Road to Home 2022 Day 16: Harrold - Cranfield

19 km

The trick of successful walking is knowing when to stop

 - Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island

Today was a good day to stop early. The sky was overcast when I set off from Harrold, where my hostess Sue kindly dropped me off, but it had rained overnight and the grass was very wet. I was wearing my waterproof trousers and Sealskinz waterproof socks, but they didn't help with the mud... Every time I crossed a field I could feel myself growing taller and taller as the mud caked on the soles of my boots! Periodically I had to stop and knock the heels of my boots against each other or against a post to remove a few inches of mud. This made for slow going, and I was glad I had only a short stage to walk today!

I passed through some pretty little villages along the way, Carlton, Turvey and Astwood, where I took a short break on a bench across from the village hall. Soon after I set off again the big black clouds on the horizon blew over and rain began to fall. 

No sunshine... But free sunflowers! 

Here comes the rain! 

I walked briskly along Shire Lane into Cranfield and arrived just as the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Cranfield is a student town; in fact the whole town seems to be one big university campus! I located some outdoor tables under a platform roof outside a student cafeteria and sat down to peel off my waterproof plastic layers, wet, muddy and studded with bits of vegetation, and tuck them away in the outside pocket of my pack before going into the cafeteria for lunch. By the time I had eaten and written this blog entry, it was time to check in to my accommodation at Mitchell Hall, the lodging run by the Cranfield School of Management conference centre. 

I doubt they will have seen many guests arrive as muddy as me!!! 

Student cafeteria lunch

Mitchell Hall

My room for tonight