Introduction
Jill was going away so I tried to fix up with Mike to finish off the Macmillan Way. He was not available so I took the opportunity of a few days on my own on the Mid-shires Way, the guide book for which I had bought in preparation for next year’s April march north. I could just about manage to get from the start in Princes Risborough to somewhere near Market Harborough in four days. Next year, I could take up again with Mike from where I left off.
Monday 3rd September: Start for a Prince
Princes Risborough dep. 11.10
Waddesdon, arr. 17.00
I was up by 6am and had a quick breakfast before my first miles of the day, to the station for the 08.16 to Banbury. A quick change took me onto the 10.29 to Princes Risborough and, by 11.06, I was standing outside the station waiting for my GPS to click in. It had been such an easy trip down. The town seemed very quiet as I made my way to a road named Upper Icknield Way, a very appropriate designation. At the top of this track, where it became tarmac for a short while, I met a man walking his dog, who was obviously keen for a chat. He worked as a volunteer on the Ridgeway and spent most days walking and working on the route. He knew little of my route and was interested to know my plans. As we parted I made a small navigational error and came to the golf course at the wrong point. A quick trip down a lane to the left brought me to the cricket pavilion and the correct line.
I thought I was to be eaten by a pack of dogs, but the lady explained in a foreign accent that ‘they are good but bark a lot’. It was now a warm and sunny day and because I had lots of time, I had a leisurely lunch near Bishopstone and afterwards lay in the sun. I eventually came into Eythrope Park and found the poorly marked exit path up the hill towards Waddeston Stud. The route description seemed to differ markedly from the sketch maps and from the ordnance survey maps but I followed the sketch map and used that as the definitive version. However the sketch map and the ordnance survey map then differ just beyond the Stud farm. I should have followed the latter down the field to the right but instead followed the sketch map straight on and into the wrong field. A couple of fence climbs got me back on route. Then the most overgrown and nettled paths brought me into the village. I spent a few minutes walking round but eventually found the B&B right opposite the path I had come out of. Helen, my landlady was a lovely person, a single mother running a guest house business on her own. She recommended a couple of local pubs and left me to look after myself and recover from a tiring day.
I stayed at the Old Dairy, 4 High Street, Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Bucks., HP18 0JA,
I ate Steak and Kidney Suet Pudding in the Lion but could only manage one pint of St Austell.
Total distance (GPS), 15.71 miles
Average speed, 3.1 mph
Total ascent, 1133 ft
Moving time, 5.00.49 hrs
Average pace, 19m 08s per ml
Total descent, 1224 ft
Tuesday 4th September 2007; Concrete Cows and All That
Waddesdon, dep. 08.42
Whaddon, arr. 13.41
Whaddon, dep. 13.45
Spinney Lodge Farm, arr. 18.30
I had not slept particularly well. I think the uncertainty and enormity of what I was planning today was worrying me. But it was a delightful morning. Clear, cool and with dew on the grass which wet my walking shoes. In no time at all I was over the railway and passing through the peaceful village of Quinton. The next few miles were to be the finest on the whole route with a long easy climb to the top of Quainton Hill with its metal tower and trig point inside a secure compound. A wonderful vista faced me as I dropped steeply down the north side through ancient earthworks.
After Verney Junction, the church and hall at Addington were the next targets. It was too early to stop at the Crown in Great Horwood and I pushed on through Nash until I called it a morning at the top of Church Hill near Whaddon. I sat on the grass in the sunshine and ate my last butty. I had had a cracking session, with 15 miles under my belt in 5 hours. The guide book indicated a relatively easy afternoon even though the diagrams made it look long and complicated. Nash to Salcey Forest was 13 miles, said the guide book. So I had only 11 or 12 miles to go. Dream on!
