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Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon

Midsomer Norton to Bath

A pretty little church in Dunkerton
A pretty little church in Dunkerton

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and the last thing you want to do is go to work; indeed, for some lucky people this is the exception rather than the rule, but it happens to everybody at some point. Even people who love their jobs get that sinking feeling every now and then, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's natural.

The Limestone Link

Despite the lack of palatable life in Midsomer Norton, the Greyhound proved a good place to sleep – I was out like a light at 10.30pm – and the breakfast was top notch. The weather also decided to sort itself out, and as I set off through the town centre, the sun peeped out from behind the clouds and bits of blue sky floated past, rubbing their eyes from their recent hibernation. Everything was set for a lovely 16-mile walk through rolling countryside to the beautiful city of Bath, but still I didn't want to know. Instead, I sulked.

The Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal

A Pint of Solution

Bath from the Kennet and Avon Canal
Looking towards Bath from the Kennet and Avon Canal

I tried everything to shake my mood as the Limestone Link guided me northeast towards Bath. I kicked nettles, safe inside my Gore-Tex gaiters, and that helped a little; I thwacked the heads off dandelion clocks with my trekking sticks, sending the seeds into the balmy sunshine, and that helped too; and whenever a dog barked at me, I stuck my fingers up in a salute that even terminally stupid canines can understand, and that really helped. But the breakthrough came in Monkton Combe, a small village just a couple of miles from Bath city centre, where I discovered one of those wonderful country pubs that make living worthwhile.