Day 43 London to Home

Late rise as the plane leaves at 2.30PM from Gatwick.

Onto the Tube, well almost, our train credit had expired and needed to top up and that proved to be a little difficult, as 5 pounds wasn't quite enough for where wanted to go.

Dragging 21 KG bags around ain't no treat I can tell you.

Finally get onto the Gatwick Train an off to the airport.

Check in, all’s well, though a bit of a wait.

We have spent all our money down to the last 10 pounds so can just afford lunch. Just!

Then onto the plane for the leg to Dubai.

We have seats right down the back, just two together and that’s quite good.

7 hours, drags a bit.

Finally out into the heat of Dubai with a quite quick turnover and then the 12 hour leg to Adelaide.

Now that really drags and drags. Bugger all sleep for either of us.

On and on it goes.

Touch down, then the wait to get off, through Duty Free, get bags, through Customs and Immigration with a boot wash for one of my boots (only one) then taxi and home!

Sweaty and sticky.

Home

Shower and a full bottle of 555 shiraz to help the sleep arrive.

Day 41 Paris

The Latin Quarter

Well the best laid plans of mice and men as they say and tomorrow wasn’t to be Versailles after all.

For reasons that that don’t need to be aired in a blog, Jo decided not to go.

As I have already been I decided to take advantage of a free walk provided from Place St Michael and spent 3 hours happily trolling around the Latin , the Ile de la Citie and Pont Neuf, the Louvre and the Tuileries hearing about the history of Paris.

Pont Neuf

Then back to the Hostel and out for my birthday dinner which we had at Terminus due Nord, a rather wonderful art deco restaurant right opposite the Gare du Nord station.

The food was pretty good, however the prices really show spoiled we are in Australia for variety and quality etc.

Then a pleasant stroll back to our digs and for once the hostel was quiet, with only one period of singing at about 1/30AM!!

Day 40 Paris

Art Deco Metro entrance

The day does not start well. The hostel is noisy all night and our room is above the smoking courtyard that seem populated all night too.

We arise late, grab a cup of coffee on the way, great stuff coffee!

Arrive the Louvre from the Metro entrance and initially it isn’t clear where we get tickets where were go once we have them.

There’s huge line up for tickets, cash only and no-one for the auto ticket machines that take the card-quick and painless.

We then head for Mona Lisa to tick her off the list, get lost, find Venus de Milo briefly, get lost, get lost again and finally Mona is found, looking her usual enigmatic self.

Mona too far

No wonder with so many people looking at her all the time.

I don’t bother try and get in close. Been there done that.

Jo breasts the crowd and gets to the front OK and takes the obligatory picture through the two layers of glass that protect her.

We then head off for lunch, quickly, then back in to find Michelangelo “Slave Statue”, then the Greek and Roman sculptures, which I love (the high-light for me of the Louvre).

Venus de Milo

Then Napoleon III’s apartments, garish and opulent and terrific.

By this time it is after three and we are foot sore, however we do make it out to the Tuileries and walk down the promenade from the Grand Pond to the Octagonal Pond before heading for the Metro.

It’s 24 here in Paris today and that is quite hot.

Tomorrow Versailles 

Day 39 Paris

The hostel is quite noisy and our room, beside the lift and overlooking a courtyard may be noisier than most.

Nevertheless, I slept quite well.

Off to breakfast, just up the road, having first gone to Gare Du Nord for some cash, then off on the Metro to see the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel tower in sight

The Metro goes well, change at the right spot, get out at the Tower station, queue for our tickets.

From here things go a bit pear shaped.

We get the “Stairs Only” tickets using them to get us to the 2^nd Floor. They do not however take us to the top of the Tower!!! I thought they did when I was here in 2011,

At this point, having only looked two directions from the second floor, Jo decides it is time to bail out and heads of for the “Sortie” and we go all the way down and exit the Tower.

As I am now persona non grata, I head off whilst she sits fuming, to find we could have got tickets for the top from the second floor.

Looking up a ladies skirts

Oh well, chance missed and there’s no going back.

We then jump on the Hop on, Hop off Bus however does not prove to be a success either.

Nor does Musee D’Orsay, so we are back at the hostel just after 3.00PM.

