Day 8: Vale of Montgomery and the Long Mountain

Start: Brompton

End: Buttington

Distance: 12.5 miles

Last night I had a lovely relaxed evening after the tough day of trudging in the rain. I settled myself next to the fire, drank tea and ate lots of great food. I chatted with a few of the guests and they wished me luck for my onward journey. I was exhausted from the day and one man joked, "Shall I just throw a duvet over you and you sleep there?" as I sat curled up in a chair by the fire trying to fight my heavy eyelids. I smiled and nodded, too tired to form a full sentence. I was a little cold through the night and was desperately hoping for some more sun to get all my kit dry.

I woke up in the morning and saw there were two small tents on the patch of grass adjacent to mine. I went to eat breakfast back in the house and met Pete and Craig, who were also walking and camping the route. They admitted they'd caved a few nights and booked b&b's to avoid the weather, which explained why I hadn't seen them at any campsites so far. We chatted over breakfast and laughed about the horrendous conditions yesterday. As I packed my tent up I realised how beautiful the surroundings were in the morning sun, I'd missed the view yesterday as I frantically ran through the fields to escape the rain!

The beginning of the day was substantially less challenging than yesterday's switchback section through the Shropshire hills. The morning involved a gentle passage through the Vale of Montgomery. The sun was shining and I fastened my soggy socks to my pack, almost like a mobile washing line! Ahead were two women, it was Donna and Kristen, the American pair I'd previously bumped into. We discussed yesterday's weather, the route so far and accommodation. Their experience couldn't have been more different than mine. They get picked up by a driver each night, taken to a hotel where their luggage is waiting and then taken back to the trail the next morning. "Our hotel tonight has a swimming pool, we can sneak you in if you like!" Donna said. They'd met the same man heading south yesterday, the one who advised me where to stay for the night. They had asked him if he'd bumped onto me and his reply was, "The smiley girl that walks fast?" I laughed at this description, not sure I was smiling that much yesterday though!

The route meandered around the English Welsh border, switching between Shropshire and Powys. The first noticeable ascent of the day began, although it was not particularly steep, it felt seemingly endless. The route flattened out to traverse the Long Mountain and mature pine forest dominated the land, restricting my view of the Welsh border hills. A little later in the afternoon, I saw a man sprawled out on the grass next to his pack and hiking poles. "Hi, how are you? I called over, "Heading north or south?" He told me he was heading north, but only for a day visiting friends who he was waiting for. "Craig and Pete?" I replied, explaining I camped with them and met at breakfast. We chatted for a while to pass his time waiting and then I pushed onto Buttington where I'll stay for the night.

As I descended into camp the heavens yet again opened and this rain was torrential. I frantically shoved on waterproofs and realised that any hopes of getting my tent dry were dashed. The only motivation I held onto for the final miles was that the campsite was at the back of a pub, so I can have a roast dinner and get dry. Although they let me camp, they finished serving food at 2.30pm - I'd missed this window by 10 minutes. I felt a little disheartened so pitched my soggy tent in the pouring rain and settled for a dehydrated meal. As I sat in the pub, I heard familiar voices enter - it was Pete, Craig and their friend Justin! It was lovely to see familiar faces and Justin offered to drive us into Welshpool to get dinner. They were Yorkshire men that worked as outdoor rangers, had great senses of humour and similar interests. I got my roast dinner with great company, better still when I returned to my tent it had dried out a little. What makes these adventures so unique is the highs and the lows. Almost every aspect is unpredictable. You can feel both elation and despair over the course of 30 minutes. I only have 4 days remaining on this first phase of my adventure and am looking forward to what they have in store.