"Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones."

Question, when you’re embarking on a long distance walk, possibly one that’s part of a national, long-distance trail, do you factor in a pub stop? If  you do, at what stage of the walk should the ideal pub stop be? The answer may surprise you when I say the ideal time for a pub stop should be at the end of a long walk, rather than in the middle.

I appreciate everyone is different, but for me, stopping for just one beer slows me down, and two slows me down even further. I will reveal the perils of lingering longer than that a little later, but I speak from many years experience of rambling and long distance walking.

I say all this as someone who likes pubs and really likes a beer. It’s fine if it’s just a short walk you’ve embarked on  - five or six miles, for example;  but when you start getting into double figures, that’s when a pub stop becomes fraught with difficulties.

I appreciate the temptation to stop for a swift pint is often irresistible; it was just over a week ago, when I called in at the idyllic Tiger Inn, but stopping on a long walk for any length of time not only eats significantly into your remaining walking time, but will cause you some difficulty when it comes to getting going again.

Your legs will have stiffened up, and your reserves of energy will seem to be exhausted. Too much beer can adversely affect your blood sugar levels, leading to you feeling tired, even before you start walking again.

So without sounding like a right kill-joy, if you do feel the need to stop at a pub, during the course of a lengthy walk, then try to ensure it is at least past the halfway point, and  preferably much further.

Another point worth keeping in mind is the location of the pub. If it is situated directly on the trail, or just a few hundred yards off it, then all well and good, but if it involves a major detour, not only are you wasting walking time, you are also increasing your total mileage.

There is also the golden rule of  “Not losing height,” as if you do, you will invariably have to regain it at some stage. My friend Eric and I followed this rule whilst walking the South Downs Way, even though we both like a drink, but it was essential given the distances involved between the various stages.

It was only on the final day of the walk, when we were making for the end of the trail, in Winchester, when we came unstuck. Our route led us right past the door of the excellent Milbury’s pub, near Beauworth, high on the downs to the east of Winchester.

It was a gloriously bright autumnal day, at the beginning of October,  and feeling pleased with our progress, and the fact we would be completing the SDW later that day, we decided to call in for a couple of pints, plus a quick bite to eat.

Both beer and food were good, as was the pub, but when my companion got chatting to a group of the local and a further pint appeared, I knew it wasn’t going to end well. We still had quite a few miles to go, and unlike the previous sections of the walk, which took place in early summer, we knew that in early October, darkness would be upon us much earlier than it would in June.

By the time we got our packs on and started walking again, not only had our legs tightened up, but our walk turned into a race against the clock. Forcing already tired limbs to walk quickly is not a good idea and, as we waked thorough a section of forest, we could sense the gathering gloom and the fading light.

It was getting dark by the time we reached the outskirts of Winchester, but at least we were in a built up area.  An important lesson had been learned, and one well worth taking note of.

I want to end with a famous literary example of the possible pit-falls of stopping off for a pint, whilst out walking. It is from the “Fellowship of the Ring”  - the first volume of JRR Tolkien’s classic, “Lord of the Rings.”

Frodo Baggins is journeying through the Shire (the fictional land where the Hobbits lived, in Tolkien’s imaginary world), with two friends; Samwise Gamgee and Peregrin Took (Pippin). They are travelling from Frodo and Sam’s home at Hobbiton, in the centre of the Shire to Bucklebury, in the far east.

If you’ve read the books, you will know the three companions are fleeing from danger, whilst carrying a precious, but secret burden, but that is an aside to what comes next. Pippin wants to stop for a drink, but Frodo is reluctant to do so as he fears his friends will spend too much time in the pub. As a result, he makes them take a detour. Pippin accepts the decision but is not impressed:

 “All right,” said Pippin, “I will follow you into every bog and ditch. But it is hard. I had counted on passing the Golden Perch at Stock before sundown.  The best beer in Eastfarthing, or used to be: it is a long time since I tasted it. 

“That settles it,” said Frodo. “Short cuts make delays but inns make longer ones. At all costs we must keep you away from the Golden Perch. We want to get to Bucklebury before dark. What do you say Sam?” 

 “I will go along with you Mr Frodo,” said Sam (in spite of private misgivings and a deep regret for the best beer in the Eastfarthing)”.  

ps. Like the quest for some imaginary Shangri-La, I have spent much of the last 40 plus years trying to find the Golden Perch!