Effectively, a day wasted. What more can I say?

A nanna nap helped things a bit and we got out to tea later than usual, about 7.30PM for a pizza of all things and Belgium beer!!

Day 38 London to Paris

Oxford Street

A bit of a sleep in prior to the pack up and checking out.

We leave the bags at the hostel and head off, where down bloody Oxford Street once again to the house of the living dead, Primart.

The land of the living dead

After some time there I am given parole to get a coffee, and then sentenced to more time, however I do actually buy something for myself, Sesame Street socks.

By this time, it is around mid-day so we head back to the hostel for bags and lunch.

Onto the Underground to get to St Pancras for the Eurotrain and finally at 2.30PM we are off, initially slowly then faster through the English country-side.

I can rack the speed of the train with an iPhone app, until we descend into the channel tunnel, and after what seems a long time we emerge into France.

High speed train

France seem very flat compared to England and we even get fleeting glimpses of what look like War Cemeteries, from time to time.

Precisely on time we pull into Gare de Nord, and after some geographical confusion, get ourselves to our hostel on Rue de Dunkerke.

Our room is upstairs however they do have a lift. The tiniest I have ever seen.

Once settled we foray out for dinner and find a small place in Montmartre not far away and enjoy our first French meal with a Bordeaux.

We have a bit of a fright, as their card machine isn’t working, and I can just pay the bill, and I mean just.

C’est la vie

Day 37 London

The Old Girl

The Australian red turned out to be OK.

Out at nine which seems to be our thing, down to the Underground, find the right station and off to the V and A, otherwise known as the Victoria and Albert Museum.

We arrive 10 minutes early and have to endure some light rain before we are offered shelter in the V and A.

The V and A is the museum of art and design and we head for the top floor to evade the crowds.

This works as we have it to ourselves for nearly 30 minutes. It is the ceramic and pottery section which is to be honest rather boring. The most interesting thing was a video of David Attenborough interviewing a famous potter (so famous I have never heard of her) who was 85 at the time, as she made some pots and fired them.

Then down a floor or so to the photographic section, which was small but much more interesting and then sculpture hall, which I like.

I must say I am rather partial to a semi-naked marble statue.

Over 2 ½ hours later we bale out for lunch, then head off to the Science Museum to look at the medical section on the top three floors.

The Science Museum

This was particularly interesting and well done with dioramas of medicine through the ages and then a more formal look at medicine. A must if this is your thing.

It’s now getting on for 3.00Pm and our feet ae sore (what’s new?).

So back onto the Underground for a stop at Leicester Square to get some cheap (we hope) tickets for a show tonight.

The Lion King is very expensive or the seats are poor, however we do decide on Warhorse for 52 Pound i.e. 26 pound each, which we think is pretty good for a live production. The girl at TKTS recommended it over Lion King, so we hope she is right. More later after the show.

Dinner of fish and chips, very poor compared with what we get in Oz and then a 15 minute walk to Drury lane for the show.

Quite a show with full-sized puppet horses being the real star of the show which is about a young man who gets a horse as a foal, brings it up only to have it requisitioned by the British Army in WW I and then is search to find.

Very well done and a recommended see if it comes to Australia.

Day 36 London

Another slow start, however slept well as we managed to get an extra pillow each and at last our heads were being supported better. The YHA pillows are to say the least “thin”.

We attacked the Underground using an App, I downloaded whilst here, and it gave very easy instructions, so apart from riding escalators, climbing up and down stairs it was all quite simple and quite quick.

Off at Tower Hill after one change and down to The Tower of London.

Field of poppies

The first thing you notice ae the fields of poppies in the moat around the embattlements. Each one represents a British soldier who died in WW I, all 888264 of them!!

And then began the Tower experience starting with Traitor’s Gate, the Bloody Tower, the Medieval palace, the White Tower, the Crown Jewels, traitors and executions and so it went for over 4 hours.

Traitor's Gate

So much to see, that it really was a whole day experience.

By the time we had finished we were foot sore and exhausted.

Henry VIII's armour

Being a tourist is hard work.

Having arrived at 10.00AM we walked out at 2.30PM and headed back via the Tube once more.

