A walker has reported that he tackled section 18 a few days ago and found that it wasn't a great experience at the moment because of the very muddy conditions.
Once he got into the field where the car boot sales are held, anything that wasn't a dedicated path was frequently an absolute quagmire with actual pools of muddy waters in many places. The mud came close to overtopping his walking boots a number of times. Even when walking on grass, he very frequently encountered what a Netflix series would describe as [audible squelching], because the ground was that saturated.
He also tells us that:
- A couple of the signs for footpaths have ended up in the river at the start of the walk.
- The stile at the entrance to Sewardstone Road is broken, forcing a risky climb or a diversion via a very muddy entrance.
- The Gardens of Firdaus has the path blocked off for vehicles at the eastern end of the cemetery and you will need to go round through the cemetery to get back to the stile.
- You can walk on the verges on Bury Road, which is a less muddy option than the alternative route, which I didn't even risk.
- The Holly Trail Cafe has brushes to the right of the main gate for cleaning your boots.