WHEN WALKING

London to Birmingham Day 3

Milton Keynes to Church Stowe: 37km

A short post for yesterday as I lie in my coffin tent, waiting for the rain to stop before I pack up.

First, I need to apologise: I was wrong to judge Milton Keynes so harshly. In the morning. I resisted the urge to get out of bed and walk as quickly as possible out of the city. Instead, I found a route out of town that took me past the beautiful Bradwell Abbey and out through Wolverton.

This part of the city is full of charming greenways, and I realised that the cycle network—much like the canals—forms a parallel transport system here. The place could do with a little more love, with fewer deserted hire bikes blocking the paths of the morning cyclists. I found myself thinking it might be worth coming back one day to explore properly on two wheels.

On today’s section the route takes you past a series of miraculous canal engineering works: the Cosgrove viaduct taking boats into the air (and followed by an excellent cafe for breakfast baps); the seven lock ladder up to Stoke Bruerne (this time followed by canalside pub); and the eerie Blisworth tunnel, where the boats disappear into the underworld. Strangely, by the time the canal re-emerged at the far end, it felt as though I’d left the South of England behind. The warehouses along the river, built from a different coloured brick, announced another England had arrived.

Thankfully, the weather held off until the final stretch of canal. From there, I scrambled a few miles across country to the campsite where I’m staying tonight. There’s a compost toilet. That’s about it. Once again, I haven’t seen another soul on the site.

Tomorrow will bring the practicalities of dealing with damp gear, and there’s more rain the forecast. For now, though, it’s cosy enough. My only real regret is not bringing quite enough food.

Still, all is well—as long as the tent stays up.