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Day 1 – Walking home: Alderman’s Hill to the Flat
Getting this image, or something like it, has been a primary goal of the walk. Now that it’s captured and my feet are screaming, it’s tempting to leave it at that. It’s been a great first day, but I’ve already got blister issues and that’s not a great thing to have with four big walking…
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Day 2 – Manchester to Rixton
Blisters and stupidity nearly had me call the whole thing off this morning. My little toes had been complaining more than usual after yesterday’s hike and I’d developed a blister near my left heel, which was unusual for me too. For some reason I managed not to make the connection between this and the fact…
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Day 3 – Rixton To Frodsham
This was the kind of caravan site where people really dig in and make the place their home. For some I still mean that in the sense of a temporary getaway that they’ve cultivated over the years, making something homely and folksy, something really expressive of who they get to be when they’re here. For…
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Day 4 – Frodsham to Connnah’s Quay
I remember looking at the forecast before settling down, noting that the expected heavy rain was going to be over with by about 4am. So when I heard the rain stop, after hours of drifting between half-asleep and half-awake states, I knew what sort of time it was. I also knew that I wasn’t doing…
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Day 5 – Connah’s Quay to Moel Famau
A lively party at the caravan park, at which young people were blasting out Black Lace on repeat, didn’t prevent the first genuinely decent sleep I’d had on the trip so far. When I pitched up, a woman from the next-door caravan insisted on presenting me with a massive portion of her homemade stew. I…
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Epilogue #1
At some point in the walk, the last piece of the rising framework would have been dropped into place in front of Alderman’s Hill. Maybe Friday, as I was heading out of England. As soon as I saw the building was going up back early in 2026, a sort of desperation began in me.