The afternoon soon took me into the Milton Keynes footpath system, a bridle path that runs through the entire city without crossing roads or even seeing traffic. On and on it went, hour after hour. I began to realise that all was not as the guidebook as the time drifted away and the miles accumulated on the GPS. The path looped round an old abbey, passed the concrete cows
and near to a Roman Villa. Finally I got a glimpse of the windmill before getting onto an everlasting cycle route back to the canal. There were several more mistakes in the guidebook but I eventually reached the left turn onto the towpath and then over the main road into open country. However the mileage was already passed the day’s schedule and I was miles from the end, in Haversham in fact. The miles went on, but at least it was a lovely field path up to the GMCQ buildings that dominate the landscape. The last bit of road and tracks across the M1 were much longer than expected and I recorded 31 miles before I left the path and recrossed the M1 to find my farm. I was pretty well exhausted when I arrived, with over 32 miles under my shoes. The lady owner, Mrs Payne, was a great help to me. She rang both pubs to find who was providing food. The only one that was, the globe in Long Street, was at least a mile down the road, a walk I was too tired to contemplate. So the farmer, Richard, offered most kindly to run me down. He then joined me later for a pint and brought me home. I was most grateful for their kindness.I stayed at Spinney Lodge Farm, Hanslope, Milton Keynes, MK19 7DE, Tel: 01908 510267 and ate at the Globe in Long Street, Hanslope. I had a lovely chicken curry and washed it down with Marston’s Sweet Chariot (4.2%).
Total distance (GPS), 32.17 miles
31.24 on path
Average speed, 3.3 mph
Total ascent, 1891 ft
Moving time, 9.31.35 hrs
Average pace, 17m 46s per ml
Total descent, 1932 ft
Wednesday 5th September 2007: Suzie, Queen of the Canal
Spinney Lodge Farm, dep. 08.52
Blisworth, arr. 13.15
Blisworth, dep. 13.45
Little Brington, arr. 17.15
I was not in so much of a hurry today so I had a more leisurely breakfast and chatted to some of the business men that stayed on the farm. I was given a business card by a guy who lived in Leek and was down working at Nissan, Northampton. At 8.52am I was in the farmyard setting my GPS. Back over the motorway I was soon on the route again and into Salcey Forest. It looked lovely but I was very disappointed to find that the official route takes in almost two miles of road before taking to forest tracks again for the last section. It was a very strange route choice when there looks to be a perfectly good track through the centre of the forest.
The left-hand turn at Church Farm led to a flat but pleasant crossing of huge fields. The last field had been ploughed so I diverted into the farmyard. This was fortuitous as the farmer, still on his 4-wheel bike, was able to warn me of the closure ahead. Work on the next motorway crossing had closed the footbridge and I would have to seek an alternative. The road alternatives looked very long and arduous but the farmer recommended that I use a farmer’s tunnel two fields to the left. I was stopped by a workman on the track up to the motorway bridge. He again reiterated the closure notice but promised to get me across by stopping the work if I failed with the alternative.
One of the hedge crossings was rather fun, splayed out across some old metal drinking troughs. I would not have found the tunnel if I had not met that farmer. It was not indicated on the map. But once under the M1 and over another ploughed field, I was able to pick up the course of a dismantled railway which led me back onto the official path. Some road walking took me through Roade and onto the tracks to Blisworth. The final drop onto the towpath is not signposted and would be difficult to find without the guidebook. I diverted into the town centre to find some lunch but the Royal Oak was not doing food so it was a predominantly liquid meal.
Back onto the towpath I walked with a couple of old guys who were great fun. One had diabetes and his mate took him on seven-mile canal walks to lower his blood sugar? He was even back on ice-cream as long as it was in the middle of his walk. They suggested I looked out for a lady in a
canal boat who had offered them drinks. I was soon to find her; it would have been difficult to miss her. Suzie was sitting on the tow-path by her boat about 2 miles up the canal. She was surrounded by her dogs and their accoutrements. She offered me a couple of ice lollies, took my picture and saw me on my way. I was to text her later when I had finished the walk to thank her for her kindness.At Nether Heyford I finished my stint of canal-walking and turned through the village with its huge village green and then on easy tracks to the point where the Macmillan Way comes in near Vicarage farm. But whereas last April I went straight up to Little Brington, this time my route took me right and up to Nobottle. Here the day’s walking was done yet I still had ¾ mile along a busy road to get to the village and its rather expensive hotel.
