Ken came to the hall at 8.30, and drove me to his house, where his wife, Sandra, made me a proper English breakfast. I was gone by 9.30, on the straight road out of town, and back onto the grass verges. Even so, it was a whizz of a walk, and I couldn't believe it when I reached 'Wormald Green' -almost half way - before I'd even felt like I'd walked anywhere.
After this, it got a little worse - the old 'chafing' had improved no end (and hasn't really been back since) but I started to feel a bit 'dreamy in the head' - the few drinks last night? Not enough water? Going too fast? I don't know except that since then, I've developed a cough, so it could all just be my body going into shock at the entire 'reality' of this slog. I had to rest, but I kept saying 'I will at THIS tree, no..THIS one..' By the time I'd found one to sit under, I looked up and saw the village sign for Ripley.
There's a stately hall at Ripley, and a wedding was going on at the Hotel. Everyone, and thing, looked very 'up-to-the-nines', and a guy on the phone at the table next to me was talking of how he'd just loaned his friend '50 thousand' but didn't know when he was going to get it back. The shop there was just what I needed, and I sat at the table for over an hour, because I'd made great time, and only had 4 miles left. 
Just outside Harrogate, I had a strange feeling that I 'knew this place'. I turned around, and saw this view:
Although I don't have the image with me, this place looks very much like the spot where one of the most famous photos of the Jarrow March was taken. I think I'd read somewhere that that photo was taken either 'Outside Harrogate' or 'Bedford', and it shows the entire March beginning to climb a hill, on a road with walls on either side, past a tall, old-fashioned town sign, and being led by Ellen Wilkinson. There are more trees today, but if I don't see anywhere else, I think this must have been the place.
I'd received brilliant directions on how to get to the Church, which is in 'Bilton', in the sububs of Harrogate. I met Chris Close inside the church - he was up a ladder- and he gave me the keys to the empty vicarage, next door. It was an entire house, empty of all but the fittings, and I had my choice of rooms:
I went into town, but -idiotically - left the signing book behind, as I'd intended it to be just a getting-my-bearings walk, and not a night thing. But it was evening by then, and I found the T-shirt was doing its magic again, so I went into the Slug and Lettuce, and got talking about the walk to a couple -Kev and Melissa. They didn't stay long -she wanted to get back to watch Eastenders - but Kev stayed long enough to tell me one story about how he had once bought a cayman (a small crocodile) off some bloke in the pub for 60 quid. After that, the sky was the limit for conversation, and as I got onto saying how Loughborough was the only place I hadn't yet found accommodation, it reminded him of the time he'd been talking to two Americans about the town, and how they'd pronounced it as 'Lo-gah-bo-ROW-gah..'
I'd taken in a few shops earlier, and got a great reception. Both the Rohan shop, and a music shop had said I should try 'The Old Bell' later if I wanted to chance to talk to locals who would 'get what I was doing' -they couldn't have been more right. As soon as I walked in a couple spoke, with the woman taking flyers to 'give to the people she worked with.' I found a nice alcove, and got the permission off the manger to give flyers out. Two young guys -Alex and Gareth - were so enthusiastic that I got a free drink, and then I spent another 15 mins with a couple in their 40s, who were both aware of Bede, and fascinated by what I was doing. As I left I flyered about another five couples, and in all, the reception I got made me feel very 'warm' -as I probably showed on Twitter. so warm, that I didn't even need a sheet on my first-class four-poster:
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