Day 5: Hergest ridge and friendly chats

Start: Hay-on-Wye

End: Kington

Distance: 14.5 miles

Last night I stayed at a lovely farm campsite which sold fresh fruit, eggs, cheese and bread and had hot showers. I felt so refreshed after refuelling, showering and resting. I decided to have a slow morning to extend my recovery, so headed to a cafe for a morning cup of tea by the River Wye. I chatted with the owner as he made my tea and answered the usual question of "How far are you walking?" I told him my plan for the next weeks and he just laughed and said "Why?" I shook my head and smiled saying, "I'm still trying to figure that out myself!" He replied saying, "You need to chat with our chef, he loves this kind of stuff", then proceeded to call him over. I drank my tea and we chatted, he'd done his fair share of long distance hikes too. We covered everything from pack weight, tent brands, daily distances, blister prevention, past and future endeavours. Once I get onto these topics, I could talk passionately all day. But he had work to do and I needed to cover more miles, so I wished them a nice day and began walking.

The question of "Why?" made my mind wander as I covered the first few miles, meandering adjacent to the river. Is it for the physical and mental challenge, to test yourself to see what lies beyond your comfort zone? Is it simply to witness the accumulation of hills, sunsets, mountains, rivers and meadows? Is it to gain perspective on life and discover how it is to live more simply for a while? For me it's a combination of all of the above that attracts me to these adventures.

The route was relatively flat and easy going for the initial part of the day and I covered the miles quickly. A couple of hours into the morning, I saw two women hiking ahead of me and they turned back to wait for me. "Are you Amy?", one of them called over in an American accent. I was confused as to why they knew my name but smiled and said "Yeah I'm Amy, hi!" A couple of days ago when I had a free cup of tea at the church, I had written in the message book next to the kettle leaving a note to say,

"Thank you so much for the tea, it really helped me out! Amy xx " The American women had seen this so knew I'd be nearby! They were from Washington state and were walking the trail, staying in B&Bs on route. They were both a quarter Welsh so wanted to spend some time over here and seemed to be enjoying their trip so far. I pushed ahead and wished them luck, I imagine I'll see them again in the coming days.

Later into the morning I reached a small hamlet where there was yet another church, with a sign saying open for free tea or coffee. I once again jumped at the opportunity, my little free church tea sessions seem to becoming a frequent habit! The path then became a little more challenging, ascending steeply to Hergest ridge. The terrain was similar to that of yesterday's, but given the more forgiving conditions, it felt much easier. After I gained height, the ridge flattened out and offered lovely views across the rolling fields.

After a little rest at the top of the ridge, the final task was to descend before making camp and resting. I headed down the hill with shakey legs, feeling tired from the day's miles and reached the small town of Kington. There was a campsite on the outskirts so decided that would be an ideal place to stay. As I walked onto the site a Welsh couple, Sue and Paul, greeted me with friendly smiles. Sue said, "First things first, get that bag off your back and take a seat", as she pulled up a camping chair. This was music to my ears and I felt a huge relief as I dropped the bag and sat down. "Kettles going on, what can we make you?, Paul said. "Any biscuits?, Sue added. I felt so happy to be welcomed like this, we drank tea and ate biscuits and chatted for a good hour about everything and anything. They gave me a camping chair covered in a Welsh flag pattern to use for the night and introduced me to Dave. He was resident of the campsite who gave me a full, in depth run down of the local pubs and ranked them from best to worse before saying "Right I'm off for a pint!"

Today was a lovely day, I really enjoyed being able to chat with people on the route. I am comfortable with solitude, but having the occasional bit of company really does break up the day. One of my favourite aspects of a long-distance trail is the mobile community that develops along the way. You instantly have a connection with the people you meet and enjoy sharing the experience with them. I'm sure I'll be seeing some of the same faces in the coming days. All that is left to do now is eat, relax and make the most of the comfort of this free chair!