Brr! A secluded pitch means no sun as all the hedges are too high! Only 6 degrees outside this morning, but we soon warmed up with coffee and biscuits. Arranged to meet The Walker en route to keep a check on those knees and nearest place was Withypool. I decided to go the main road way as lots of the roads say "unsuitable for long vehicles", but even these are very narrow and the bridge at Simonsbath is ridiculously thin.
Finally arrived at Withypool and had great problems finding somewhere to park the van. Eventually I asked at the tiny tea room if he minded me parking there. Not only did the gentleman, Billy, allow me to park for as long as I wanted, he also gave £5 donation to the charity as he had had a heart attack previously. I was particularly proud of my reverse parking into a small gap, even though I did hold up the traffic for a while. Why is it there are no cars for ages and then just as you start to manoeuvre a whole load appear?
Finally arrived at Withypool and had great problems finding somewhere to park the van. Eventually I asked at the tiny tea room if he minded me parking there. Not only did the gentleman, Billy, allow me to park for as long as I wanted, he also gave £5 donation to the charity as he had had a heart attack previously. I was particularly proud of my reverse parking into a small gap, even though I did hold up the traffic for a while. Why is it there are no cars for ages and then just as you start to manoeuvre a whole load appear?
Just had a lovely meal out to celebrate the finishing of Devon and the place mats were quizzes and everyone got a different one and a dry wipe pen for the answers. Great fun!
From Bernie:
Today’s walk 15.6 miles : Cumulative 226.0 milesReaped the rewards today for all of that road-walking yesterday – deep in the heart of Exmoor: rolling hills, tree-lined fields, rough pasture, tumbling streams.... magic!
The Punchbowl at Withycombe: last time my walk took me up & around this, today I was happy to just slip by....
Crossed into Somerset barely half an hour after setting out – whatever happened to those cream teas?
Highlight: joining the route of ‘The Two Moors Way’, a long-distance path linking Exmoor & Dartmoor which I’ve never walked end to end – a future project, perhaps? I’d walked bits of this before, albeit in the opposite direction; today’s section, down to Horsen Ford, beside the curiously-named Cow Castle & then over the open moor to my lunch-time rendezvous with Les at Withypool is superb walking.
Footbridge at Horsen Ford & Cow Castle
Beer of the Day: ‘Exmoor Gold’ at ‘The Royal Oak’, Withypool – bit of a cheat, really, as I’ve had this before: smooth, tasty – I’ve always liked this...... but, I would have opted for a cider if they’d had an interesting one!
Old Petrol Station at Withypool
Trevor & the boys: glad I haven’t fallen off your map yet though some of the places on Exmoor might be a bit tricky to find. I’m sure I’ll cope better with Zummerzet cider than Devon tea!
Students at Alec Hunter: if you’re reading this & you have a GCSE English exam tomorrow, the very best of luck!!
John: sorry to hear this afternoon’s result – looks like being a very competitive Championship next season!Students at Alec Hunter: if you’re reading this & you have a GCSE English exam tomorrow, the very best of luck!!
Thanks to Bill from the Withypool tea-room for his donation & also to the lady in Polzeath who gave Les £1.
Always good to finish at a fine pub : ‘The Royal Oak’ (2nd of the day) at Winsford
Hi Bernie & Les,
ReplyDeleteIs that the smallest petrol station still standing?
Loved the alpaca photo - it's not until you see a few together that you realise they all have different faces!
It's probably a good thing you missed out on cream teas after all the pasties!
Di
Just to let you know, we are settled in Stanton, not been on line recently, very bad sugnal area. Glad to see it's going well
ReplyDeleteTerry & Pauline
Hi Les and Bernie
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed re-living the SW Coast Path section of your route (brought back fond memories) and am continuing to follow your progress northwards with great interest. Am really impressed with the mileage covered, the photographs, the beers recommended and your driving skills/ navigation Les! Hope all continues smoothly!
Maggie (nee Hammond!)