Day 20 Rest day number 3

As last time, my rest day started almost the minute I arrived as this apartment had a washing machine. Wearing only enough clothes to keep myself decent, I put everything else into the machine and now I possess a clean, washing powder fragranced wardrobe. This morning I put the rest of my clothes in to […]

Day 19 Westward Ho! To Barnstaple

Today was going to be flat and a lot of it was along a former railway track which is now tarmac. It was about a mile shorter than yesterday at 12.5 miles. I walked through dog walking country for the first mile or so, stopping to chat to a couple of people. The tide was […]

Day 18 I meet a fellow traveller

Today did not start well. I woke too early, and when I was packing my bag, I thought I smelt meths. I was right. My meths bottle (for cooking I haven’t yet started drinking it) was leaking into my backpack. Everything out- rinsed, drying out of window apart from blue exercise band (for my shoulder) […]

Day 17 Elmscott to Clovelly

I was very tired yesterday when I reached the Youth Hostel. The warden made me a cup of tea and got me some taxi numbers as my plan was to meet the others at the pub at Hartland Quay. None of the three taxi companies could help so I sent Karen a message, settled into […]

Day 16 More gruelling but not as hot

Today was noted in my guidebook as “the toughest day on the path”. Somehow I hadn’t noticed this. My friend Karen was not daunted. I was. We left Bude well-stocked with pasties (Karen and her children had two each) carrying plenty of water. It was raining but not heavily. We passed the rock swimming pool […]

Day 15 Hot, hot, hot and gruelling

My tent survived the night. Without a full fly sheet, I had a fantastic view of the stars (my inner tent is mostly mesh), and there was very little dew so the tent stayed dry. As I had already gained considerable height walking to the campsite, there was no way I was walking down to […]

Day 14 Short but gruelling

Today was to be a 6 mile walk to Crackington Haven. My guidebook suggests a 16 mile day to Bude but I decided to do walk it over 2 days. I was glad I did. Today started with a stiff uphill walk, actually, that’s not true, today started with a trip to Boscastle Bakery, but […]

Day 13 Rest Day in Boscastle

What does one do on a rest day? Firstly dry out wet tent by hanging the flysheet (the wettest bit) over the shower. Sponge worst of mud off ground sheet and hang it to dry. Wash underwear and shirt. Realise no room left in shower. Also realise that other shirt is too unpleasant to put […]

Day 12 The longest day

Once again I woke early. I had a look at my guidebook for a summary of today’s walk and found that “the walk features an arduous series of steep ascents and descents”. Yesterday had been described as “not too difficult” yet I had found it hard going. This was also to be my longest walk […]

Day 11 More socialising

I woke to the sound of rain on the tent. It stopped, then started again. Today I was catching the ferry to Rock to have a late breakfast with a friend. What’s that? Catch the ferry? Am I not supposed to be walking all the way? If you read, as I have, blogs about walking […]