Greetings all

I’m sitting in the Couch and Horses pub in Chepstow, Wales right now. I have just finished my first pint and a delicious meal. Anne specifically suggested this place, and it’s no wonder why. It has won the “Town Pub of the Year” from CAMRA for two years running. You may not know CAMRA, but Erich and Elasait do. CAMRA is the CAMpaign for Real Ale. 6 different casks pulls, two of which I can tell you at this point are scrumptious. I’ll let you know about the others later 😀

The trip went really well. The first flight was extremely comfortable because I was in First Class. I couldn’t upgrade the second, but I had already chosen the Premium Economy and I got an aisle seat with no one sitting next to me. I still didn’t sleep much, but it was as comfortable as I could have hoped. The flight also was basically turbulence-free. I suspect part of this is that 747s are just big damn brutes. I was, however, disappointed to find out that it didn’t have WiFi, which the flight from KC to DFW did in fact have.

I got into Heathrow at about 9am local, or about 3am KC time. By about 11:30 I was on a train to Gloucester, and by 2:30 I had arrived to Chepstow. Yeah, I was tired, given that I really had pulled an all-nighter. I’m still a little logy, but a nap and a shower at the Town Mews has perked me right up.

So, the weather giveth, and the weather taketh away. First of all, the English are getting a little frustrated about what has apparently been a month of rain with not much change in sight. It’s raining outside the window I’m looking out right now. However, I’m giving their complaints a bit of a deaf ear. After all, right now it’s 13 instead of 40 Celsius. I can deal with a little rain when I’m looking at 50s as opposed to 100s. The taketh part is that parts of the Trail will be harder to walk because of the mud.

Tomorrow, I’m going to do the initial part of the trail, which isn’t really included in the itinerary I mentioned yesterday. It’s a 2 mile or so jaunt from the actual Severn Estuary up to the rail bridge over the Wye. I’ll probably continue to the next bridge over the Wye so that I can go to the amazing castle here in Chepstow before returning to the train station and going back to Gloucester for a few hours. My plan is to be back in Chepstow 6ish, have a few more pints at the Couch and Horses and fortify myself for the first day of walking.

All in all, about as smooth of a day to get ensconced in Chepstow as I could have hoped. Awaiting me here, by the way, was Josie, the owner of the Town Mews at the train station. There was also an excellent package of maps and guides provided by Celtic Trails waiting for me. I spent some time looking at the path, and at times, the terms path is a misnomer. Sometimes it’s walking on major highways. In some places, it’s crossing a semi-random field. It’s definitely not like the Katy Trail path. Glad I can read a map 😀

Also, I’m afraid I’m a bit of a disappointment to Josie. She kept wanting to make me tea, or to get me something else, or basically be an awesome host. I might be a little too low maintenance for her. Still, she’s promised me eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, tomatoes, mushrooms, and beans for breakfast. You all will be proud of me. I set my foot down and refused the cereal.

Well, I’ve finished my beer, so obviously I need to stop typing and order another. Till tomorrow everyone.