0:00

This is the BBC. This

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outside the UK.

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BBC Sounds.

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Music, radio, podcasts. The

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bunting is out in Kington. Multi-coloured,

0:16

triangular, blasts of

0:18

colour hanging between the various shops.

0:21

All different colours of the houses as well, with black roofs.

0:24

We've got a pink shop there and a white one

0:26

and a yellow one. There's a delicatessen,

0:29

there's a coffee shop. And here is

0:31

a tiny little, almost

0:34

like an overgrown cupboard, called the walking

0:36

hub. Outside there are

0:38

walking boots with flower pots in them. And I can't say

0:41

I've ever seen this before.

0:42

In the window, lots of boots

0:45

and a dog. Sat in the window. And

0:49

this, I think the dog

0:50

is rude because I know that the shop belongs

0:52

to Ali Allen. Hello. Hello. We've

0:55

never started ramblings in a walking shop, so I'm

0:57

quite excited about this. Good, I like

0:59

to do unique things, so that's good. So

1:02

round us, and it is quite tight for space here, but

1:04

we've got different shoes and boots.

1:07

We've got thermos flasks, we've got rucksacks,

1:10

maps, maps, maps.

1:12

Lots of ordnance survey maps, but also

1:14

suggestions. Six Great Walks around

1:16

Kington. You've got all the outside gear,

1:18

the waterproof gear, the fleeces,

1:21

but all the same make. We've

1:23

got hats and gloves and socks. Oh,

1:26

walkers heaven. All

1:29

right, stay there, stay there. Go on, lay

1:31

down. What is he, Beagle Cross or something? No,

1:34

actually he doesn't have any Beagle in him. He's

1:37

a Pater Jack, Pug War. OK.

1:39

Do you know what that is? Yeah, pastel,

1:42

Jack Russell and pug. And what's

1:44

the war? Chihuahua?

1:47

Yeah, oh, my God, you're the only person I think that's ever got that.

1:50

And I'm thinking, is it too hot for Roo? Are

1:52

we going to leave Roo here? I think I'm going to

1:54

leave Roo here, yes, because he also

1:56

might be slightly disruptive. I

1:59

did notice her.

1:59

Yeah I

2:02

noticed earlier that although he's a fantastic

2:04

window dressing he doesn't

2:06

always like the look of customers if they don't

2:08

come in. No he does attract the customer

2:10

that's very true but yeah often he'll have a growl

2:13

for them at first. It's

2:15

all part of it really. He's a good

2:17

boy. We leave

2:20

you here then? Yes.

2:21

We've come up the road from the walking hub. We're not far from Hay-On-Wye

2:30

at Thames for the literary festival. Not

2:33

too far from Hereford and if

2:35

you want to follow us on the map we are

2:38

on OS Explorer 201 which is

2:40

Knighton, Preston, Kington

2:43

and Hay-On-Wye

2:44

and the grid reference for our

2:46

starting point is SO 297

2:51

566. So

2:54

when did you come to live and

2:56

work here? This is my sixth

2:58

year here. I actually came

3:00

from the States. I've been living in the States

3:02

for 30 years. I was born in London,

3:05

grew up in London, went to school there but ended

3:08

up moving to the States. Whereabouts?

3:13

Utah. So lived in Western USA and

3:15

lived in a little cabin at the bottom of

3:18

ski resort so this is very different.

3:21

Why did you go there? Well

3:23

I followed a guy. I was

3:25

working in a climbing and skiing shop

3:27

in London. I was a climber, the guy

3:30

that became my husband. I was a skier,

3:32

we met there and I went out to visit and it

3:34

purely was just for a visit. In fact I was on

3:36

my way to New Zealand, stopped off to meet

3:40

the sky and stayed.

3:42

Ended up staying and marrying and

3:45

was there for 30 years. Tell

3:48

me a little bit about the route you're going to take

3:50

me on today because I imagine the choices

3:52

are plenty.

3:53

Yes there are lots but I thought

3:57

what we do today is go north on

3:59

Dyke out of Kingston towards

4:02

Knighton. What's good about this

4:04

part of the trail is we actually go onto

4:07

the real Offers Dyke monument

4:09

up here too because you only, Offers

4:12

Dyke is only in sections,

4:14

you only get on the Dyke in sections and

4:16

on the trails so this is a really

4:18

nice part. I can hear

4:21

a

4:21

busy road but can't see it yet we're on a very

4:23

narrow lane that's going to take

4:25

us up into the hills and just going past the

4:27

last of the cottages were

4:29

right on the outskirts of the town and these have

4:31

all been freshly painted white all

4:33

their flower pots outside and flower

4:36

beds look absolutely

4:38

pristine don't they? We can hear a stream

4:40

running. It's a very abundant time

4:43

of year isn't it? It's just so so beautiful

4:45

yeah so we're just heading out of town

4:47

this is the outskirts I mean just within a couple

4:49

of minutes we're going to be out

4:51

into the hills that's why I love it here. So

4:58

yeah I do have to be a little bit careful here I think

5:00

we can cross so

5:02

yeah busy A44 heading

5:05

into Wales.

