LEG 27 - WALK AROUND WALES - BUTTINGTON to LLANDEGLA

It is now 4 years since I broke my leg and I'm confident enough to crack on with my pre-break plan of travelling light on the walk and making the most of good weather when available. I'd invested in a light rucksack, sleeping bag and bivvi bag and it would be a shame to to use them so when good weather was forecast for the first week in June I put a plan in motion to get away midweek.

I wasn't 100% sure how long I'd be away for so rather than leave a car in the middle of nowhere unattended for a few days I got out the trusty thumb and hitchhiked it to the start in the village of Buttington near Welshpool. I had 5 lifts which got me to Welshpool and I walked to Buttington from there. A big thank you to all those who gave me a lift including Matt and Will in their XR3i convertible who took me most of the way.

Reaching Buttington at around 5.00pm I settled into the following pattern for the next 36 hours:

walk 1 hour 45, rest 15 mins, one hour break at lunchtime, find a pub at dusk, idetify a camping spot close to the pub, drink a couple of pints, settle down for a sleep, up at 5 and off again.

I managed two nights, the second night the temperature dropped to close to freezing (the forecast said a low of 9 degrees) and I was c c c c c cc cccccccold so I headed back home having covered approximately 40 miles in the 36 hours.

The system of 1.45 on 15 off when walking worked nicely but I was a little tired at the end of the second day with my toes a little sore as well, and I definitely needed my rest that night although the cold did keep me awake for long spells.

The majority of the walk was flat following the River Severn and the Montgomery and Llangollen canals with a few hills thrown in between Llangollen and Llandegla. I completed one ambition, to walk across the picturesque Froncysyllte aqueduct.


Buttington bridge	Day 1 sunset on the Montgomery canal	I couldn't resist stopping for food and a photo	overnight camp, day 1	Llangollen canal	Froncysyllte Aqueduct in the distance