Funny, by the time we got back to Oxford Street Station Jo was revitalised and had to do some more shopping!! So it was back to the land of the living dead for me once more, to be finally released after about 30 minutes.

Tonight, a meal in, Thai red curry with a bottle of good Australian red (that remains to be seen).

Day 35 London

Another slow start as we are off to the Changing of the Guard at Buckinhuge Palace at 11.30AM and we have been told to get there an hour early to get a good view!

So we head off at about 9.00AM, along Regent Street then turn off and end in Savile Row, famous for something or other, I just can’t tailor my thoughts to it at the moment.

Then through the very prestigious Burlington Arcade, where if you need to ask the price of something, then you can’t afford it!

We swing past the Royal Academy of Arts, on Piccadilly, then back on Regent Street to cross The Mall and get the first glimpse of the Palace.

Up the Mall to B Palace

We then detour via Horse Guards Parade and turn into St James Park to wander up to the Palace arriving to find that nearly all the tourists in London had the same idea.

Nevertheless, we secure a position one back from the fence and wait and wait and wait.

Eventually, some action occurs with the sound of martial music and the Scots Guards band and a company of men march on.

What happens next and why, is a complete mystery, as soldiers seem to march off the parade ground, then reappear for no useful purpose, with lots of saluting and much shouting.

Then another band and company from the Coldstream Guard appears and more marching off and on occurs and it also appears that the bands are in some sort of competition and play alternatively, in between much poncing around of the guards.

Finally, after inspecting the sentry boxes for mice or something, the guard changes, the Scots leave and the Coldstream hang on.

After about 40 minutes we move on, as clearly the Guard are not, and saunter down through St James Park, across Horse Guards Parade, then along Whitehall past the heavily guarded entrance to Downing Street.

There is a new memorial to the Women of WW 2, which I think is very thoughtful and thought provoking. What do you think?

Then onto the Thames, the fine Battle of Britain Memorial is also a must, it is so well done and for some reason chokes me up!

We cross at Westminster Bridge and head for the London Eye, where Fast Track tickets actually do fast track us on.

It’s hazy but the view is a must for any traveller to London.

Over the Waterloo Bridge, along the Embankment once more, past Cleopatra’s Needle and back to the YHA briefly via Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Square and a pub.

Jo wants to do some shopping at Primark and I make the mistake of accompanying her. All the men with wives and partners looked like they had lost the will to live, traipsing around after them. I just found a seat and sulked, then became comatose and then lost the will to live.

Dinner tonight was at a local Italian Place. Quite nice pizza and pasta. Good for a quick meal.

Tomorrow “To the Tower and off with his head”.

Day 34 London.

London Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street

A better sleep and a later start as we’re of the British Museum (BM) that opens at 10.00AM.

For some reason I over-shoot the turn off and we have to double back, however this takes us past The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, about which I have heard lots over my medical career. Funny though, like most hospitals, the structure isn’t that impressive.

And guess what’s right beside it? The Royal Homeopathic Hospital of London!! Wonder how they operate?

Even though we were quite early at the museum, there were hordes there. The Rosetta Stone had the crows 4-5 deep.

British Museum

We started in the Egyptian section, migrating to the Assyrian, Greek, Roman section where one of my favourite statues is crouched.

Does my bum look big on this plinth?

We then head off to the Pacific section which for some reason houses a work that shows the potential amount of medication we might have from cradle to the grave. All in all about 14,000 over a lifetime!

It’s then the Americas, Aztec and then head for lunch, followed by clocks and watches and by that time we have been on our feet for over 4 hours!!

From the BM we head off to Covent Garden market, which is not that far off. I quite like it with its live performers and buskers.

I don’t think Jo is all that impressed. Either that or her bladder was full as we didn’t stay too long, and headed home.

So all that remained was to hop over to M and S to get some dinner and for Jo to do some shopping (which took more time than our stay at CG).

So back to the YHA for a rest and plan for tomorrow.

Chicken vindaloo and chicken jalfrezi with garlic naan for tea (courtesy of M&S) and some Shiraz blended by Belinda Kleinig, daughter of Simon Kleinig, a member of the Friends and all was well.

Tomorrow, the changing of the guard and the London Eye and who knows what else.

Day 33 London

Carnaby Street

Room hot, pillow to flat, sleep poor!! So what’s new?

