Author: jlemarinel@googlemail.com

Total miles: 13.1

Elevation gain: 384 ft

Time walking: 11am – 5pm

Miles to date: 234.6

And so, the aches and pains that I’ve been expecting to hit at some point have finally struck! I was expecting them earlier, so I suppose I should be thankful that I’ve managed to get a few miles more under my belt before they came, but even being prepared for them it’s still a bummer when they hit!

I woke up feeling surprisingly good after yesterday’s mammoth day, and walking around the house my feet and legs didn’t feel too bad. Even after getting the bus back to where I left off last night and starting the walk knowing I had a few extra miles to cover than originally planned, my spirits were high and it was a beautiful, if hot, morning.

Taunton looks like a nice town and it has the river running right through it. Even though I’m a Somerset lass I think I’ve only actually been to Taunton once, and the brief glimpse I had made me think I should come and check it out properly!

My route took me along the Taunton and Bridgwater Canal for the first few miles and once I’d negotiated a new housing estate which wasn’t on the map and found my way to the right side of the canal it was easy going. However, it only took a couple of miles until my legs started to tire, yesterday’s marathon making itself felt. I decided to use my poles, which I usually save for ups and downs, to take a bit of weight from my hips and tried to walk on the grassy verge where possible to save my feet. Oh but it was muggy! Sweat was dripping off me and I started to worry I wouldn’t have enough water. I tried not to stop too much as every time I stopped my feet really began to throb, so I tried to power on for a couple of miles then stop for a 5-10 minute rest, and this seemed to work fairly well, even though I hobbled like crazy every time I started again! I also had the prospect of seeing my nephew at my brother’s house if I got there by about 5, which kept me focused, otherwise I think it might have taken me a lot longer!

After a few miles on the canal I came off and joined the River Parrett, which winds its way imperceptibly slowly through the Somerset levels (it’s mostly indistinguishable from the hundreds of drainage channels, with the only obvious differences being that it is a bit wider, has bigger banks and winds about a bit!). The walking is a bit same-y as it is flat, and it’s just a series of banks and gates which become quite irritating when your feet hurt! But the wildflowers were pretty (I tried not to get too frustrated when the footpath was overgrown…kept telling myself it was better for the wildlife!) and I saw some more swans, a couple of herons with their slow honking flight and even disturbed a buzzard in the grass only a few feet in front of me. The path alternated between nice short grass and long and overgrown and it felt surprisingly tiring, so much so that I had to take a break and put my feet up for a bit. I lay on my back with my feet over my bag and it felt good!

A little further on and I came to my least favourite part, where the footpath disappeared into a long patch of stinging nettles. I looked ahead, dismayed. The road I was aiming for was tantalisingly close but seemed like miles when blockaded by 100m of knee-high nettles. I’d already been stung a few times as I was too tired to avoid the odd nettle, but this was almost despair-inducing! I took a deep breath and got busy with my hiking poles-come-nettle-bashers and made slow but steady progress. I noticed a woman walking on the other side of the river on lovely short grass, looking at me a bit strangely, and as she got closer she told me, in a somewhat confused voice, that I couldn’t get through to the road that way. But the path goes to the road, I said. Yes, she replied, but it goes around the other side of the property! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Relieved I didn’t have to fight my way through the rest of the nettles, but frustrated that I’d already wasted energy in return for plenty of stings.

