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Week 7, 11th – 17th June, Kingstone
to Martley, 48 miles
Those of you who read the diary on a regular
basis are in for a short treat: week seven was designed by
Grant to be a three day riding week with four days of R and
R for horse and rider, so for once the diary should not go
over two pages! I can hear the sighs of relief already, predominantly
from Julian and Mark who have to correct some of my intriguing
use of English. So, here we go…
There have been lengthy discussions over
the past week or so about the route Grant would take from
Kingstone. The initial plan was to go via Stottesdon which
would allow Grant to catch up with great friends, James and
Lorna, and to see Isla, their gorgeous, ten month old daughter.
However it was out of the way as the crow flies. So the decision
was made to straighten the route and head for Martley. We
would still be able to drive over and see James, Lorna and
Isla but Marv would be in a better place from which to continue
on Monday. Once the ball got rolling, the changes continued
with Grant deciding to drop the overnight stop at Gnossall
and head for Codsall in one day, not two. It would prove to
be a long but rewarding day for Marv who would benefit from
an impromptu mid-week day off.
This decided, Grant headed down for another
great cooked breakfast, provided by Jill, before he tacked
up and left Kingstone. Yet again the weather forecast had
predicted a hot day, so the sun cream was out early, much
to Marv’s disapproval. The pair had not been on the
road long before they met a very generous gentleman who stopped
in his 4x4. Seeing Grant and Marv with all the panniers on
he had correctly deduced they were partaking in an event of
some description. After a brief explanation by Grant, he gave
him a £40 donation before wishing them well and heading
off. Grant managed to find out that he ran a balloon company
called Wicker’s World. So to the gentleman from Wickers
World, thank you very much. By this point it was time for
the essential post office food/drink stop. Marv now knows
that when Grant appears from a shop there will inevitably
be a snack or two for him. So he automatically whickers when
he sees Grant approaching with a shopping bag… that
horse has Grant wrapped around his hooves!
They stopped on Milford Common for a spot
of grass and clover before continuing south. After crossing
under the M6 motorway they went through Penkridge. Then it
was a few more miles before crossing yet another key road,
the A5. The final miles were down a canal towpath, and Marv
enjoyed a loose trot into Middle Hattons, near Codsall, to
finish a long day (24miles). Sue had kindly offered Marv a
field, and Grant the sofa, for 2 nights. Pete, a great friend
of Grant’s, arrived later that night and just in time
for an Indian takeaway. Grant does not get to see enough of
Pete so enjoyed the opportunity for a good catch up, all the
more since it was also Pete’s birthday.
The following day, initially a riding day,
and now a rest day, was very relaxed. Sue and Andy have just
installed a horse spa, so Marv had the opportunity to try
it out: initially somewhat reluctant, they got him in and
we can only hope he enjoyed the experience. Pete came over
at around 18.00, so the pair went out for something to eat
before Grant went to bed.
The following morning Grant was up and on
the road early. There was a quick pit stop for a Cornish pasty
and a juice before hitting some great bridle paths: one took
him on the edge of a wheat field where they had a great canter,
apparently a particularly enjoyable one. They then went past
a Golf Course where Marv had a small fit as he came across
sprinklers for the first time. Not long after, they met (Stottesdon)
James out on his bike and had a picnic together on the verge.
After lunch, however, it all went slightly pear shaped as
they took what turned out to be a non-existent bridle path.
This resulted in a 40 minute detour and James having to carry
his bike most of the way.
Once back on a decent road James and Grant
decided they would time Marv’s trot. This was all down
to a device on James’s bike which told you how fast
you were travelling. The result, Marv can trot at 13mph when
he wants to. James headed off at 15.50 and Grant and Marv
spent the last hour on quiet lanes through Shatterford, heading
towards Trimpley. Grant passed a farrier on the way and got
a couple of phone numbers on the off chance he would need
to get Marv shod again. At around 17.00, the pair met up with
my mother who drove ahead and managed to secure a great field
courtesy of James and Ann Price. Once Marv was sorted, Mum
drove Grant back to Worcester and cooked him a big fry-up
(hmm… I am sure I don’t get that) before he headed
off for a bath. Maisie and I arrived from Edinburgh around
22.30 ready for our day walking with the pair of them the
following morning.
It was an early start, a quick breakfast,
then out to Marv. Setting off in two cars, we left mine at
Shelia’s, where Marv would be having a rest, before
driving on to Shatterford. Ann and James joined us at the
field, where we gave Marv a quick feed before heading off.
Maisie was very happy to see Marv, although not so happy to
find that his food was not instantly available to her. Marv’s
‘table manners’ generally involve emptying the
bucket as soon as it hits the floor and pawing the ground.
The two ways to deter this are to feed him straight from the
bag or to put the bucket up high. He prefers the first since
it often means that he gets more food; the second does not
stop him pawing the ground and digging holes!
As we set off the heavens opened, but once
the waterproofs had been donned it stopped. This pretty much
set the pattern for the day. It was an easy walk and Marv
was being a star, he was really striding out and not partaking
in to much ‘clover diving’. We reached Bewdley,
where we met Anna Neath and Rosemary Buchan who walked through
town with us. It is such a small world: Anna and I started
talking and within 5 minutes we realised that Katie, her daughter,
and I had gone through pony club together! Before we left
both ladies very kindly gave Grant donations for the ILPH.
We bypassed the bridleway as the main road
had quietened by the time we reached it. The weather started
to clear and before we knew it we were seeing signs for Martley.
A quick pit stop at a local shop very kindly resulted in some
free apples for Marv. I bought ice lollies, and whilst Grant
was enjoying his, I discovered Marv liked mine. We can now
add strawberry Calypsos to Marv’s rather bizarre food
tastes!
It was then up and out of the village for
the short walk to Sheila’s, a great friend of mum’s.
The field was perfect: Marv had sheep and chickens for company
and there was also a big shelter for him in case of bad weather.
After giving him a huge feed we left him and headed home,
then out with mum for some great food and a good bottle of
wine at the local pub before an early night.
Over the weekend we had a BBQ, complete
with intermittent showers. Grant’s sister Sarah came
up from London, which was great. We were also joined by Kev,
a friend of Grant’s from Birmingham, James, Lorna and
Isla. Marv was visited by everyone throughout the weekend
and fed carrots, apples and mints. He was totally relaxed
and extremely content with his surroundings. On the Sunday
we managed to get another BBQ in at James and Lorna’s
and this time we were joined by Pete. Maisie enjoyed herself
meeting their cat and playing with Isla. It was, all in all,
a very enjoyable weekend for all concerned.
During the weekend Grant had decided to
take up the offer of my uncle and aunt’s back garden
in St Johns, Worcester. Essentially this would mean that Monday
and Tuesday would be short days, a great way for everyone
to ease back into things after four days off. The route was
not only straightforward but I had also ridden it as a kid
on a very regular basis, so knew that Monday was shaping up
to be a very relaxed day.
Many thanks to the people below who kindly
provided grazing and shelter for Marv and for some of those
nights a bed, food and good company for Grant. He would also
like to thank all those along the route for their good wishes,
encouragement and sponsorship.
Monday and Tuesday – Codsall –
Andy and Sue
Wednesday - Shatterford – Ann and James Price
Thursday to Sunday – Martley - Sheila
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