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Journal: |
I didn't sleep too badly on what was a cold night. I didn't
want to get up when the time came, it was so cosy in my sleeping
bag. However, I was sleeping in the clothes I had hiked in
yesterday and would today, so it paid not to sniff the air too
carefully. Generally, I have been rinsing out socks, jocks and
T-shirts each night when I shower and putting them back on each
morning, dry or not, but it's getting time to do some proper
laundry, including for my sleeping bag inner.
I started walking about 7:45am, mostly downhill, some of it
steep, on a road towards Widemouth Bay. The surgery I had done
last night on the deep blister under the ball of my right foot,
seemed to have done the job and it was less painful than yesterday.
Nevertheless, there's nothing like walking steeply downhill on a
hard road to quickly brings back all of the foot pain, and I could
tell it would be a long day. Looking at the map, I had decided
to make for the Youth Hostel at Elmscott, which was a little off the
Coast Path, having called my preferred hotel right on the Path the
previous evening and found it booked out. The distance to the
Hostel was a little shorter and I thought I might appreciate those
fewer kilometres.
Widemouth Bay wasn't too inviting. The sand on the beaches
is now tending to grey in colour and the water is no longer the
clear blues and greens of a few days ago. More opaque and,
more greys and browns. Reminds me of the North Sea around
Clacton from the days when I lived near there. I walked along
the beach reviewing the accommodation options I would have had if I
had continued walking last night and decided I had made a wise
choice, though the pangs of hunger were now becoming significant.
Bude didn't seem that much further from what I could see from last
night's hilltop, but it seemed to take forever to get there.
The weather was grey, windy and cold, but there were large squads of
life-jacket-wearing kids heading off with paddles from a huge
outdoor centre, presumably for some kind of aquatic activity.
I eventually found the centre of town and ordered omelette and
chips and a large coffee from a cafe there, while I checked my
email. The food (and coffee) perked me up and I headed out of
town around 11am, stopping off at a Sainsbury supermarket on the way
out to get a few sandwiches, a swag of Snickers Bars, and some Diet
Coke. From Bude, the Coast Path was pleasant going at first,
gradually following the cliff-tops higher and higher, with the
walking often on short grass. My favourite kind of walking.
However, the guide book had warned this would be a hard day and the
climbs and descents became more demanding and unrelenting. My
feet were sore and my legs stiff and tired. I finally gave in
and unhooked my trekking poles for the first time (although I have
been using them as tent poles). They did seem to make the
climbing and descending easier, but probably not any faster. I
was feeling and moving like an old man (yes, I know!). Having
been on the trail for a week, I was expecting the aches and pains to
be diminishing, but that hasn't happened yet.
The weather became sunny in the afternoon and, as usual, the
views were spectacular. There were fewer hikers on the Path
and a lot of the time I had the place to myself. The geology
seems different to further west with the eroded cliffs and rocks
almost knife-like giving some very jagged sculptures. Even in
my sore and exhausted state, I could still appreciate the scenery
and really loved those occasional grassy cliff-top meadows.
With a few kilometres to go, I left the cliff-top and followed a
very minor road inland to the Youth Hostel. Didn't see one car
on the way. The hostel is an old school with a very friendly
couple as temporary volunteer caretakers. Apparently the
Hostel doesn't pay its way and can only survive on volunteers.
There are two other travellers here including a friendly Swiss
primary school teacher, Beat, on his long-service leave. We
had a nice conversation over dinner. I also managed to get a
load of washing done and hope it's dry by the morning.
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