Half a walk

The plan:

 

GODALMING TO GUILDFORD (LINEAR)

Friday, 18 November 2016

Start time: 10:35

Moderate 7 miles / 11.3 km

Group South Bank

A mostly flat walk along the River Wey Navigation crossing the golden sands of Guildford en route. One hill on the detour to Shalford for lunch. Pub or picnic. The towpath is likely to be muddy!

The reality:

Train, 9.45 from Waterloo, left at 10.05 and due to late running wouldn't be stopping at Godalming. So we changed at Guildford, set off on the walk about half an hour late.

Lots of visual appeal in Godalming (possibly the most prosperous place in the UK)

Along the river Wey

Wey Navigation

I was pleased to be wearing my hardly-used hiking boots, bought in Mannheim in 1994 and lately rediscovered. The path was muddy and walking in trainers would have been miserable.

One of the good things about walking with a group is that I'm not constantly stopping to take photos. Instead, I'm taking them while in motion! - which explains the blur...

So lovely to walk beside water in autumn

Beech trees along a bank of the sunken path

Too late for these mushrooms; they've gone over

Makes a lovely change from cyclists who don't ring their bells

When we got onto some pavement, I noticed my right boot was feeling slippery - must be a stone caught in it somehow ...

Bramley

Disused railway station (one of the Beeching closures)

Examination of the boot revealed that the sole was missing, and I remembered kicking someone's bit of old shoe among the leaves beside the path early on in the walk. Oh, that was MY bit of old shoe ...

The other sole was still there, but moments later it too started a final detaching -

Not quite, though - some surgical tape from a first aid kit, and clever work with shoelaces, and later some rubber bands, held it on as we continued towards the lunch destination.

The day was starting to brighten up, and we were back along the Wey -

In Shalford I "peeled off" to catch the bus to Guildford.

Just missed the No.53, but only had to wait 15 minutes for the No.32, so I sat on the plinth of the War Memorial and ate my sandwich while waiting -

The bus stopped at Debenhams, and its shoe department was conveniently just inside the nearest door. I came out with new shoes -

Shiny but not all that comfortable. Inexpensive, and with soles intact. Unbandaged.

Tomorrow - shopping for hiking boots.