Got out pretty early, before the crowds and headed off down Regent Street to do the Hop-on Hop-off bus thing to get an idea of what we want to see and where.

Thus we floated past Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, past the Ritz, Hyde Park Corner and on up to Marble Arch, then down the monopoly board of Park Lane, around the back of Buckingham Palace, easing past Westminster Abbey on one side and The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on the Thames side.

Big Ben

Then across Westminster Bridge, the back of the London Eye and over Waterloo Bridge to the Strand where we got off for our first of three cultural experiences.

At Somerset House is the Courtauld Gallery, which has an important collection of old master and impressionist paintings, with some great Van Gogh’s and Paul Gaugin paintings and very few people.

After a couple of hours there, back on the bus to alight at Southwark Bridge to get us to the Tate Modern, the old power station, a vast gallery, of frankly pretty average stuff (in my opinion). Hordes of people.

The best bit was the lunch at the gallery overlooking the Thames and across to St Pauls!!

Then back along the embankment past the new Globe and back on the bus alighting at Trafalgar Square to join yet more hordes of people in the National Gallery where Van Gogh’s “Sunflower” seems to be the hit of the day.

Sunflowers

Also some pretty good Gaugin.

Arted out, we head for the YHA via Marks and Spencers food hall for a cheap dinner and a cheap Australian Shiraz by wine maker Belinda Kleinig, the daughter of a Friends’ member!!

I think it’s pretty good, Jo thinks it’s vinegar!

Tomorrow Covent Garden and the Brit Museum for starters anyway.

Day 32 Padstow to London

No sleep in toady as we have the 8.30AM bus to Bodmin Park for the train to London.

It rained a bit overnight, however in spite of being overcast it was quite pleasant.

The bus duly arrived on time, and apart from being stuck behind a street sweeper on a very narrow country road, we made good time to the station, the closest to Padstow.

Then onto London via Exeter, Plymouth and Reading, but not necessarily in that order.

All in all a fairly unfussed trip.

Paddington Station was confusing, however we managed to exit onto the street we wanted, and the bus we wanted arrived almost immediately, however they don’t take money these days, only credit cards (mine wouldn’t work) or Oyster Cards.

These I had to buy, where? Back in Paddington Station!!

Jo guarded the bags whilst I sorted the Oyster cards. No mean feat when there is nothing to tell that these cards are good for Train and Bus and in the station all indications are that they are for the train only!!!

That sorted, onto the bus, Praed Street, Edgeware Road, Marble Arch and Oxford Street and we alight for a short walk to the YHA on Noel Street.

Check in, room small and HOT with inadequate fan and window that opens only a crack-sweat++.

Go for a short walk, get lunch, at 3.00PM then back for some laundry and a plan of attack for tomorrow.

Wander out for tea, through Soho. The streets are buzzing and all the pubs are overflowing onto the footpath, 3-4 people deep. No idea what it must be like inside!

Find a Indian Street Food place to eat BUT do not pay Indian Street food prices-Tesco here we come

Have some ordinary French Merlot, that is grossly overpriced at about $24.00 AND that’s not a full bottle, only 500ml!!

Food was good though.

Day 31 Port Isaac to Padstow

I know I had a lot to drink last night, but?

Yet another fine morning, damn!!

We walk out of our accommodation to be faced by a pink elephant, as one does, on our way down to Port Isaac.

We had a later start as our friend Rolf, the German, can’t get away before that.

We meet him in a very quiet Port Isaac. The tourist crowds haven’t arrived yet.

A pasty for our lunch and we ae off.

Another long 19 km day, with the usual headlands to negotiate.

Port Quinn soon appears and is s sleepy little as in small village, that boasts a tap for drinking and that’s it.

Folly, you bet

Oh and also a folly, build like a castle in 1827 by someone far too wealthy, to entertain his friends.

It’s increasingly hot as we walk, little breeze, yet lots of sweat.

We stop on Pozreath for lunch and consume 1 litre of orange juice to supplement the pasty.

It’s then a sandy walk around to Rock where the ferry takes us across to Padstow and the end, for us of the South West Coast Path.

Ferry to Padstow

We celebrate with a beer on the quayside and then look up our accommodation with the rather twee name “Ere-it-is”.