Still, I made it to the road and the footpath the other side was much better. I was headed towards my only hill of the day, up to Moredon which looked to be some sort of former stately estate and farm or something. The hill wasn’t a big one, relative to hills of earlier days, but it was a bit of a shock to the system! Thankfully as I walked along the ridge the climb rewarded me with super views of the Somerset Levels and it was nice to have some elevation and views after a day and a half of flat walking. I was aiming for a promising-looking “V” marked on my map near Stoke-St-Gregory which indicates a visitors’ centre – I was hoping they’d have cold drinks, toilets and an opportunity to refill my near-empty water bottle. I just hoped they were also open! It turned out I was headed for the Willows and Wetlands centre, which is a lovely little spot and ticked all of my boxes. I had a lovely pink lemonade and took my boots off, part of me wanting to put my head on the table and fall asleep! I looked at the map and estimated I had another 6 or so miles to go and judging by the current time and the state of my feet I wouldn’t make it to Langport before 6, which was a shame. But I chatted to my brother and we came up with a plan. I’d walk another 2-3 miles which would take me to 5pm and he’d come and pick me up, then drop me back tomorrow to finish off the last 3-4 miles without my pack. Part of me was tempted to finish it all today so I didn’t need to walk at all tomorrow but the prospect of getting in earlier and having a leisurely, packless walk tomorrow was very appealing, so that’s what we did. I’m really glad too, as just before I reached the designated pick up point my left buttock decided to cramp horribly and I wasn’t sure if I’d have been able to walk the last few miles. I was disappointed not to finish the day as planned but I know I need to look after my body as best I can, I have a fair few miles to go!

It was great to have a whole evening to rest up. I spent a while lying on the floor with my legs elevated up against the wall, then had a lovely soak in the bath and was stuffed full of homemade curry and rice (and wine!). I even watched some trashy TV! I am so pleased I have a rest day tomorrow, and am going to look very carefully at my dates to make sure I don’t leave it so long til the next one!

Total miles: 26.7

Elevation gain: 1,104 ft

Time walking: 10am – 9:30pm

Miles walked to date: 221.5

Tough day! It was always going to be one of the longest days mileage-wise but when your bag feels heavy and your feet hurt less than a mile after you start you know you’re in for a long one! I’m not exactly sure why I thought it would be a good idea to try to do 24+ miles with an 20kg pack in one day.  I think it was just the way the accommodation and dates worked out and I thought I’d just go with it. But I really wouldn’t recommend it!!

The day started off very well with a lovely breakfast with Maureen my host, who packed me off with sandwiches and homemade quiche to fuel me up for the day. (Maureen makes the most amazing quiches!). I was also super lucky to be there just as a duck who had been nesting for a few weeks finally hatched her ducklings! There were two cute and fuzzy duckling heads peeking out from underneath their mum, such an adorable start to my day!

A 1.5 mile walk along the edge of town brought me up to the start of the Grand Western Canal, which I was surprised to find is up above the town, i.e. at a higher elevation. It feels quite strange to be standing next to water looking down across a town! Sadly on Mondays the horse-drawn barge doesn’t run so I didn’t get to see that in action but the canal was a lovely route to walk. It was good to have some nice flat, even ground to walk along, and some nice shady bits as it was another warm day, and I made good progress for the first 6 miles. This was time for a mini celebration as I just hit the 200 mile mark, which feels pretty amazing!

Along the way I saw a woman with a prosthetic leg (from just below her hip) walking her dog, and although she looked fit and strong it made me thankful for my two working legs. Throughout the day, whenever my feet hurt, I kept reminding myself to be grateful that I had feet to get blisters on!

At Halberton, after a quick stop off at the farm shop to use their loo, I met up with Susan and her 6 month old daughter Zoe – I think most probably my youngest guest walker of the trip! I hadn’t seen Susan since university so it was great to catch up over the few miles we walked together. Three days in a row now I’ve had company for some or all of the day which has been great!

At 10 miles I stopped for my first proper break and although it was fairly early in the day considering I was less than halfway I took my boots off while I ate the quiche (very grateful for that quiche!), as my feet were starting to throb already. I’d put my first blister plaster on and although the blister was getting bigger I think the plaster helped. I decided to put one on my little toe too, given that I still had so far to walk. It took a while to persuade myself to get going again after the rest, and for the first time on the journey I felt properly tired. My feet and hips hurt as I hobbled for a few hundred metres while I got back into my stride, but then they eased back into it again feeling better for the break and refuel.