5:08

And sign straight away for the Offers Dyke

5:10

path. Yeah so we're

5:13

actually following the Offers Dyke path from where we turned

5:15

right off Church Street Kingston

5:18

so we're now going up a steep little

5:20

lane there'll be a kissing gate at the

5:22

top of here and then we'll be off up path

5:25

to the highest golf course in

5:27

England. So nice views from

5:30

up there and then we head on keep

5:32

going north up onto Rushek Hill and

5:34

that's where we'll join the actual Offers

5:36

Dyke scheduled monument so

5:38

you can actually walk

5:41

along it a little bit or technically

5:43

they don't really want you walking along it now it's better

5:45

to walk along the side of it because they're trying

5:47

to protect it because it's getting very eroded.

5:50

You must because of the shop

5:52

meet all sorts of people coming

5:54

here as they're doing Offers

5:56

Dyke. I honestly that's what

5:58

I love about it because I just I mean international

6:02

you know I get people from all over the world lots

6:04

of Americans and Dutch

6:07

and really interesting

6:09

people from all walks of life and of course

6:11

I've got the bed and breakfast above so I really

6:14

get to get to know them and feel like I'm

6:17

part of their journey so because

6:19

I'm busy in the shop it's hard for me

6:21

to get out all the time but I can

6:23

live vicariously through

6:26

them it's quite a steep hill this

6:28

one is popping and panting going

6:29

up lovely box

6:33

glass isn't it pretty and it's a riot

6:35

of color of pinks and purples

6:38

and bright yellow just back

6:40

there

6:46

as we climb ever upwards the

6:49

effort gets greater but the breeze

6:52

is picking up and the temperature

6:54

cooling just a bit there are sheep

6:56

actually newly shorn sheep so they're

6:59

very pleased to themselves grazing in the field to

7:02

our right and some of the other grass fields

7:04

have already been cut and

7:06

that cut grass lying in heaps

7:09

lines drying in the Sun

7:11

it's

7:14

you couldn't get a better day as

7:16

although it's hot it's clear

7:19

and as I say there's that

7:21

breeze I think it would just keep us

7:26

cool so my whole

7:29

move here started with a long walk

7:31

to be honest my dad died and

7:33

my mama died quite a bit earlier and house

7:36

in London had been sold and

7:38

I was just feeling sort of very disconnected from this country

7:41

so I thought what better way to reconnect

7:43

than to go for a long walk so

7:46

I thought I was doing something completely unique

7:48

whereas I was just following this trend I

7:50

guess I started at Lands End

7:53

and ended up walking 600 miles

7:56

along the National Trails and came

7:58

up on offer Stike that

7:59

and walked through Kingston at that point.

8:02

So, a bit serendipitous

8:04

to be honest. Nothing was planned when I came back

8:06

here. It was a complete open

8:09

book. I didn't know what I was

8:11

going to do. I just was on a bit of an adventure.

8:14

And can I ask what happened to

8:17

the guy you went to Utah for and who you

8:19

lived in the log cabin with? Yeah, so he

8:21

came back with me with the idea of sort of

8:24

potentially starting again here. But, you know,

8:26

he was born on skis. He's a skier

8:28

and a big mountain, rocky mountain

8:29

guy, you know? So, and it was my passion

8:32

to come back. And, I mean, there was

8:34

other issues too. It wasn't quite that shallow.

8:36

He didn't just go back just for the skiing. But anyway, he went

8:38

back again. So, but we're,

8:40

you know, still extremely good friends. And

8:43

I'm actually going back next week to Utah.

8:45

I go back at least once a year, because my son's

8:47

over there. So, still major

8:50

connections to Utah.

