I left Worcester this morning in the sunshine, the picture above shows the only road bridge across the river in the city which often features in our local news when the river floods.
There is a dock basin on the edge of Worcester where, until the early 1970’s, fuel barges used to unload petrol and diesel which they had shipped up from Swansea. There were a number of accidents, two in particular in 1960 and 1961 each resulted in 5 men being killed so now a pipeline delivers the fuel, a lower risk solution.
Three miles south of Worcester is the village of Kempsey. The Romans seem to have had a presence here judging from remains which have been found and the Domesday Book records a significant settlement. In 1299 the population was 600 but just 28 years later it was only 86, the Black Death is thought to be responsible. The lane where the pub I am staying in was the epicentre of a cholera outbreak in 1832, 50 people died within a very small area, pandemics are nothing new.
Just before Upton on Severn the route takes a half mile dog leg to avoid Severn Bank House. It is tempting to cut through there garden which is why the bastards have put up lots of signs saying private keep out. Mind you the diversion did take me into the village of Severn Stoke which had a fine pub and a church which has been flooded, not from the river but it appears that someone stole the lead off the roof!
I also noticed a gravestone which has clearly left a big space at the top, presumably for the husband of the lady who is buried there, did he have a better offer from someone else and is buried elsewhere?
Upton on Severn is another lovely riverside town. The further downstream the walking is less interesting as it tends to be along flood barriers but the villages and towns dotted around nearby make up for this.
I have yet to meet anyone else doing the Severn Way but today I met a couple from Scotland who are walking Scilly to Shetland which rather puts my measly 210 walk to shame. They started in March on the isles of Scilly and are doing much the same as I am, booking accommodation a few days in advance, as they are not following a fixed route they can go wherever the mood takes them as long as they keep going north of course.
Tomorrow I meet up with Gill in Tewksbury for a couple of days, hopefully she will remember to bring me some clean clothes.
The picture below is not of rape seed, they are dandelions, I have never seen so many growing in one field.