I stayed at the Saracens Head, Main Street, Little Brington, Northants, NN7 4HS. I ate a beautiful meal of duck in a parcel wrapping, and even managed a stack of pancakes for pudding. The beer was Woods and Timothy Taylors (Landlords).
Total distance (GPS), 25.03 miles
Average speed, 3.0 mph
Total ascent, 1299 ft
Moving time, 8.13.11 hrs
Average pace, 19m 41s per ml
Total descent, 1330 ft
Thursday 6th Sept 2007: A Blistering Pace
Little Brington, dep. 08.37
Lodge Farm, Sutton Bassett, arr. 17.00
This was the day. This was going to decide whether I could get round Market Harborough into a position to continue with Mike next year. All the previous planning was with this end in mind, but to achieve this I had to cover 11 miles up an old railway and then go a further ten miles round into town to catch a train home. So I was up early and had my bag packed before breakfast. I was thus on the road by soon after 8.30am and got a fast start through the deserted village streets. The main road back to Nobottle was not as busy as last night and I had few worries about traffic. The first gate was not obvious but I was soon off towards Harlestone, pausing only to correct my line across a ploughed field. There was a delightful paved footpath round the village, over its golf course and passed its beautiful church. It was another lovely morning and I was quite glad to get into the forest and back to shade. It was a lovely piece of woodland and a great line of footpaths before a gravelled track took me down under a railway line and then on and up across an endless golf course. After an age, I was in Church Brampton and turning right down towards the main road and the old railway,
The start of the railway was of great interest. There is a private railway still operating to the south which terminates at the station where one joins. Lots of rail stock, wagons, carriages and engines littered the sidings all standing in eerie silence. Then I was off into the wilderness, 11 miles of nothing, no villages, no farms, just the occasional road crossing. The only interest was in time and speed. I maintained a real effort to ensure a pace in excess of four miles an hour. This got me to Great Oxendon in about 2 ½ hrs. The only real features to look forward to were the two railway tunnels which were pitch black and rather cold and wet.
Eventually I was able to swing off and back over the tunnel exit on the route that Mike and I had covered earlier this year on our last day on the Macmillan Way. I then noticed that my feet were rather sore and the problem quickly got worse when I had to cross a ploughed field near Waterloo Lodge. My left foot was killing me on the next ploughed field and I had to jog down into Braybrooke just to take some of the weight off my left heel. I was sweating now with the oppressive heat and the pain. More plough fields up to the A6 did not help and I was wondering whether I would be able to get passed Brampton Ash, so near to success but so far.
I got the map out to see whether I could shorten the day without ruining the plan. And I could! If I was to finish at the B654 near Sutton Bassett, I would only be two miles from the railway station. So I made the supreme effort of climbing the last hill onto the ridge where the Macmillan and Mid-shire Ways divide. It was a blessed relief to come to the finger post that marked this separation, and I was able to raise a jog down to Lodge Farm and the road beyond. My foot was now excruciatingly painful and I could hardly get my head round a two mile road walk so I stuck my thumb out into the traffic and within five minutes, a lad who worked at Lodge Farm pulled over and offered to take me to the station.
I was now much earlier than I had expected and so caught an earlier train than planned which gave me the option of a different route home. So I changed at Leicester and was soon at Nuneaton and waiting for that one train a day that we had used in April on our way home from Oakham. I was even able to down a couple of pints in a nearby pub and have a conversation about Tolkien before limping back to the station and on to the Macclesfield Train. Another limp up to the bus station got me onto the local bus and I was home by 8.20pm. I had a shower and inspected my foot. The blister under my left heel looked awful and it felt worse. I had to get up in the middle of the night and pierce it with a needle. It was several days before I could walk and run properly again. That will teach me to push the pace as I did up that railway track!
Total distance (GPS), 27.28 miles
Average speed, 3.2 mph
Total ascent, 2624 ft
Moving time, 8.23.58 hrs
Average pace, 18m 28s per ml
Total descent, 2750 ft
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