8:52

We paused because it is a steep uphill

8:54

climb. And so every time we want a proper chat, we have to

8:56

stop at the grass. Either side

8:59

of us is dancing in the breeze and

9:01

there's a butterfly just dipping

9:03

in and out again,

9:04

giving us a little

9:07

display. I

9:09

think this, I think I'm right in saying

9:11

that was my Colfield's house right there, to

9:14

the right. That one just behind the tree right there. White

9:17

clap aboard, lovely glass

9:20

balcony around that top floor. And

9:22

I think what happened was after the success

9:24

of Chubula Bells, which was

9:26

a monster hit, he

9:29

came here to sort of escape the hubbub.

9:32

Yeah, exactly, a retreat, he kind of retreated there. And then

9:34

did he write an album that's named

9:37

after where we're going? Well,

9:40

he wrote an album called Hargis Ridge, which is

9:42

we're going up for Averna, but Hargis Ridge is

9:45

over there. In a minute,

9:47

this tree's in the way. When we get past this tree, you'll

9:50

see the iconic monkey puzzle trees. Although

9:53

I'm not sure they were here actually when he would have

9:55

written it, but apparently he would sit up there,

9:58

look over to Hargis

9:59

Ridge, and then he wrote. his second

10:01

album.

10:03

I was also thinking as we pass

10:05

the fox gloves those are tubular

10:07

bells aren't they hanging down? Purple

10:09

tubular bells and

10:12

we're into bracken country now. I've

10:15

got a story about that actually one of the local

10:17

artists we're actually going to go up here so

10:20

but he lost a couple of years

10:22

ago in fact he can still vaguely see it but

10:25

he cut a walker out of the bracken

10:27

it was fantastic it was in a you know

10:29

it was in this position a walking position and we

10:32

all came with strimmers and cut this fantastic

10:35

walker out of the hill it's all got grown

10:37

over now but I think that was his point it was to show

10:39

that things are constantly

10:41

changing and growing and I noticed

10:44

actually in your shop that

10:46

you had a sign saying life is that riding

10:48

a bicycle oh yeah you've got to keep moving

10:51

to stay on. Is that my words to that effect?

10:53

Well that's my mantra so I

10:55

actually have rheumatoid arthritis

10:57

you can tell my hands are just yeah

11:00

and my feet look the same. So yes

11:03

so to describe your hands where

11:06

most people's hands you know

11:08

flex easily and the fingers tend to point and straight

11:11

out

11:11

yours look frozen

11:13

around the knuckles and

11:16

then every finger is at

11:18

an angle to

11:21

the outside. It's great for hitching though

11:23

look at my thumb. And

11:25

is it painful? Well I

11:27

do pretty well actually my hands are

11:30

pretty much it's my feet that the problem because of course

11:32

I want to walk and run on them all the time so that's the challenge

11:34

is my feet that's why I've moved

11:37

into whole barefoot minimalist shoes because

11:39

it's just transformed my ability to walk because

11:42

I have strengthened my feet the

11:44

whole

11:44

point behind a barefoot shoe well not the whole point is

11:46

obviously really comfortable but you

11:48

also strengthen your feet in a regular shoe and

11:51

the shoe does the work for you your foot just sits

11:53

inert in the shoe it's a bit like if

11:55

you break your arm and you get it in a plaster

11:57

cast for six weeks when it comes out it's completely

11:59

completely withered. You know that's what we're doing

12:02

to our feet all the time by putting them in a traditional

12:04

shoe. So this absolutely is totally

12:06

flexible shoe, totally

12:08

flat on the ground. Can you

12:11

feel when you walk over stones and things can

12:13

you feel them? Yeah you can but it's not like

12:15

I mean it's not like walking there is protection obviously

12:18

you've got the sole so it's not like being in pure bare feet

12:20

and the ability for my toes to splay out it

12:22

just gives you better balance and

12:24

that being flat on the ground weights

12:28

you perfectly over

12:29

the top of your feet rather than being pushed

12:32

abnormally forward that happens with a heel.

12:34

So you know it puts pressure onto your knees

12:37

and then your hips and then your lower back so

12:39

your feet are just so incredibly important.

