LEJOG day 20: Gloucester to Tewkesbury

It has finally happened: I have been rained on. Although, frankly, the fact that I've outside for most of the day on most days for nearly four weeks in England and this is the first drenching I've had is impressive in many ways. I feel this stands in support of my general theory that I have good luck, and any bad on call shifts are due to my colleagues' bad luck.

If you recall, I was looking forward to today because of the Severn Way. Unfortunately the first 3 to 4 miles of the Way out of Gloucester closely resembled my harrowing experience on the Somerset levels, except with horses instead of cattle and collapsed fences across the disappearing footpaths rather than locked gates and mouldering bridges. The chest-high weeds in last night's rain were the same, though, and I made the same mistake of not putting my waterproof trousers on until my walking trousers were thoroughly soaked through.

Things got better, though, at about the halfway point - where my biggest problem became the fact that I was walking along wearing waterproof trousers over damp walking trousers in nearly 80% humidity, which is not something I'd really recommend. I had my lunch sitting on the bank of the Severn, watching calves rather struggle to get up and down the steep opposite; had a look into Offa's Chapel, which not even English Heritage dared charge entry for; and generally things improved.

Then the heavens opened when I was half a mile outside Tewkesbury and the Abbey's tearoom ("Touching Souls") was closed despite three signs outside proclaiming otherwise. Thankfully the Abbey Tearoom across the road (not affiliated with the Abbey) was open and let me in despite a striking resemblance to a drowned rat. At least I know for sure there's no leak in my waterproofs anywhere now.

Distance walked: 13.78 miles
Time taken: 4h40 (I'm getting slower as I go along)
Percentage completed: 27.8%
Miles per £1 of boot: 3.2
Lunch: tuna and cucumber sandwich, warmish apple juice and cheesy doritos, because I couldn't resist
Last night's B&B: Mulberry House, Gloucester: lovely, warm, clean, made me a mug of tea when I arrived, bath in the bathroom, excellent breakfast and very central

 Family joke
 A bridge? A viaduct? I dunno
 Spot the path!
 ...spot the path!
 Spot the stile! You have to get this sort of stuff out of your system, it probably causes cancer or something otherwise
 Ahh, a pointful stile
 Four padlocks: we get it, don't open the gate
 Flood marks on Cheltenham College boathouse
The Abbey ceiling - I took this before I saw you had to buy a permit and I made a voluntary-ish donation so it's ok, right?

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