Day 1, Wulften to Schwiegershausen, an easy 5.5 miles or so

Angelo doing what Angelo likes best

Angelo's load was packed under Barbara's close supervision and instruction and Jack got a final recap on hoof maintenance. Definitely a job for a chap. As the load contained the electric fence for Angelo, with battery, there wasn't much room left for our stuff. Then we set off down the hill not quite knowing what to expect. Before getting on to a bicycle path we had to go two hundred yards along a fairly busy road - me in front with flag and Jack some twenty yards behind with Angelo. Walking into traffic is very scary but throughout our walk all the cars behaved well and the trucks particularly gave us a wide berth when possible. During the whole time only two nitwit drivers gave lots of toots as they passed which made us nervous but left Angelo unimpressed.

Thankfully we got safely on the path which was lined with great numbers of wildflowers: meadow sweet, thistles, bull rushes round a pond, golden rod, rosebay willowherb, a small blue thing, a long purple spike thing, ragwort and plenty of clover which we discovered Angelo likes best. He kept plunging his head in the clumps of birdsfoot trefoil too which also was plentiful.

Not many people came along the path although two of them said they had read about us in the papers and stopped for a chat. Lunch was what was to become our usual: beer, cheese, salami, tomatoes and rolls. And very nice too. I offered a cherry tomato to Angelo but he spat it out again. Later Angelo managed to get a stone in his hoof which Jack actually got out OK. Where's a boy scout when you need one?

Barbara met us in Schwiegershausen as she had decided that it was easier to take Angelo back to his stable rather than leave him with us the first night. The B&B was excellent and the house, whilst seeming quite small on the outside, was, like the one in Hoergen, like a tardis. All the houses seemed to be like this. The people were enormously welcoming and everyone as usual made a fuss of Angelo although we had to say no to a bun for him. We found a nice meal in a local place and felt our first day had been rather a success and the whole enterprise was going to be a doddle.