Day 2: Goring to East Ilsley,

 

I woke up to the sound of a church bell chiming 6. The rain was falling heavily. The weather forecast wasn't that good so as today was our shortest walk of the week we decided to leave later when the the rain was supposed to ease off. We finally set off from 'The Swan' at 10.30. This was the best Paul could do with the morning photo. I think it took 4 tries to get us all in the photo. Finally we were ready to get going. One of the joys of this kind of walking is that we leave our luggage behind to be collected and delivered to our next port of call.

It was time to say goodbye to the Thames. From now on the Ridgeway trail would take us away from the river.

started with a slight incline admiring the fresh shades of green that seemed to have enveloped the trees over the last few days

Another look at the map. You could easily do this walk without a map as the path was so well signposted. 

The path was long and straight. We did see one or two other walkers coming in the opposite direction. Most people do the Ridgeway walk from West to East but we are doing it from East to West. You wouldn't think it would make any difference but today it made a huge difference. 

The path was now on the ridge and very exposed. We had 40mph winds blowing at us and almost knocking us off balance. It made the walk very difficult and unpleasant at times.

 Although it was only 7.5 miles it was much tougher than I ever thought it would be. I don't recall ever fighting my way through  wind like that for mile after mile.

Fields of yellow rape seed oil brightened up the surroundings.

We saw a lot of flooding as well as a number of unplanted fields where it is still too wet to sow the spring crops yet.

We thought this was a large lake at first and then realised it was a flooded field.

As you would expect the path was also very muddy here.

We now had to find a track taking us off the Ridgeway and down into the village of East Ilsley where we would be spending the night.

Paul does a great job of finding accommodation for us that is not too far from the pathway. Not an easy task as we require three twin bedded rooms. It is the accommodation that usually dictates how far we walk in a day. So, yes, we could have walked a bit further today, but there was nowhere for us to stay unless we wanted to walk a further 5-7 miles to a larger village. and I certainly did not want to walk any further today.

We were staying at the Swan Inn. A lot smaller and less luxurious than 'The Swan' we stayed at the previous night but it was only a short walk from the Ridgeway and was clean and comfortable.

 There was another pub across the road which was open for meals that night.

After we had settled in and enjoyed a drink together in the bar. I went to my room to rest. I hadn't felt well all day. The virus I picked up over Easter is still lingering in the form of a barking cough and now I have got a UTI which isn't pleasant when trying to enjoy the walk. I hoped an afternoon rest and a good night's sleep would make me feel better for tomorrow- our longest walk of the week.