The adventure began in Epsom at 11 am as I set off for Abergavenny to start five days of walking along part of Offa’s Dyke.
The journey would take four trains via Dorking, Reading and Newport before finally arriving in Abergavenny shortly after 2 pm. As always before a long walk, there was that uncertainty about what the next few days might bring.
I’m hiking with two friends, Robert and Nick, who I’ve known for more than 20 years. We originally met through work at Eyretel, Witness and Verint.
Over the years, we’ve managed to stay in touch, originally just meeting up for beers and food in London. However, it is evolving to do more. We visited the tunnels in South Clapham, played/tested an escape room game created by Nick’s son in London, visited the Churchill War Rooms, and hiked the Thames towpath from Richmond to London Bridge for a day as preparation for this five-day hike.
Nick and Rob arrived a few hours after me, and we checked in, had dinner, placed a few bets, and caught up on the latest.
Tomorrow we will have breakfast at the hotel and get some provisions from Aldi before taking a bus to Pandy, where we start the hike.
Over the next five days, we will follow Offa’s Dyke Path north through the Black Mountains and the Welsh borders, finishing near Buttington Bridge.
Tomorrow we get a bus from Abergavenny to Pandy to start the trek, sure what could possibly go wrong
