Recalculation

Big news – the total distance that we have to walk may be closer to 1000 Km than the 1200 Km that we originally estimated. At an average of 20 Km per day, this could knock 10 days off our estimated duration. I say could with emphasis because unforeseen challenges may yet lie ahead in terms of terrain and injury. And our measurements could turn out to be as fallible as they were before. But if it turns out to be correct, we could be at our half way point within the next few days.

This is because we decided not to follow the E8 which, as I have written before, has a tendency to take you all over the shop, covering relatively small distances with very roundabout routes. This is in contrast to the Niebelungenweg which we followed from Wertheim until we cut across to Rüdesheim and which took us through some epic scenery but in a relatively direct way. I would recommend the Niebelungenweg walk to anyone and, this being Germany, it is fabulously well sign-posted.

And actually, not only was the Niebelungenweg itself well sign-posted but other walking paths in the same area, labelled with numbers on the maps, were also well sign-posted in a surprisingly in, dare I say it, an efficient and practical way - as the tree below illustrates.

Our beloved Niebelungenweg was marked with a yellow square. Below is Doris, reassured that we are on the right track.

Doris didn't include a musical choice for yesterday, so that falls to me.

Yesterday while walking in the rain, on a boring stretch alongside a road, we were passed by a convoy of tractors that were pulling trailers. It looked like they belonged to some sort of circus or wild-west show. The drivers all waved to us, in encouragement, as they passed. I speculated on why and wondered whether it was perhaps because they felt there was some sort of camaraderie of the road. It prompted a song in my head and although the words of the song do not fit, the title does.

When I first mentioned the idea of this pilgrimage to Doris, she simply said that it was a good idea. She probably realised, more than I did, the practical difficulties it would present. But she just left me to explore and dream my new little dream, without a single negative or restraining word.

And when it came time to put one foot in front of the other, she did so with purpose, without complaint and always with an open mind. We have both had various injuries and at times, it has, perhaps, been more challenging than we have let on. But Doris has never been anything but positive and has always been totally supportive and encouraging of me, when I have had my problems. Without her I would have given up long ago.

So, with thanks to Nanci Griffith, this one is for Doris who is “My Brave Companion of the Road.”