Walking Lands End to John O'Groats 2025 for Alzheimer's Society

We had a slowish start today and eventually arrived back at Kemberton for 10am. The girls and Barney walked out with me to Kemberton Mill and then turned back to visit Ironbridge and to meet up with me at the end of the day’s walk. I continued by the stream through bluebell woods, with a few wood anemones and stitchwpet, with the stream banks covered in wild garlic and marsh marigolds. Joining a minor road my attention was particularly drawn to the deep burrows of the ploughed red soil which created a striking visual pattern. I joined one of those long tracks which seem to go on for ever and where I tend to zone out, but I was distracted by a spray irrigation system for a large field of young salads, watching the mist disperse across the crops. I stopped for lunch 12:40 for 20 mins as just gone past Tong. There were large fields of rapeseed -  brilliant yellow and with powerful perfume. I was disturbed by a reduced number of birds and no birds of prey. This was largely arable land ...

I woke at 6 to light rain which had been on and off through the night although not forecast. I was pleased to be efficient this morning and left at 7:30.  The path took me back up to the top of the scarp but this came pretty easily and after walking along the quarry path which undulated through small scale but extensive quarrying it was when I was descending to Much Wenlock that I saw the best example of a quarry with lime kiln that I’d seen along the Edge. I stopped at the historic Much Wenlock with an attractive covered market. I timed it well for opening of the Tea on the Square cafe at 9 and stayed for 40 mins over a fresh bacon and egg sandwich and cappuccino where the staff were welcoming a I enjoyed chatting with them and felt buoyed up by the company. The path then lead to a disused railway for short stretch, in a cutting filled with wild garlic and with beautiful springy ground underfoot …. unlike yesterday’s longer stretch.  The profuse dandelions of Wenlock Edge fie...

I left at 9 having had a leisurely breakfast and thinking through supply for next 2 days. Amazing where the time goes - I was up at 7. But I do always like to keep airbnbs as tidy as when I arrived and to triple check I’ve not left anything behind. A pleasant walk along the course of the River ensued, to be topped off by the sight of sand martins - a colony of at least 20 flying around the river near their burrows in the sand banks - it was hard to tell actual numbers as they kept going into their holes! And I’d been keeping my eye out for dippers and kingfishers …. No sign of those! Came to Strefford with a couple of attractive timber framed cottages but was soon out and heading for the limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge. I’m told once you’re on there it is pretty flat and straightforward walking - I was keeping my fingers crossed as it was a fair step to Lower Farm campsite, my destination for the night. I crossed the footbridge by the ford and then to my surprise spotted a dipper ...