FROM: A field on the cliff edge Nr Minehead to Porlock Weir.
The one with amazing views, weird trees, wobbly legs and an injured tent! 🏕
DISTANCE:- 7 miles (although it felt like 20!)
HEALTH:- Sore hips, very tired, wobbly legs after some on those downhills!
WEATHER:- Absolutely perfect! A sprinkling of rain first thing then the sun came out and it was amazing.
SUMMARY:
I didn’t get much sleep after the tent episode. I was wide awake at 4 am but tossed and turned until 6.30 am and then I just had to get up and go for a walk. I walked for a while and sat to watch an amazing sunrise.
By 9 am we were all packed up and ready to go. We had no plans, we just said we would keep walking and let the day unfold.
THE LONG WINDED VERSION
🏕 9 am We left out little campsite leaving no trace of our presence. We realised how lucky we were that only one tent was torn. Rebecca had one guy rope snap but she’d tied her tent to the fence and that certainly saved its existence. I have no idea what I’m going to do tonight. As I’m such an early bird it’s unfair for me to camp with one of the others. I’ll figure it out later.
🌧 9.10 am – Frigging hell! This landscape became instantly steep. We were walking on a very thin and slippery coastal path with a very drastic drop to the sea below on the right. I was already exhausted from very little sleep but it took all of my concentration to make sure I didn’t fall. I was thinking to myself how much my sister in law would hate this! (She’s not keen on heights!).
🐄 10 am -The terrain is up and down but I’m more focused on these mahoosive cow pats that are on these skinny steep paths! Inside I’m having palpitations as the cow shit is fresh and that means they are close. How on earth can cows get on paths like this? I need to watch my step but I keep looking up to see if there are any cows in my way! Every time we reached a bend in the path my anxiety levels went up a level as I knew it was going to happen any minute!
🐮 10.30 am – Moo! As we climbed yet another peak Rebecca pointed out the cows behind us! Omg! They were there all along! How did I miss them? (But I’m glad I did!).
Tip; We all used our water filters to top up our bottles from the fresh stream. There were many streams to hop over today so we limited the weight! (Clever and it tastes scrummy!)
The views today were the best yet! We walked hills of green and brown ferns (reminded me of Scotland). The heather was a mix of pinks, yellow and orange. It was often boggy underfoot but that just added to the atmosphere of the walk. The sea was a constant friend and the dramatic cliff edges were beautiful. As the wind and rain gave up the fight for the day and the sun made an appearance, so did the birds. This is absolutely beautiful.
🦵 11 am – OMG, we started a descent into the village of Bossington. It wasn’t too bad at first and I was zig-zagging down the hill with ease. But the hill never stopped and just got steeper and rockier. The pain began to sore through my hips and my tender ankle was now screaming at me to stop. When I finally reached the bottom of the trail my quad muscles were shaking and I couldn’t stop them. As we got to the quintessential village of Bossington we declared it was time for a well-deserved break.
☕️ 11.30 am – Bossington was a very tiny village of just 50 houses, but it has a little car park with public toilets and a picnic bench. The tearoom does not open on a Wednesday so we decide to make our own tea with our little stoves and a well-served break. We’ve only walked about 4 miles but boy did it feel more than that!
👒 12 pm – We take our time wandering through the quaint village of Bossington with its picture-postcard cottages and well-kept gardens. Lou spots a box which is full of woollen beanie hats for sale. We think they were knitted from goats wool. She put £5 in the honesty box and chose a new hat! It looked great!
The landscape was changing. The steepness of the cliffs was now behind us and we were presented with wild marshland. The moorland was laden with dead trees protruding from the boggy ground. I can imagine this would look very spooky when the mist came down.
We chatted with lots of day hikers who quizzed us about our trip. The big rucksacks were a good conversation starter.
The last leg of our journey today was along the stony beach. There is something about walking by the sea that makes me feel calm and at ease with the world. It’s very soothing and stunningly beautiful. The sun has been beating down on us for the last few hours and I was super thankful for that!
1.20 pm – We plonked our heavy packs on the floor as we took the weight off our legs. Sitting outside The Ship Pub, we indulged in fish finger sarnies, cheesy chips and a few cheeky beers! Life was good.
With full bellies, it was time to make a plan about where we are going to sleep tonight. I needed to fix my tent and to do that I needed a town that sold gaffer tape. We were all of the agreement that we’d get the bus back to Minehead (where my car is parked) and have a good nights sleep in a warm hotel and then I could drive back to Porlock Weir in the morning. Result!
🚌 3.30 pm – The little noddy bus collected us from outside the pub and 30 mins later we’d arrived in Minehead. Our hotel is a 10 min walk and we grabbed some gaffer tape from the hardware store on the route.
🍕 My tent is now fixed (thanks to Lou) and the stone-baked pizza was yummy! It’s now 9 pm and I can’t keep my eyes open.
Until the morrow!