It is about halfway through the day and the Shropshire countryside is sliding past my train window: rich pasture extending to hills of deep green woods in the middle distance; fields of gold stubble, their towering haystacks leaning lazily in the corners; and rolling landscapes of green fields and tiny rivers grazed by sheep that seem strangely orientated in a common direction. It is all quintessentially English, but only just, since the Welsh border cannot be far from where our small train rumbles through the landscape. Occasionally the scene is interrupted as our route takes us through a cutting, trees and shrub and bank shielding us from the view, or we hit signs of suburbia: a road passing underneath us, an astroturf sports field with Sunday league children and supporting parents, or one of the small towns at which we stop, the names of some which I recognise while others are unknown to me. All this I see as I head north to the Welsh coastal town of Prestatyn and, for me, the start of my walk.
I have decided to start the route in the north and head south. To me it seemed the natural direction, probably because, for me, I will be walking towards home. However, it seems from the guide book I purchased that walking from south to north is considered the 'norm'. I’m pretty sure it will make no difference to the overall effort given that the route starts and finishes at sea level, although for me an element of mental gymnastics will be required, reversing the stages in the book and, more significantly, any useful information contained in each stage write-up. It has also led to my long journey north on the train: three changes becoming four because of a train cancellation, plenty of waiting around for connections and the promise of a bus replacement for the last hour of the journey. Despite these issues however, I hope to be in Prestatyn in good time for a beer and a relaxed evening meal before tomorrow’s start.
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