Day 6 of 14 done and dusted folks! Today was a great day – the path and the weather behaved marvelously and my foot, for the most part, minded it’s own business too! A win!

The day started with a 1.5hr up, up, up and more up that got the heart pumping! It was largely through livestock fields or pastures so pretty easy walking underfoot. Nothing too-too steep but just enough of an incline that you still need to really work for it. The next gate or stile in the distance is a major milestone.

What goes up, gives you a great view, and must go down. The next section of the walk stayed up top for a bit in a forested area and included a tour of the Beacon Ring which would have been one of the beacon fire locations from the ole castle days. Very cool! (Yes Shar, like Lord of the Rings lol)

Even cooler was the Offa’s Dyke Path Stamp box I found. Scrapbookers dream! These little boxes are in a number of places along the trail and believe or not I found two of them today!

From there it was mostly a gentle downhill stroll (one uphill with stairs that went on forever) through the forest. I did see a German couple walking North but I think they were going for ‘personal best time’ so no idea where they were heading to or coming from. A ‘hiya’ and ‘good walk’ was our exchange. They were speedy!

After coming out of the forests downhill portion, it was all about the open fields and another field and another. For the most part I had the path to myself – once in a while sharing with a few sheep of course who were so kind and gave me my personal space.

Met an old American fellow also walking North he was quite excited about being in his last few+ days of this walk and waxed poetic about Cotswold Way (he did it last year).

And a few more forest bits to wrap up the day – this section reminded me of the Hobbit! (You can take a peek at the different trail highlights in a compilation video of each day on @runningforthegate Instagram)

I stopped a couple of times to do the sunscreen thing – it doesn’t really show in the photos but it was one of those overcast but still bright days. Those are when I burn the worst! Oh and one quick stop for a shoe change and half sandwich – funny how much energy you put out when walking but so little appetite. The Welcome to Shopshire signs were in so many places – what a friendly bunch!

So really it was a near solid 6hr walking day, I left at just before 10am and arrived at my B&B at 4pm. The Offa’s Dyke Cottage B&B is literally on the Path – and is absolutely amazing! I thought I was still a couple hours away but a quick map check out it at the 45min mark instead and that put a pep in the step!

I have the run of the place. They made me a fabulous cottage pie (like shepherds pie) and so many wonderful veggies for supper, now I am sitting in the guest’s living room in front of a fire with a view out over the country side. Wow! Everyone needs this gem on their ODP!

Ok that’s a wrap for the day! A tea and a book by the fireplace is in order.

Tomorrow I am off to Knighton for a heal-my-stupid-wrecked-foot-in-a-day rest so I can ‘keep swimming’ the rest of the OPD and then onto Cotswolds Way. I am all about the long game on this one peeps and am currently at about 140km of the 450km+ planned!

Brandé