Tonight Rick Stein’s Bistro and very good it was too, though somewhat overpriced by our standards.

Jo had a very nice and spicy fish curry and I has a steak which was very tasty. The bill came to 55 pounds which in current exchange rates equates to $100.00, though did include a ½ litre of Chilean merlot,

I think we do very well back in Oz.

As I sit here writing it is starting to rain!! Our walking is over, now the touristy part.

Day 31 Port Isaac to Padstow

Day 30 Tintagel to Port Isaac (Port Wenn)

Tintagel Head

It blew like crazy through the night and we were unable to secure the skylight so it didn’t whistle.

Having said that I slept well, though madam coughed on and off.

The B and B put on the most varied breakfast we have seen so far. So much so I was induced to have French toast with maple syrup, rather than just cereal. Jo made good with mushrooms on toast, all on homemade breads.

We finally stumbled out at 9.00, through the streets of a deserted Tintagel, via the bakery to get a baguette for lunch and then off, past Tintagel Head, the YHA at Dunderhole Point with pretty easy walking until we got to Port William, which gave as the predicted down then up experience.

I am quite leg weary this morning and have to go slow, as my quads are protesting.

Quad crunching country

There’s at least 5 more of these to get to Port Isaac, which we can see from quite a way off.

Having said that, todays is only 14.5 km, though it is still very windy and I mean windy, trying to blow us off the cliffs.

Whilst I am taking a picture, a sudden gust takes my hat off. Luckily I had thought to use the Velcro patched to tie it around my neck, or it would now be on its way to America.

The final descent takes us into the small village of Port Gaverne, pronounced Gay-vern, where Rolf, a German we have befriended is staying.

We have a beer with him, it’s by now about 1.00PM, then head off to our digs, a farm, that entails a bit of a climb.

Our room however is very good and we have…..a shower.

So a bit of a rest then down to Port Isaac of Doc Marten fame.

Doc Marten's house and surgery smaller brown building

And it is a nice village, with narrowed streets and funny buildings.

We identify a number of the buildings we see in the series, the Doc’s house and surgery, the pharmacy, Bert Large’s restaurant.

A mandatory ice-cream and then off back around the Coastal Path to Port Gaverne for dinner with Rolf.

The pub is hopping and Jo and Rolf have a fine meal of mussels (yuck).
My salmon is pretty good too..

Our B and B host picks us up when we are ready to go back.

All in all a good night.

Day 29 Crackington Haven to Tintagel.

Our morning guest

Well she didn’t go down to the hotel for tea after all and decided she wasn’t walking today-the cold.

She would catch the bus to Boscastle, then on to Tintagel, whilst I walked.

We walked down to the hotel where the bus stop is and then I headed off, out of Crackington Haven, via Cambeak, the first climb.

It then became the usual roller coaster of a day with downs and ups.

On my own I made pretty good time, averaging 5.1 kph, in spite of some of the very hard ascents.

The bike

Came across a bike leaning on a sign, and soon after a man coming the other way walking oddly, like he was carrying something, a dog or other animal.

As I got closer he was carrying a very big Sony video camera and filming as he walked.

He was the owner of the bike.

Rather dangerous I would have thought.

I arrive on Boscastle at midday having done about 12 km in 3 hours.

It’s hot and I buy a cold drink and have it, with lunch looking over the harbour.

Boscastle Harbour

Fifteen minutes later I am back walking again and Tintagel never seems to get any closer.

Every headland seems to pose yet another descent/ascent series, which are becoming quite tiresome, especially as it’s now quite hot and I think I am running out of water.

Finally I reach the turn of to the B and B (in fact I have got it wrong) and it leads me right into their front door.

Our hosts have just got home, and not they haven’t seen Jo, so pack off and a walk down Tintagel main street ensues and there’s a problem with our bags, the van has broken down!!

No Jo, so I have a pint and sit on the outside the pub, on the main street, hoping she will pass by. She doesn’t, so back to the B and B. Not there, so back down the main street and there she is.

She had a whole day in Tintagel looking at the Old Post Office, the castle from the outside, it is a ruin and other touristy things.

