Journal: |
I slept pretty well despite it being a cold night and my tent
exposed to the wind. The latter is actually a good thing
because I have a very light tent, which although the roof is
waterproof, it does not breathe and condensation readily forms.
However, it's also very airy, lots of insect-proof mesh, so that any
kind of draft takes care of the condensation. A very good
sleeping bag is also required, and I have one of those.
Anyway, I ended up oversleeping and didn't wake until 7:30am.
The skies were clear and it looked like being a beautiful day.
I began walking along the relatively low cliffs soon after 8am,
listening to the wrap-up on the new government in the UK. I've
had a very entertaining week listening to all of the political
programs on BBC4. The Coast Path started well, giving views to
the left over the rocky/pebbly beach and grassy fields to the
right, however, I soon reached a portion of "relocated" Path which
wound steeply up and down, was muddy and slippery, and had high
close vegetation on both sides. Progress was slow and
unpleasant. When it wound its way down to the pebbly beach to
cross a stream, I decided that it might be easier to walk along the
beach. This turned out to be a poor decision as the pebbles
changed from small to large and I was constantly at risk of falling
or twisting an ankle. The trekking poles came into their own,
keeping me upright. Progress was slow and once, committed,
returning wasn't really an option. It was a rarely visited
beach and there were all kinds of jetsam on the beach, including a
still-inflated pink balloon with its string caught between some
rocks.
After about 1.5km and an hour, I reached a place where I could
get up the cliffs and rejoined the Coast Path, which was now very
easy walking (of course!). Apart from wasting time, I was also
quite hungry and thirsty, and looking forward to getting to Westward
Ho! (yes, that is a place name, including the exclamation mark).
I arrived at the much-developed beach resort with it's odd mixture
of caravan park and multi-story apartment blocks, about 10:30am and
found a cafe where I ordered their "Mega Breakfast", deciding
against the "Super Mega Breakfast" more on the basis of price than
quantity. After replenishing my emergency supplies with a
couple of bottles of Diet Coke and a quantity of Mars Bars, I set
out for Bideford via an assortment of footpaths and country lanes.
It was a beautiful morning, but my enjoyment was still being
tarnished by my blistered feet. I reached Bideford, a busy
little town with traditional winding main street and old houses,
about 12:30pm and spent some time in two pharmacies looking for
First Aid supplies. I bought some Elastoplast tape, found a
nice bench in the sun on the waterfront, and once more attended to
my feet. It was 1:30pm by the time, I crossed the bridge out
of town and joined the Tarka (rail) Trail and saw it was 9 miles to
Barnstaple, my target for the night. I wanted to get there
before 5pm to collect a parcel of maps for the next section I had
mailed to myself care of the Post Office, and had also decided to
try and buy some decent running shoes to use as footwear instead of
my boots. When I hiked the Appalachian Trail 25 years ago, I
started out with boots and had problems and switched to running
shoes with success.
I tackled the 9 miles of sealed bike path at a good pace, despite
sore feet and enjoyed its rural path with occasional views over the
river estuary to the left. There were lots of other path users
on bikes and foot, including several runners. I had a break
after six miles for a refreshing ice-cream and reached Barnstaple, a
large town, soon after 4:30pm. After getting directions from a
taxi driver to the Post Office, I picked up my parcel and asked the
lady where the nearest running shoe shop was. She gave me
directions and I hurried there, concerned that they would be soon
closing. They were indeed vacuuming the shop when I arrived,
but the two young guys were helpful, despite not having my size in
the first two types of Nikes I selected. I finally went for a
good New Balance pair (as used on the Appalachian Trail) and also
bought some extra cushion in soles for them. When I took my
boots off to try the shoes on, I nearly gassed myself. I
thought I might have to give CPR to the young guy serving, but he
soldiered on manfully. I bought the shoes and wore them out of
the shop looking, I'm sure, completely ridiculous in the bright
white shoes as I wandered off looking for somewhere to stay. I
found a hotel, a bit more expensive than I would like, on the edge
of the town centre, where I got a shoebox of a room, but nice and
clean. After a shower, more foot doctoring, and rinsing out my
clothes, I walked back into town and had a pub dinner
(Wetherspoons.....a chain providing cheap food in good quantities
and looked down on by many).
I have now finished with the Coast Path and head inland to Exmoor
and beyond, following a less-travelled route. I'm looking
forward to it and hoping it won't be as physically demanding as the
Coast Path. Although, I'm actually feeling quite strong and
fit, apart from the feet. Here's hoping the new shoes do the
trick. I'll carry the boots for a day or two and then, if not
needed, mail them back to Keith and Fin's.
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