Bristol, Avebury and Jackies week in Alvechurch

Avebury, the largest stone circle in Europe

We did have a lovely evening with Bev and Iain and a gentle breakfast before heading off to Avebury to look at lots of bits of stone standing in the ground (read about it here)! It is a big set of stone circles and ditches, and is very old, but as with all these things they will never know all the whys, so they just make a few things up! A pleasant enough walk after a grand bit of cake at the visitor centre, just about finished as the downpour started. We drove to Silbury Hill, the largest artificial mound in Europe, comparable in size to the Pyramids. I decided I could see it from the car so didn’t need to get out into the rain for a photo! Our evening was spent in Marlborough, at the Castle & Ball, a good Sunday dinner and an early night.

The Red Lion pub in the centre of Avebury. The only Inn in the world located inside a prehistoric stone circle. Read about it here

Silbury Hill - in the rain. Read about it here

Monday dawned really quite nice, and was a getting worse sort of day, so good breakfast and took him to his starting point. The photo of him and 87 miles to go was taken, WhatsApp’ed and Facebook’ed and off he went. Here splits the blog! Brian will write about his week hiking the Ridgeway trail tomorrow.

Back to mum for me, and so started a very busy week, eye test and glasses ordered on Monday, Tuesday haircut before messaging Carole who had been our downstairs neighbour when we were in the flat in Redditch. I’d borrowed a couple of books, and wanted an excuse for a drink and a chat. Lovely to actually be able to sit down for a proper chat, something that was not allowed when we were living there!

Brian at the start of the Ridgeway Trail near Avebury, Wiltshire. 139km (87 miles) to the end at Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire. Off you go, I'll pick you up at the end in 6 days time!

John & Brian W having a break on the walk

Wednesday I went out walking, with John and his friend Brian W. First stop Barnt Green for breakfast, fab sausage sandwich. We ambled and chatted, crossed the motorway, a golf course and the Lickey Incline, the steepest, sustained mainline railway line in Britain. Two miles of 1 in 37.7. Doesn’t look very steep, but apparently most trains needed help to get up it, though now it’s only the most loaded of goods trains that need the assistance of a ‘banker’ or banking locomotive.

We didn’t necessarily do it all in that order, but by the time we’d arrived at the Cross Inn half an hour early for 12.00 lunchtime opening, chatted some more, had 3 1/2 pints and a cheese cob and then set off to Bromsgrove to get the train home, a shorter walking route, which involved a second pub stop... 2 more pints and then a train to Longbridge and a train back to Alvechurch it has all become slightly blurred! I had a lovely day, was no help to Brian when Bev suggested on Facebook that as he was aching after his 20 mile day perhaps I should go give him a massage.... knocks my 8.5 miles into a cocked hat.

Eeek! watch out for trains as you cross! The Lickey Incline

Thursday more ‘life maintenance’ with mum before a trip to Hatton Country World. We had a nice lunch and are quite pleased we went, but it’s not like it used to be and we shan’t be dashing back!

Friday I had another day out, to see Sooty and Abi, again, not necessarily in that order. I could quite enjoy being a ‘lady who lunches’! I got back to Joan’s car on the drive but no people. Slightly strange at 17.00, but they are grown ups. Mums phone obviously was on the sofa, not in her pocket, oh well I can use it to get Joan’s number, which just rang out..... I was pleased to see them half an hour or so later, looking shattered, 3 1/2 hours, and much further than they normally walk.

Lunch (and beer) at the Cross Inn

Saturday we were going to be reunited, very odd having not seen him for six days after probably not spending that much time apart in total in the last 9 years. First things first, to the stables to collect Caroline after her riding lesson. It was all going to be timed to perfection, except we’d no sooner arrived 40 minutes in to the lesson when I got a text from Brian saying he was about 45 minutes away, an hour early and at least a 20 minute drive away, and Caroline’s lesson had started late.... We never did see him on the summit, but met him as he came towards the carpark, just before Bill Bailey (last years Strictly Come Dancing winner) passed us going the other way. It looked like him anyway, and on doing a bit of research he has walked the Ridgeway twice, but I suppose we’ll never know.....

Showers all round, well smelly horsegirl, and smelly walking man anyway, before a well deserved trip to the pub.

Did he get pampered today? No, he was up to make the coffee and has changed the bathroom basin taps, welcome back to the real world!

The one eyed cat visitor in mum's garden trying tree climbing

No rest for Brian after his long walk, there's plumbing to be done!