Manc - I did think about going with the Weegie duo, but on this kind of walk, you need to go at your own pace.. Too slow and I would of been cold, If I was with someone faster than me I would of constantly been trying to keep up and used up too much energy early on to complete the round. I know I did the right thing by going by myself. I knew there were folk behind me that would of caught me up and helped me out in an emergency, so that was safer than my usual routes tbh!
As for the Germans, I told myself that maybe they weren't so good at speaking English, but I never met a german that wasn't fluent before. The 3 there on Saturday night were a laugh though
I have done a fair bit of touring in Germany in my rock n roll days, so I know Germans have a slightly different sense of humour!
Kev - Thanks, very kind words, you made me blush