Day 4 Worcester to Tewkesbury

Reveille 7.30. Breakfast 8.00. Arrived 5.15. Distance 17 miles. Met some Canadians from Vancouver who recommended the "Rocky Mountaineer" train. The Canadians are walking along the Wye Valley in Wales. We wished them good luck and warned them to watch out for the Dragons! First port of call was Subway to buy lunch. Ian went for the vegetable pati which is better served hot (clearly no point!). The very nice Indian man then asked us if we had a microwave- what two blokes in walking gear carry rucksacks- I don't think so! This was followed by observing a tractorised lawnmower working on a Rugby pitch-we now know why the horizontal bars on rugby posts are so high - so the grass cutter can get under it. The days walking started well enough with a trip over Worcester's new Diglis suspension foot bridge. The weather was cloudy with a nice breeze which deteriorated into rain and stronger winds at lunch time. The heavy rain saw us running (translates into a slow jog) for the church in a nearby village. On the way we passed the pub with the landlord stood outside telling us the footpath didn't go that way - I replied we're off to church to seek forgiveness! Lunch was consumed in the relative shelter of the church porch followed by some Tinc Benz Co treatment being applied to a potential blister spot Ian had. The rest of the afternoon was very dull and boring with miles of walking along wind swept dykes. A brief respite was had at Upton on Severn for ice cream and Twix bars - sitting on a wet bench under a dripping tree trying to keep dry and out of the wind. Whilst walking along we observed that the riverside caravans and mobile homes are on stilts. The first thought that came into mind is that shouldn't the bottom of the caravans and homes be shaped like a hull with provision to attach an outboard motor or small portholes for putting oars and of course the homes should be sat unsecured on the stilts so that they can float off and be driven along the river to safety. Further to this we noticed that steps were now required to access the homes. We believe that as a lot of retired people use these homes that this could be niche market for Stannah chair lifts. We set off at a brisk(ish) pace to get to Tewkesbury sooner rather than later. The footpath had been re-routed (second one today) but we managed to find our way into town and arrived safely at the Royal Hop Hole (Wetherspoons) a fascinating C16th building with a of the original features including decorations preserved behind glass partitions. We struck lucky and were allocated a family room with one double and two single beds (loads of brew kit!). The floors are really uneven and heavy objects just slide off the tables. On booking in we were asked by the receptionist if we had a car - really? Do we look as though we've come by car! A brief walk around town saw us looking for travel wash and a launderette which are not available until tomorrow morning when the shops open at 9am. A bit of a lie in then. Our evening meal was taken at the Bell Hotel with two meals for a tenner followed by treacle sponge and custard.