After a while walking alongside the canal did get a bit monotonous but it was pretty and I kept reminding myself to take it all in. I passed through fertile farmland growing all sorts of crops and it was fascinating to see what was growing – maize, potatoes, kale, cabbage, peas, wheat, oats. All sorts! I saw lots of moorhens and swans too. One moorhen had not long hatched her second brood of chicks and I could just see them, all black and fluffy and ungainly. Further on I came across a magnificent family of swans, with seven cygnets, swimming proudly along in a perfect line. The canal was buzzing with insect life too, particularly noticeable were all the dragonflies and damselflies, some of them in a striking blue, flitting here and there across the water. Did you know that our larger species of dragonfly can cruise at speeds of 10mph but can reach speeds of 30mph?! That’s crazy!

The canal eventually came to a sad and rather abrupt end shortly after the old Waytown limekilns and very narrow tunnel, but my intended route (picking up the West Deane Way) followed the route that the rest of the canal formerly took. I was running short on water however and as my map indicated a campsite at Gamlins Farm not far up the road I headed up there to refill my bottles and from there decided to cut across country a bit to cut out a bit of mileage. It did add some elevation but it was actually quite nice to use my legs slightly differently! I also realised that I just crossed over into Somerset which was exciting as not only is it my third county on the walk but it’s also my home county so it felt a little like I was coming home. I had a little cheer then soldiered on, I was only just over halfway and it was already gone 4pm – it was going to be a late one! Thankfully it was a beautiful evening and I counted myself lucky that it wasn’t raining!

After finding some more ripe blackberries (yippee!) my path took me across a number of fields of pigs. I’ve never walked through pig fields before and I’m not sure the pigs see many walkers, judging by the astounded look they gave me. I’m not sure pigs can actually do ‘astounded’ or in fact pull specific facial expressions at all, but they were funny anyway. The groups of piglets ran away squeaking and their mums came and stood guard protectively. I wondered whether I was about to add a charged-by-an-angry-mama-pig story to my collection, but thankfully (at this time at least) that story remains un-materialised. (Yes, I know that’s not a real word. But after 26.7 miles I think I’m entitled to make up words 😉 ). Apart from inadvertently disturbing a group mud bath (seriously, I don’t know how many pigs managed to fit into that small muddy puddle but it was way more than you’d imagine was possible!), and thinking I had a mystery pig following me for a bit (turns out it was just my rucksack talking pig…) the pig field crossing passed without further ado. A little further on however it was time for a field of “thug sheep”. Ram thug sheep! I don’t know what breed these sheep are but they really look like thugs. Lisa and I came across some last year on our hike and we named them then. We had a funny incident where one tried to head-butt me. I put my hand out and he kept coming until he was close enough for his forehead to touch my palm and then he stopped. Now Lisa thinks I am a sheep whisperer! It was quite amusing and I wish we’d gotten a photo! Even so, I didn’t particularly fancy having to give my sheep-whispering skills another go, not with another 10 or so miles to walk!

A few more fields and I’m back on the West Deane Way which follows the old canal through some lovely old woodland. It passed Wellington and I longingly wished I was stopping there tonight. I knew of a couple who were staying there tonight who were walking John O’Groats to Land’s End, we’d hoped to meet up but we ended up just missing each other by just a few miles!

There was a beautiful bit of the old canal which was where there used to be boat lifts. The brickwork is still there and a little thin pond where the canal had been, but further on there was no real trace of the canal left at all. I think it is amazing, and quite sad, how something so important in its time can disappear without a trace!

As the sun started to think about getting low in the sky I walked through more lovely arable farmland alongside the river. I passed through a field of young pea plants which for some reason made me so happy! And then the biggest (or at least longest) fields of wheat I have ever seen. With wiggles (along the river) it must be about a mile long!! It was a pretty spot and at some points you could get down to the river. I was so tempted to break again and cool my feet in the water, but it was getting late and I was worried that if I stopped I wouldn’t get started again! So instead I just gave my feet a pep talk. I think if people had heard me they would have thought I was crazy. Out loud, talking to my feet, telling them how strong they are and how I was so grateful to them for their epic performance that day. What can I say, at 20+ miles I was having to dig deep..!

