Trust property at Baddesley Clinton. By about 4pm we had arrived at Lowsonford, still four miles to go and Dave was now struggling. I remembered years ago when we ran a third marathon in Hull and I had struggled over the last mile or two. Bondy had run backwards at this point laughing. I might have done the same thing now, revenge finally after all that time, but my better self intervened. I’d have probably fallen over backwards anyway. I suggested that we might call it a day, but Bondy was determined to continue, which he did, doggedly and even more slowly to the end. I had almost broken Dave!

Arriving at Balsall Common, Bondy staggered towards the nearest chair and I got a round in. Anna arrived and we headed back to Kenilworth and then to a local Thai place for a nice meal. Unfortunately Bondy was overcome as the starters arrived,was given sweets and other sugary things by the kind waiter until he felt a little better. So we packed up the food and returned home to Monty who was very pleased to see us.

Happily Dave recovered quickly, although both knees were now giving him grief. Anna made a number of “give him a biscuit” jokes. Bondy’s mum always made the same comment when his Dad, who was diabetic, had a funny turn.

Day Summary:

Bondy was broken. Give him a biscuit!