Day 37 Part 1 - The heat is on

Amanda toasted some of Nick's home-baked bread for me and I lingered with them until 11am before setting off.

My socks hadn't dried properly so I walked through Middleyard, King's Stanley and Frocester with them dangling from the waistband of my rucksack. These Bridgedale socks have been perfect for walking but the thickness of the sole means they take ages to dry.

The sun was getting higher and hotter. It was humid and there were cumulous clouds but it still turned out to be the hottest day of the year.

At the King's Head in Eastington at one o'clock I had a good lunch and a pint of "Bob". Sadly, during the 45 minutes that I was there, I was the only customer. Friday lunchtime on a hot day used to guarantee good trade and it's no wonder that five pubs are closing each day.

The walk has given me a chance to survey the health of the pub trade and it's certainly not thriving. The quality of the food has been high - even better than I expected. A pub lunch used to mean a cheese and pickle cob or, at the top end, a plate of gammon and egg. I've eaten really well in most places.

I reached Frampton-on-Severn, whose village green is reputedly the longest in the country. The walk down to the village appeared on the map to be down a quiet lane. But I had to duck into the hedges to let the numerous gravel trucks and tractors pass.

It was a relief to get onto the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction. The canal is broad enough to take lots of boat traffic and every road bridge can swing to allow taller vessels to pass.

This was the first time I'd walked along a canal since leaving Tancarville on Day 14 and it was really pleasant to have the water beside me. The biggest drawback was the heat; with the sun directly behind me there was no shade.

The previous day had been very warm but as I'd slogged up and down hills there were cooler moments under the denser trees. The Cotswold Way had occasionally led me through little hollows in the woods and I loved stepping into the refreshing pools of cool air.

I carried on along the canal, swigging mouthfuls from the tube connected to the water bladder in my pack, hoping that it wouldn't run out (it didn't).

A family of swans, mum, dadnd eight fluffy plump signets came up to the bank to pose for photographs.

Eventually I decided I needed a longer break and slumped onto the grass beside another swing bridge. I unbound the laces on my boots, heaved them from my feet and stripped out the insoles so they could air in the sunshine. My tired back, neck and leg muscles relaxed and my bones let themselves into the grass. I covered my head with my hat and dozed. Goodness knows what I looked like.