As I finally drew towards the outskirts of Taunton I looked behind me to see the most incredible sunset. Proper reds and blues and fiery clouds. I was torn between marching on and constantly stopping to turn and watch the colours change. Every time I stopped my feet hurt but I couldn’t resist! It may have been a long day but if it hadn’t, I probably would have missed the sunset. Still, at nearly 9:30pm, I was definitely ready for the end of the day’s walking.

Thankfully, Gary (my host for the night) had kindly offered to pick me up from central Taunton which meant I didn’t have to hobble the last 2.5 miles in the dark. It meant a couple of extra miles to make up in the morning but right then I really didn’t care! When I got in, boots were straight off and feet in the air. I was so grateful for the cup of tea and the pasta bolognaise Gary cooked for me. I wolfed it all down, a massive bowl of it, had a bath to ease my cramping legs, and flopped into bed – for the first time ever being too tired to even contemplate trying to write my blog.

In summary, it was a beautiful day and I wish now I had split it in two to save my legs and feet and to appreciate it a bit more! But still, now my feet are feeling a little better it is quite satisfying to know I walked 26.7 miles with my pack and survived!

One day til my rest day…

Total miles: 17.9

Elevation gain: 2,390 ft

Time walking: 10am – 6:30pm

Miles walked to date: 194.8

Today was another long, hilly and very pleasant day! Once again a lot of the route wasn’t incredibly interesting, but there were some definite highlights and I had some more company! My friend Antonia who I stayed with last night (and hadn’t seen since we left school about 16 years ago!) walked the first 6 miles with me today (and then ran back….she’s training for a marathon….crazy girl…if I can judge…).

Our route took us out of Crediton and through the small but lovely Shobrooke park, then through a field of golden oats which made for some great photos (Antonia played photographer for the morning so I have some more action shots whoop!), followed by the village of Shobrooke itself (where I nearly took us in completely the wrong direction, oops! I don’t seem to concentrate on my route as much when I have company…!) and then a few miles of road with occasional views over rolling farmland. We made fairly quick progress despite the gentle hills, and then I took us up a VERY big hill. It was something of a diversion as we could have carried along the road, but it was one of those hills on the map which just looks like it will have something special to offer…

It did! Not only did we meet a gorgeous family – a grandmother, mother and four beautiful children – who donated some money,  shared their sweets with us and told us about the Parrot Tree, but the views were sensational! Devon rolled out beneath us and to the west we could just see Dartmoor (misty today!). To the south we could see the Sidmouth Gap and even a small section of sea – the only glimpse I’ll see of the south coast other than my very first two days! Sadly at the top of the hill the 6 mile mark meant it was time for Antonia to head back, and it was onwards and temporarily downwards for me.

The family had mentioned a good pub in the next village, Thorverton (the Thorverton Arms) so I decided to make a proper lunch stop there. The last few days I’ve not been terribly good at eating a proper lunch, so as it was a Sunday and the pub fell conveniently at the halfway point, I decided to have a Sunday roast. It was also a nice chance for an early boots-off-break – it was hot and sticky again today and my feet were getting very warm! There were two families together in the beer garden and we had a great chat while I was eating my lunch. They also donated some money! I just love people. Every day I am amazed and touched at how chatty people are and how many well-wishers I pick up along the way! It is a real morale booster and really makes me feel like I’m really not alone in this, even if I may be physically walking it on my own.

