Had you been on the road here today, youŽd have seen a nattily attired chap, sylish straw stetson on at a rakish angle, linen scarf draped casually round his neck. You might have thought him so good looking that youŽd have had a second look, or it might have been that fact of his walking backwards that caused your double take.
The nurse who I met the day before yesterday said that one of the ways to moderate the discomfort of this shin pain is to walk backwards. Although I had a very restful day yesterday, and did lots of massaging (even bought some massage oil) and used Voltarol gel, within a few minutes of starting walking again today, the pain started up again. Hence walking backwards from time to time. It does help a little. I spoke with a norwegian woman who was stopped, airing her blisters, and she told me that she had met a guy who feels similar discomfort, to the extent that he goes downhill backwards. Frankly, a couple of times today I felt as if I was going downhill fast.
The day started a bit badly because of some roadworks which meant that the waymarks had vanished, and I had to cast around for 15 minutes before finding the path
However, even after an 8.15 start and a couple of stops en route I achieved todayŽs 20k by about 1.30, had a shower, washed my clothes and then went in search of a bite to eat and an internet cafe. Tonight IŽm sleeping in a convent!
I walked past a podiatrists office and may try to get someone to look at my shin ... seeing as how, in a good light, its quite a fetching one. They might even want to take photos of it, to show their friends.
Or I might just go back to the convent for a nap.