Water!

Today's 14 miles, a fair amount of it seriously demanding, had two logistical issues. First, the River Earme. It can be forded only for one hour on either side of low tide, so a taxi was arranged by Encounter (the booking people), but wouldn't you know, I probably could have waded across. The thing is it would not be possible to call a taxi from the river, especially at the time I got there, so you give in to common sense and go overland by car. Then there was the Avon. It can be crossed by ferry, which does run at this time of year. But apparently the ferry is fickle, and the ferry guy cannot be reached, well, he can, but he won't be reached. And it only runs a couple of hours a day. I could have tried to take it, but arranged for the same taxi to take me instead. This means that I will not have walked 1 mile of the coastal path! Of a truth, it was a mile and a half to the ferry slip, but I walked some of it and turned back to meet the taxi at the prearranged time. It is stupid to be disappointed in oneself for something like this, but I am!!

Two burned fir trees:




Most of the walking today was over fields, as in through grass. Do not think "flat." A lot of it was very very steep. OK, so not in this photo!



Through a wheat field:



Several terrains and the sea and me:



There were some dramatic shorelines, but they never look as stunning in a picture:



While crossing a beach:



The start of a big descent:!



Last night's accommodations were unsurpassable and tonight's might not pass a health inspection. The yuckiness made me think especially of Marjorie who would have been so grossed out! On the plus side, the room was large, had two windows, a good towel, and a decent shower. However, it smelled like that awful blue toilet cleaner used in cheap restaurant bathrooms, and it was dirty as in grimy. To make tea, you had to put the kettle on the floor because the plug would not reach an outlet otherwise. That was when I noticed that the baseboards had probably not been cleaned since the millennium. The sheets were stained and the carpet needed cleaning. The hook fell off the bathroom door and part of the door handle came apart. Oh, and the plumbing made noises like you never heard! Roars and groans and shudders when you turned on the water or flushed the toilet.

-posted using Blogpress from my iPad

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bantham