Our B and B, by this time knows us well and let us up to the room. Top floor with yet another bath, but no shower!!

No matter the skylights allow a very cool breeze through the room.

Day 28 Bude to Crackington Haven

Odd stone light tower celebrating something

A sleep in and a later breakfast as we don’t have so far to go today, supposedly 14.5 km.

We dawdle a bit, get some stuff from Boots, the pharmacy shop, and then set off at 9.45 AM.

The start is quite easy, around the castle of Bude, across the canal at the lock gates, then off across the cliff tops.

Bude reveals itself from that side and is quite large. Wikipedia says 16,000.

Widemouth Bay, is as it says a wide mouthed bay and there are people surfing and eating food. Well mostly eating food.

Then it starts to get a bit tougher, with some roads to walk along, that are quite steep and narrow.

Millook Haven

Millook surprises us as it is quite steep both down and up and a further bit of road is also quite steep.

It’s then cliff-top with great views and at the GPS says we are getting closer to Crackington Haven our anticipation for a beer rises.

We then hit another hideous down, at Cleave, followed by the expected up, and THEN another via Castle point. If the track is not stepped it’s simply a steady climb up, but should they insert steps into the path it is tiring and our legs, still not fully recovered from yesterday’s bashing, protest.

Finally, about an hour after our ETA, we arrive, after 4 hours walking and nearly 17 km.

No idea where they got the 14.5 km from!!

Crackington Haven and a beer

The only pub in Crackington Haven serves beer!! So we have some and follow that with a Cornish pasty.

We then have a trudge of about 800m to our B and B. Jo protests and says she won’t go back down the hill for tea and heads for bed. Her cold is worrying her.

Our B and B is a substitute for the original, with the room being very pokey, with lots of the owners’ stuff taking up much of the room.

The bathroom etc is down the corridor. Jo is not impressed.

It’s not ideal but it’s OK.

The host has offered to pick us up after dinner at the pub. Jo is still not impressed and says she won’t go. We will see!

Day 27 Hartland Quay to Bude

This is to be our longest day, 24 km with a few ups and downs.

There is some confusion at breakfast, which starts later than we would like.

Our early start is somewhat delayed as a consequence.

Have climbed out of at Harland Quay, which is at sea level, the Way then levels out and is quite easy for about the next eight km or so, past interesting places like Speke’s Mill Mouth, St Catherine’s Tor, Longpeak AND then starts the descent into mouth and then the climb out of the mouths.

A mouth by the way is the entry point of a stream into the ocean, usually down a steep walled valley.

Knee breaking descents into Welcombe Mouth, Yeo Mouth, Marshland Mouth and so on.

Knee crunchers down, and quad breakers up.

Welcombe Mouth

Some have awful steps that are just too high for comfort and they are exhausting!

We pass a huge radar installation, which I photograph, until we get to the fence where there is a sign stating “No Photographs”.

Then come Duckpool, Sandy Mouth, Northcot Mouth until finally we get into Bude.

To the Globe for a beer, then find out B and B which, as it happens is about 200m from an Indian Restaurant!

We ae pretty tired, however have to do some laundry, so head off to a laundrette we saw on our way. It’s closed.

Our host offers to do it for us. An offer we gratefully accept.

Dinner at the Indian was a great success, with chicken madras and chicken Balti the choices, washed down with an acceptable Australian red.

Then back to our digs for a well-earned sleep, punctuated by Jo sniffing, blowing and coughing, in roughly equal parts.

Day 26 Clovelly to Hartland Quay

Today we turn the corner and instead of heading west, we head east.

Breakfast done, we head out. First we have to rejoin the track at Clovelly, so it’s downhill again to the top of the Clovelly cobbled main street and then off along the cliff top with some pretty amazing views looking forward and back.

Apart from some brief ups and downs it’s not too hard and we soon spy the radar dome at Hartland Point.

Giant ice cream

Mind you seeing it and getting to it are two different things and it takes until just before lunch to get there.

Soon after we arrive at Hartland Point where a snack shack is operating and serving freshly baked Devon pasties and coffee, so we have a protracted lunch, well 30 mins anyway.

Hartland Point Snack 

The views ae all the way to Newfoundland, if it wasn’t so hazy, but you can see Lund, an island about 10 km away.