From Thorverton I picked up the Exe Valley Way which climbed up another big hill (seriously, Devon is HILLY!!) along a little country road, then dropped down into the valley for a few miles before finally joining the River Exe at Bickleigh (those last few miles got a little tedious!). On top of the hill I was amazed to find some ripe blackberries. I don’t think I’ve ever seen wild blackberries this early before, so I excitedly scoffed every one I found. Yum! I love the fact I’ll be walking through autumn as I love foraging and am excited to see what I find along my way. I just didn’t expect the harvest to start so soon!

I had a little bit of mizzle along the top of the hill and a few spots of rain into Bickleigh but actually it was quite welcome given the mugginess. I still can’t   believe how lucky I have been with the weather. Long may it continue! For my sake and everybody else’s!

Bickleigh has a castle (I think privately owned) which is small but pretty, and a very old bridge over which the main road runs (single lane…plus a hiker blocking the way…), and a beautiful spot by the river. I stopped off at Bickleigh Mill for an ice cream and a second boots-off-break (hoping this isn’t going to become a daily necessity…!). The ice cream was amazing. Cappuccino crunch! I think the girl took pity on me with my big bag and gave me an extra big scoop – it was enormous!

There were lots of families around and it looked like there was some sort of treasure hunt going on, with kids were clutching bits of paper and hurrying to different areas excitedly. On closer inspection there were clues they had to answer like “what type of tree is this clue attached to?” which I got very excited about as I love it when children (and adults!) are engaging with nature, and I have a particular soft spot for tree identification!

Soon it was time for boots back on for the last 3.5 miles to Tiverton, along a very promising-looking path that ran along the River Exe and through some woods. On the way out I passed a peacock, as you do (haven’t seen one in years – so beautiful!), and a friendly woman who warned me it was quite a long way to Tiverton. I smiled wryly and couldn’t resist returning “it’s ok, it’s not as far as I’ve come!”. I allow myself a chuckle thinking of her expression of shock and amazement when she saw my sign and realised I had walked from Land’s End and was walking all the way to John O’Groats 🙂

As predicted the last section of the walk was lovely. As I walked along the river I suddenly heard a sound that was incredibly distinctive but one I hadn’t heard for a while – the piping call of a kingfisher! My eyes darted to the river and sure enough, there was the telltale streak of blue zooming past. Yes! Made my day! Kingfishers are great because they always give themselves away by their call as they fly. Once you know the sound it is very easy to recognise, and they are such pretty birds! They don’t stay still for very long so sometimes a flash of colour is all you see, but that’s still special. I was in for a treat today though; further along the river I heard the call again, stopped, looked and saw the kingfisher fly to a perch right in my line of sight. He was tiny, but I could clearly see his orange chest and blue back. I waited until he flew off again, then moved on, happy. A little further on and it was the buzzard’s turn to put on a show. I heard her calling, and then I realised I could hear what I think must have been her chicks, calling back. I couldn’t have been far from the nest, judging by the sound and the fact she was circling right over head (with a safe canopy of trees between us, thankfully!).

As is usual on a long day like this, a few miles from the end I was starting to feel my feet. My left foot is fine but my right foot has the beginning of a blister on the inner edge of the ball of my foot. It’s not big but it’s a tough one, and just down to the pressure of walking. I’ll need to check it tomorrow and decide whether a blister plaster will help or not. I also have a blister on the underside of my little toe, which is one I tend to get if my feet have been getting too hot, so I’ll need to keep an eye on that too! Otherwise doing ok. My brother is booking me a sports massage for my rest day, which I am looking forward to as my back has felt pretty tight the last two days. Pippa (my osteopath) would have a field day right now! In fact, if there happens to be any osteopaths reading this who are along my route, I’d be glad of a few cracks to my back!!

Tonight I am staying with the lovely mum of a friend of a friend (the power of networks eh?!) who has looked after me very well. Tea, nibbles, a bath, homemade quiche, dessert, a hug and an early night. How lucky am I?!

A very long day ahead of me tomorrow – around 24 miles – which puts it in the running for the longest day distance wise of the entire three months…eek! Best get some sleep then…!

