Adventures in the Mud – by Debs

We gathered a little earlier in the day than usual as we had planned for the Ramblers to do the Evesham Round walk – a lovely loop, but at 5 miles, a slightly longer walk than we usually do. And of course, we also wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to enjoy our post amble-ramble what refreshments.

What is that saying about well-laid plans…?

Most attendees (and organisers!) got caught in traffic on approach to Evesham, setting us back a little before we could set off. Amblers soon headed off to explore the town. A little later, the Ramblers set off with gusto anyway, hoping to be able to take in at least part of the Round Walk. We were soon greeted with the inevitable consequences of a very wet month of March: a rather swollen river had engulfed various parts of the path rendering them inaccessible unless we were wearing waders (we were not) or were willing to get very wet feet (also not)! Some backtracking, some weaving through streets, we eventually found our way back onto the path a little further along, where we squelched with slow determination in the mud until we found our way back out to a road. Upon finding ‘civilisation’, we then abandoned all plans for any more walking, opting to head back into the town centre to claim our reward in the form of tea, coffee, and sweet treats!

Amblers and Ramblers re-convened for refreshments at Jelly Pickle Jam – a very lovely tearoom bustling with arts, crafts, and an Alice in Wonderland theme – where we enjoyed teas, coffees, cakes and the all-important social chatting time. Come the end, I did wonder if we were ever going to get everyone out of the place!

Definitely one to revisit – and hopefully we can try again on the walk!