After an unusually busy day at work, on the drive home, I concocted a plan which involved a walk to The Griffin.
I arrived back home just as Sue returned from the week’s shopping. As we were putting the provisions away, I told her of my plan and, surprisingly, she agreed.
“What time do you want picking up?” She asked.
A quick calculation done, I replied “About seven”.
This may have been my first, if not mistake, at least mis-calculation.
“It’ll be dark”, Sue continues, “Don’t forget your headtorch”.
I glanced at my watch and deduced that it wouldn’t be dark until around eight – error #2.
I quickly changed and headed out of the door. Starting the exercise app on my watch, I set off.
Trying to take the most direct route, I cut across the fields towards Coleshill Manor passing the omni-present HS2 works.It was along this stretch, that I slipped falling into slippy, smelly mud. With dirty wet patches on my bum, knees and hands and hunted around for something to wipe the majority off. All I could find was some clumps of grass.
Slightly clearer, I continued to Coleshill as the sun sank and the night descended. In the twilight, I took Blythe Road but diverted off at the bridge to follow the footpath across fields cutting off a corner.
I could have done with my head-torch here but had to contend with the torch on my iPhone.
Once into the field proper, there was just enough ambient light to pick out a path although the final field was too dark to make out a path so I just closely followed the edge of the crops.
Back on tarmac, I realised that I wasn’t going to make my seven o’clock deadline so called Sue to let her know.
I reckoned that I was still about twenty minutes away so sped up as much as I could.
Walking along the road was not the most enjoyable experience but at least I could make out the footpath unless being blinded by on-coming car headlights.
Finally, about twenty past, I arrived at the pub and nipped in for a couple of jars over the debrief which consisted, primarily, of me being told that …
- I had done too much
- I should have taken my torch
- I had left it too late to cook dinner
Finally getting home, my first job was to clean up before a bit of a snacky tea.
I did feel as though I may have walked too far, or at least too hard, and after a bit of TV, retired to bed.
I managed to get off to sleep easily enough but woke twice with cramps in my legs. Oddly, it was in muscles that don’t usually cramp like the inside of my left thigh.