Beyond the hedge I could hear voices, speaking east European languages. Through the branches I saw a couple of dozen workers picking strawberries under the scorching sun.
The walk to Worcester offered a choice between The Severn Way and the A38, or some combination of the two. A riverside walk or a trunk road?
I decided to cover the section to Ryall on the A38. It's the old main road from the Midlands to the South West but through Worcestershire and Gloucestershire it runs parallel with the M5. When the motorway opened in the 1970s it left the A38 with just local traffic. So I found it quiet and easy going. With buildings to look at and hedges low enough to leave the views unobscured it offered better panoramas than the Severn Way. It even had a pavement, so there was no traffic dodging to worry about.
Before long I came up to some roadwork vehicles. The gang of men had erected a fence of temporary barriers to divert the footpath. I stopped for a chat and they laughed while telling me that I was the first pedestrian they'd seen in two weeks. I asked what they were doing and they told me they were removing old copper telephone cables which had long since been replaced by fibre optic cables.
The A38 reminded me of America's Route 66, on which I drove last year. The legacy of its status as a major national route are the breadth of its carriageway, its smooth cambered bends, and a collection of petrol stations turned into second hand car dealerships.
I found a burger van in a layby and stopped for a huge mug of tea for just 60p.
'The Yorkshire Grey' once catered for a busy stream of motorists but I found a notice on the door declaring it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It can't be long before it closes altogether.
A little farther on I spotted a garden centre and restaurant. I though this would give me an economical lunch but paid £4.50 for a plain tuna sandwich and a can of coke.
(continues in Part Two)
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