We left Vowchurch, the site of last nights campground, in pain already. We aren't used to sleeping out of doors and sleeping on the ground has left us with every muscle aching.
By the time we reach the town of Abbey Dore we are in desperate need of a rest. Here we make a striking and beautiful discovery. The abbey is an amazing building, all that remains of a once vast and proud monastery that dominated the golden valley.
As we walk through it a great melancholy sweeps over me. I mourn for the lost monks and ghosts of beauty left behind. The abbey was once a pulsing vital place filled with people of strong belief and a certainty of the shape of the universe. Now it is a shell filled with meaningless material tokens and a small congregation struggling to maintain remembered greatness. They can't even raise the funds to fix the roof.
We left there to continue down the valley. An alternate reason for its golden name sprang to mind as we passed many large and wealthy estates.
The trip was by no means an easy once. Heather had gotten no rest out of our brief stop and her condition deteriorated rapidly as we cycled. By the time we were halfway to Monmouth she was more than ready to quit and very vocal about her state of mind. Unfortunately the nearest campground was in Monmouth.
We trekked on and before long my muscles too began to feel the strain. Additionally I was having a terrible allergic reaction to the countryside. The dead still air of the abbey irritated my nose while the constantly rushing air left my eyes burning and itching. Even medication did not fully alleviate my problems. Every hill became an agony and the joy of every descent was stolen by the ever present wind that seemed to rob us of our speed. In the days before we learned the meaning of long slow hills, of rain and struggle. Today we learned the meaning of small steep hills that never ended. We learned too the agony of muscles overused and nearing their limits. By the time we drifted into town it was decided that tomorrow would most definitely be a day of rest.
Next Entry: Day 16
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