12:42

You know my RA really has been great because

12:44

it's just given me this ability

12:46

to question everything you know without adversity

12:49

and issues you don't ever question

12:52

things do you? I suppose the easy

12:54

option

12:54

would have been to stop

12:56

walking but or it

12:59

would have been an option but I could see

13:01

you look aghast like no

13:03

that was never the option. Absolutely

13:05

I mean I was told by my doctors so back in 2010-9

13:09

when I did the long walk I was

13:11

telling my doctors what I wanted

13:15

to do you know I was like how can I make this work and

13:17

they said well it weren't you can't walk they said you'll

13:19

get fractures stress fractures and all your toes I

13:21

really need joint replacements in all my toes

13:23

and generally someone tells me that I can't do

13:25

something that's when I do it so

13:28

yeah I went and walked 600 miles

13:30

on feet that shouldn't mean how to

13:33

do it but the reality of it was that I

13:35

strengthened my feet strengthened my

13:37

whole body great for my body

13:39

and mind it was just transformational you

13:41

know I was limping I thought I just can't do this but

13:45

it's a great a great lesson

13:47

in life that really that you just just

13:50

take it one step at a time and you'll get

13:52

there. I

13:55

spy a flag this

13:58

doesn't look like any golf course I've ever seen there's

14:01

sheep poo everywhere and the sheep have obviously grazed

14:04

it, you don't think stripped

14:06

moan fairways, it's

14:09

it's downland golf, it'd

14:11

be fun to play, you've

14:13

got to cope with the wind, you've got

14:15

to keep the ball straight because otherwise you're off into the back and

14:17

then that's gone and you're

14:21

very very high, going to go that way so

14:24

just turning right but

14:26

following the signs to Offersdike path and lots

14:28

of signs for the kingdom walking

14:29

festival which is the 21st to the 24th of September.

14:35

Yes we also have a spring one too, the

14:38

autumn one's been going for quite a long time

14:40

in 15 years or something now but we've

14:42

added a spring weekend and it's really

14:45

popular. You're

14:47

listening to ramblings on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds,

14:50

I'm with Ali Allen and we're in Herefordshire

14:52

walking a section of the Offersdike

14:54

path. We're still walking

14:57

north so the Sun is coming

14:59

onto the backs of our of our heads and shoulders,

15:02

still a bit of climbing to do. Hello,

15:05

you

15:08

were talking earlier Ali about your

15:11

separation and subsequent divorce

15:12

from your from your husband

15:15

and what has happened since? Well

15:18

three years ago I met a new man Steve

15:21

who lives in Hay so very

15:23

local and yeah he's just

15:26

an amazing guy who loves the outdoors.

15:29

Was that number one priority for you? It really

15:31

was yeah absolutely sounds quite shallow

15:34

but it was definitely I wanted someone

15:36

that loved the outdoors. I don't

15:38

think that is shallow by the way I think that's pretty fundamental

15:42

given your interests.

15:43

Yeah and then so now we're

15:46

actually going back to Utah next week

15:48

again. I'm going to take Steve with me which

15:50

is first because I've

15:53

kept my lives quite separate really the Utah

15:55

life and here and so I feel like I'm sort of marrying

15:58

the two together

17:58

whether the dyke

18:01

went from sea to sea. They think now

18:03

they've found sections where they don't think it exists

18:05

and they've also found sections archaeologically

18:09

that contain Roman artifacts

18:11

and things so they think it might have actually been

18:13

initially built by the Romans in sections too

18:15

so they're not quite sure really what

18:18

it's about. In total it's 177 miles the

18:20

walking trailers

18:22

anyway yeah but

18:25

originally yeah King Offa ordered

18:27

it so they want this constructed in

18:30

the 8th century and of course

18:32

he had people that could do that for him. That's

18:34

right probably lots of lots of people.

18:38

Okay yeah so we're walking along the side

18:40

of the actual dyke here and

18:42

then we're going to head down the hill and there's a lovely bench

18:44

that we can come to and I thought that's where we could

18:47

sit and admire the beautiful view and then perhaps

18:49

turn back. Hi there.

18:52

Are you doing the whole thing? The whole of

18:54

Offa's dyke. Sorry we interrupted

18:57

you having a nice break, sitting on

18:59

a stone on a

19:00

rock. Well I was going to use the bench down there

19:02

but there was someone sat there. Oh that's where

19:04

we're headed. I'll have to throw them off.

19:07

So you're doing the whole thing? Yes I

19:09

do them every year so this is my tenth

19:11

long distance trail I've done over the years. How

19:14

far in are you? This is day eight so

19:16

it's like 100 odd

19:18

miles something

19:19

like that. And for you what's the benefit

19:22

of exploring the country's long distance

19:24

trails? I love seeing the countries I've always been

19:26

into my hiking and my walking. Did

19:29

the Mormodjuka Vedinbirr and Memententals down in

19:31

Dartmoor when I was a kid. I always walk on my

19:33

own I just find it very

19:35

peaceful.

19:36

But you're clearly friendly in Gregarious because you

19:38

turn around straightway and went oh hi. Which

19:40

you know. You always do. It's almost like a walkers

19:43

code that you stop and talk to people.

