Distance: 9.3km
Accessibility: A mixed bag. This is an official path, but if mobility is an issue you will struggle.
Landscape: Orchards.
I cannot believe we are this deep into the year and we have not visited a pub. Besides a messy trip to an industrial estate these are walks in liminal spaces.
This was never my intention. Is there anything more wonderful than slogging up a hill on a baking day, and finding cold drinks and crisps on a trestle tabled garden at the top ? If you have been taking on these walks yourself, you deserve a treat.
Time to break that alienation. This was a proper trip to a local pub in Beo Gras.
For those not looking for refreshment, rest assured the walk itself is of interest. We are back on a fruit trail, this time a pear orchard.
You start down a rutted path slicing two fields. Thin wooden planking mark out the sides, no higher than my shoulders. The trees are scraggly, dark shadows scraping the gloom like fingers. Yellow bulbs hid on the branches.
This place was organised. I think the orchard belongs to a pear cider company. The name of the brand is a pun on the moon. Every line of trees is neat, with wide spaces between creating long gullies for the pickers. Easy to traverse.
Easy for something to run down.
Something upset me though. I started walking in late afternoon. A mistake. The summer weather spoiled me. A paste of grey cloud turned the track close to darkness by the time I get to the fruit. Silvery webs hung in the closer trees. They ran from stem to bark, catching the last of the light. Spiders with fad scarlet bodies waited in the middle. I increased my pace. It was a relief when the fence dropped away, and the pub appeared.
A thatched roof sat on a redbrick building. The early evening hid the sign, but something spherical dominates the frame. A warm glow poured from the windows. More trees hide on the side of the pub. From the top this must look like a giant wheel.
When I opened the door, I noticed the bottom right hand corner was missing. Multiple crescents marked the wood, like a giant mouse had chewed through.
Gravy and sweet hops flowed from inside. It was very good to go for a pint.
:::Good to be back around people Barbara. When you talk to other humans, you realise what you have been missing. It is like the world pops out another dimension.
But even then, this still didn't solve my problems. Just look at what happened next.
Are they afraid?
I won't be afraid.
The moon is a thin curve today. I remember a phrase about something being the Devil’s toenails. Is this what that refers to?
Got a nice photo of the fruit trees anyway. See below. :::