We now turn south around a Coast Guard station and the roller coaster starts.

In and out of small inlets with steep approaches down and steep climbs out.

At Broad Beach we pass a slightly dilapidated cottage that announces it is for rent. We are told later that is where Prince William had his buck’s turn. It certainly ain’t grand.

After this it’s the final climb to the final descent to Hartland Quay Hotel and our accommodation.

A cleansing Devon ale to clear the throat and then book in.

A cleansing ale

Our room is roomy, than goodness, and the ensuite has a bath, nor shower, so this should be interesting!!

We I got into the bath OK, getting out was another thing!

We then lazed getting our strength for another pub meal which at least had some alternatives like smoked trout salad and chicken Balti, our choices, helped down with a local beer for me and a Cornwall cyder for Jo.

An early start tomorrow as it’s a 24 km marathon of coves and headlands.

Day 25 Westward Ho to Clovelly

Best night’s sleep for ages. Not sure why, but was great.

Breakfast over, in which I slipped half the coffee on the table. It wasn’t that good really.

Down to Westward Ho to get lunch provisions and stuff and we are off.

Bath Houses

The first bit is along the Esplanade with lots of cutesy bath houses with twee names, then along an old railway line, which naturally is quite flat.

Once off that at the walk starts to become bumpy.

Lots of ups and downs with not much respite in between. When I comes we are thankful, and usually it is a rather nice glade we walk through.

Then ore ups and they have built steps to take you up the ups and down the downs and they, of course, don’t correspond to any ordinary persons step and they are quite tiring.

We drop into a lovely little village, Bucks Mill, where we MAY get an ice cream. We don’t, the shop is closed.

Bucks Mill

We have lunch instead.

It’s then up again through Bucks Valley Woods and The Hobby, that finally leads us to view of Clovelly, at sea level, 150 metres below us.

Our accommodation is the other way, so we turn off and climb 150 metres to our B and b, where we arrive at 3.00PM with check in at 4.00PM, so we sit outside basking in the sun until our host, Chris arrives. He is a very chatty retired carpenter.

The only eating places around are, you guessed it down at sea level, so it’s a walk down 300 metres, but luckily our host offers to pick us up when our meal is over.

So it’s off down the path we came up on, then down the cobbled street of Clovelly, down, past the New Hotel, down past the Charles Kingsley Museum, down past the village shop to finally reach the dock and the Red Lion.

Sea side place requires a seafood meal, which we had with chips.

A couple of beers then a call to our host ad we are back getting ready for bed.

Day 24 Kirkby Stephens to Westward Ho

Kirkby Stephens Railway Station

The Mango meal was great with good vindaloo heat.

A bloated belly was taken to bed.

Slept well, however and early start was obligated by an early train to Carlisle to get the car.

Kirkby Stephens Railway Station is a quaint countryside station, recently restored.

The train arrived right on time, however the expected rural views along the way to Carlisle were spoilt by quite dense fog.

Carlisle Castle

At Carlisle, we had a short wait until the expected arrival of the car, however the expected arrival did not occur, and a phone call to the Hertz local office elicited “I will get someone there to pick you up ASAP”. I think we were forgotten.

This meant a late start for a long drive to Barnstable, in Devon.

We got lost getting to the M6, the main motorway south, however, once on it we cruised at about 130 kph, being passed by lots of cars.

You see bugger all as you drive along, and the haze precluded from seeing anything in the distance.

Again a wrong choice onto the M6 Tollway caused some issues as we appeared to lose the connection to the M5, our next Motorway.

We passed lots major cities, including Birmingham, without seeing them at all.

A Motorway sign went up to say there was an accident between Junction 21 and 22 and soon after our Sat Nav suggested a faster route, that took us through Weston super Mare, with innumerable roundabouts and narrow roads.

We were cursing until it lead us once more onto the M5 to see the north-bound lane (we were going south remember) jam-packed with cars. Maybe our Sat Nav wasn’t so stupid after all.

We finally made Barnstable, however the drop-off point was about 8 km out of town near the Royal Marine Army base, so it was onto a local bus, that took us back to Barnstable and finally onto Westward Ho, over 12 hours later.

Westward Ho main street

Next time we’ll catch the train!