19:45

You know and off of advice there's a section I

19:47

passed this morning where if you actually followed the path

19:50

on the actual dyke the tree branch is

19:52

about half a meter high and

19:54

it's like you just can't get through. So I just warned

19:57

you know the northbounders just. and

20:01

you can exchange tips like that or just... Which

20:04

is nice. Well,

20:06

that was a lovely meeting. We've

20:09

left our friend behind, where he was having lunch on his stone,

20:12

and we've come to the bench that he said

20:14

was busy when he came past. Well, luckily

20:16

enough, it's empty and it's not

20:19

your classic park

20:19

bench. It's

20:22

a big trunk

20:24

of wood with a very

20:26

natural back to it, and then the yin-yang

20:29

sign on the left

20:31

of it, which looks like two dolphins meeting,

20:35

and underneath is inscribed, look deep into

20:37

nature and you will understand everything

20:39

better. And where that bench is positioned,

20:42

the view through this

20:44

valley and to the hills beyond is

20:47

as perfect

20:49

a landscape as you could wish to see. We've

20:51

got trees on the left-hand side leading up to bear,

20:54

topped down, curving gently down,

20:56

then behind it we've got another lovely

20:58

long flat downland

21:01

top, then curving down slightly and

21:03

coming up sharply to a

21:05

much more pronounced

21:07

hilltop. And what's the peak over

21:09

there called? That's Hantar

21:12

Peak, and you can get to that from... That's a popular

21:14

walk from Hargess Ridge, because again, you

21:16

can see the monkey puzzles again. A

21:18

good landmark for the top of Hargess Ridge. So

21:20

those trees there in the circle? Yeah, looks

21:22

like a little crown on top.

21:25

So we're going to head back towards Kington,

21:28

yes? Back on the way we came. What

21:32

sort of thoughts have you had about, you

21:35

know, selling Kington more widely as a

21:38

walking centre? I

21:40

don't know, to be honest with walking, it's quite easy.

21:42

It's very simple to sell. I quite

21:44

like the idea of changing the name

21:47

of Kington to Walkington. Oh, that

21:50

is genius! So

21:52

literally just putting W-A-L

21:54

in front of it. Yeah, little W-A-L

21:56

and big Kington. That's really

21:59

good.

21:59

I'm not sure the whole town would really

22:02

go for that but I thought it was a good idea. But

22:04

even if it was just short term for the festivals,

22:07

why not? Oh

22:10

that's great! But

22:12

like, you know, Hay is not a very big town

22:14

and it's not very far away. It has made

22:17

itself famous because of the literary festival.

22:20

And it seems to me Kington could do the same through

22:22

the walking festivals. Absolutely,

22:25

I mean, absolutely. It's all in the branding, isn't it? It's

22:27

about focusing and when you can focus on something

22:29

as

22:29

lovely as walking too, which is

22:32

just about the environment, health and wellness,

22:34

it says so much. Kington,

22:36

I think, is just beginning to thrive.

22:39

I think it's just beginning to change. I

22:41

mean, walking is just on the up and Kington is

22:43

just sitting here primed for no more

22:45

people. Waiting to transform

22:47

into walkington. That's absolutely

22:50

right, yes.

22:51

We're heading

22:53

back down to Kington now and suddenly

22:56

I notice, on the edge of the houses ahead

22:58

of us, there's a phone box in the

23:00

middle of nowhere. A red phone

23:02

box. I

23:04

think it has a phone in it. Did

23:07

you do much walking in Utah

23:09

and what was it like? Yeah, lots of

23:12

walking in Utah but, you

23:14

know, nothing for me compares to here. I

23:16

just, it was really, you know, vast

23:19

vistas and really impressive

23:21

views. But for me, the

23:24

intimacy of this landscape, the

23:27

history, I

23:29

don't know, it just speaks to me a lot more. This

23:31

is my soul lies over

23:33

here for sure.

23:34

It's funny,

23:36

walking downhill, I can really feel my

23:38

toes now at the front of my shoes. I can't.

23:41

No, you can't. You

23:43

and your magic barefoot shoes.

23:46

What a great walk though. I'm

23:49

surprised how quickly we're now getting back down

23:51

onto the edges of the town because

23:54

it felt a long way up. But

23:56

it was so, to get that view

23:58

from that gorgeous bench. and

24:01

to really feel it all with you

24:03

has been really special so thank you

24:05

and you used a phrase earlier you talked about walks

24:07

of life so whatever comes

24:09

next in your walk of life good

24:11

luck. Thank you very much it's been amazing

24:14

sharing this with you.