Day 53 Holt Fleet to Tewkesbury – Monday 4 July

Distance 26.02 miles, cumulative 911.43 miles, time 10 hrs 40 mins, walking time 8 hrs 45 mins, pace 3 mph, camped The Abbey Caravan Park.
The previous evening we had been joined at the Red Lion in Holt by Steve’s Dad, sister Sarah and the family of Steve’s mother’s cousin, Michael. I hope you have got that. So a special thanks to Michael, Mary, Helen, Ian and Annie it was lovely to see you and a special thanks to Mary for bringing a packet of ginger nuts. 

We made an early start for what would be our longest day so far. Once again we were following the Severn Valley Way past angling pegs, static caravan parks and moored motor cruisers. 

Our first stop was at Worcester which as we entered along the footpath proudly proclaimed it was a city. Worcester indeed looked splendid in the sharp early morning sunshine. The racecourse looked ready for the off, the Cathedral looked magnificent and even the prow of the Kings School boathouse jutted proudly out toward the river. The river was linked to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, via a lock and we saw a few working vessels in addition to pleasure craft. 

A constant presence during the day on our right was the Malvern Hills which are conspicuous by virtue of the surrounding area being so flat. 

We stopped at a riverside cafe for a quick tea and resumed our progress towards Upton on Severn another pretty village with an accommodating tea shop. 

Whilst the going today was flat, many of the fields we walk through can be quite tricky underfoot and a high knee lift is required to avoid tripping in the long grass. It felt at times like the Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks.

The most bizarre sight was an abandoned wheel chair in middle of a field. We searched the area for a body but found no trace. Steve thought about using it for his rucksack but instead found a suitable recovery truck instead.

The A38 had been close by most of the day and we crossed it and at one point walked along a short section. We passed under the M50 and reached Tewkesbury a little weary. The Caravan Club site is right by the Abbey near the centre of town and was a welcoming site. 

Talking of welcomes, today was typical in that we received a warm welcome everywhere and several offers of help. Walking past one static caravan on a site near Upton on Severn the couple on the veranda asked if we needed water. We didn’t, but the obligatory chat and exchanging of life stories followed. When we arrived at the campsite and had pitched our tent. we started to set the gas stove up and immediately the couple opposite in a caravan offered us boiling water from their kettle. Offers and help, such as these has been typical. 

We passed the 900 mile mark today but we did not over do the celebrations as we are saving ourselves for the big thousand.