Throw our things into our B and B and down to the town for a Thai meal and the best Australian Cab shiraz we have had hear so far.

Tomorrow the South West Coast Path (SWCP).

Day 23 Orton to Kirkby Stephens

Our last day on the Coast to Coast, and I didn't sleep well. Too hot again and jumpy legs.

Underwhelming Stone circle

We get out of Orton at our usual time, about 9.00AM, plod across grassy fields with boots getting wetter and wetter in the dewy grass.

Another fine day, though initially misty and later hazy!

Past a stone circle, that is underwhelming to say the least! The Shetland ponies are more interesting.

We then start the plod onto the moors, initially Tarn Moor, where we nearly overshoot a turn, then past Cow Dub a small lake and onto Ravenstonedale Moor. Not inspiring walking after what we have done the previous days.

There a few views and lots of stone walls, which in their own way are quite impressive.

The excitement comes when we miss a stile and find ourselves on the wrong side of one of said walls, but this is quickly corrected by another stile further on.

Here we find a couple of men repairing the drystone, where it has collapsed. They are double stone with a large tie-stone connecting the two walls to stabilise them.

Smartdale Gill Bridge

Soon after we find a bout twenty walkers sitting having an early lunch, and about 10 minutes later, by which time we have crossed Smartdale Gill, we hear the shout “Four minutes” and they are soon off. Happens worldwide!

It’s then across Smartdale Fell and Kirkby Stephen comes into sight, across the rail line.

We are not there yet and have some fields with lots of cows to negotiate, before getting under the rail line, then more cows, and through a cutting of an old rail line into Greenriggs Farm and then Kirkby Stephens.

Our accommodation is The Jolly Farmer and we are in the cottage out the back, which is great as we really don’t have to share with any other guests.
A walk around the town, where we catch up with other walkers whose paths we have crossed repetitively over the past 7 days.
We have a beer with John and Vanessa, with who we have become quite friendly.
It's like that on the Coast to Coast.
Well ours is now over! 

We have an early start tomorrow, the train leaves Kirkby Stephens Station at 7.18AM, for Carlisle, where we have a car to get us to Cornwall.

Indian tonight at the Mango Tree. I hope it’s good, we really don’t want pub food.

Day 22 Bampton Grange to Orton/Raisbeck

Well the church clock certainly did require the ear plugs, at least for Jo.

The perpetrator

Sleep was intermittent and punctuated every 15 minutes with out of tune chimes.

Breakfast was much better.                           

A short day, so a later start, even though we have about 2 km to reconnect with the Coast to Coast, it’s a pleasant walk across green fields, past sheep grazing.

Back on track the trail continues through fields, at one point going right through a herd of about 50 cows, so close in fact I was in fear of one pooing onto my legs. They were certainly unconcerned by us.

We descend into a charming valley where the ruins of Shap Abbey are situated. It dates back to the 12^th century, and closed down by Henry VIII, at the dissolution of the monastery’s etc. It is quite large, however only the tower remains largely intact.

Shap Abbey

It’s then into Shap village that has a nice coffee shop, where we have coffee and buy a couple of pasties for lunch later.

Just after Shap we cross the M6 motorway, then into very open moor-like country, where we stop to have lunch.

A friendly dog from the nearby Oddendale Farm joins us hoping for a free feed. The pasties are too good to share.

Back on the path again, the map shows us a path to Orton that cuts out quite some road walking and we take that across open fields, though a huge herd of steers, that ignore us, and into the Orton church graveyard.

The gate of the church leads into the centre of Orton where we find the George Hotel, our digs for the night.

We are delighted to find they will do our laundry, as we are getting quite short of clean socks and undies!!

We are also delight to find our room very spacious, albeit on the SECOND floor!!

A quick strip, shower, then bundle all our clothes off the laundress.

A walk round town takes about 4 minutes, it’s bigger than Bampton Grange. The PO is the town store, so I buy some Kendall Mint Cake and then we head off to the chocolate shop.

Five chocolates later, we decide an ice-cream would be excessive.

As we sit there, other walkers start to arrive, remember we took a short cut AND we walk much faster than most, so we chatted to a couple who we had met a number of times along the way, as one does on the C2C.