We left our lodgings and walked through the centre of town and out into the countryside in bright sunshine, which continued throughout the day. We walked on quiet country lanes and footpaths. After several days with no watering holes, we passed four pubs within three miles! We had cold drinks at the first and lunch at the third! After lunch the walk was mainly through woodland, the Cannock Chase forest, where we finally left the Heart of England Way and walked into the small market town of Rugeley, staying at a Travelodge.

A Backward Glance

Our sojourn in the flatlands is over. Today the hilly nature of our journey has gently reintroduced itself. Climbing up a narrow country lane, a car patiently waited for us to pass and as we did the man asked if we knew the whereabouts of a pub called ‘The Nelson’? “I wish” I replied. Twenty minutes later Carol and I were sipping sodas and eating crisps, soaking up the sunshine in the garden of said establishment, with not a sign of the considerate driver in sight – it’s called serendipity. We resume our trek through nature’s amaranthine of chequered green, gently broken by quiet lanes, ‘unseen’.