Much love xx

Total miles: 15.1

Elevation gain: 1,217 ft

Time walking: 10am – 6pm

Miles to date: 176.9

Well, yesterday was always going to be a tough act to follow! Route wise I have to say that today was fairly uninteresting. Mostly country roads with a few miles on footpaths and bridleways which were pleasant enough but not a huge amount to write home about. We walked through a pretty village called Spreyton which had an nice-looking pub (but not open between 3-6ish) and at some point I did enjoy walking through a field of broad beans and eating a few straight from the pod. Sorry Mr Farmer, they were very much appreciated though!

What made today lovely however was the people. Ged and Janet, my lovely hosts from last night took me out for a delicious full cooked breakfast and coffee, a very good start to any hiker’s day! And then Viv arrived, my first guest walker! It was amazing to have some company for the day, as whilst I love walking on my own, it makes a very pleasant change to have someone to natter away the miles with. Sadly it wasn’t the most exciting day for Viv to be walking with me, and it was actually a more hilly day that I thought (whilst I’m perfectly capable of figuring out how hilly a day is going to be by looking at the map, I’ve gotten a bit lazy…the odd hill here and there is all part and parcel of the day for me now! Unless it’s a big one I don’t take huge amounts of notice (until I’m halfway up it, panting!)) but she was a great sport and despite her feet giving her some grief we had a lovely day whiling away the hours and miles catching up on all sorts of interesting stuff! Viv knows a fair bit about plants and it was fascinating to learn from her a little more about the plants we saw. At one point we came across a super mushroom – it looked like a fairy’s dining table!

Viv and her family are thinking of walking Hadrian’s Wall path later in the year so this was a kickstart to her training. I hope I haven’t put her off!  Especially as she brought me some exciting snacks!

The other nice thing about having someone else along is that it made me stop and take breaks more often, which was good for me today as my feet were aching a bit today. I also was wearing thicker socks (my favourite pair really need washing now…I need to buy another pair of those!) so my feet were getting a bit hot and sticky – not good as hot and sticky breeds blisters… thankfully blister-wise my feet are doing fantastically. I have two blister-like patches on my inner heel where previously hardened-over blisters have softened, but I don’t think they will cause me any real trouble. As long as they keep hardening up again! I am incredibly grateful that my feet seem to be ok other than aching, I have to admit I am terrified at the thought of bad blisters!

Today apart from the aching feet I can really feel my calves. I should have done a bit more stretching when I first finished! I have done a bit this evening but they are really feeling it today. I think a combination of lots of steep ascent yesterday and a fairly hilly day today. My back is also starting to tighten up, I did a few twist stretches and was amazed at how tight I felt. Think I need to start doing some yoga daily! I just seem to run out of time though. My daily routine is pretty much wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack up, walk, shower, eat, chat, next day map check, blog, sleep. There have only been a handful of days, the shorter ones, where I actually would have time for much more! But the stretching definitely needs to go in there somewhere!

But anyway, having dropped off Viv in Yeoford having walked 11.1 miles, I completed the final 4 alone, firstly along roads, then along a bridle path running along a maize field (glad I wasn’t actually riding a horse!) and noticed that the soil is incredibly red around here. It’s bizarre! The final bit of the day’s walk was a nice clear and flat footpath through fields near the River Yeo to meet my friend at Crediton train station. It felt a bit strange, being driven away from my route for the night, but Antonia reassured me she will drop me off at exactly the place she picked me up from! And I have a lovely four poster bed tonight in a beautiful old house, so I am definitely not complaining! Antonia and her family kindly treated me to a delicious dinner at a nice pub nearby – I’m feeling very spoilt on this trip!

Am now very sleepy again but in bed way before midnight which is progress! I have a long day tomorrow – about 20 miles – but Antonia is going to join me for the first 6 so I get another part-day of company, yay! And thankfully tomorrow should be reasonably flat after the first few miles as I’ll be following the River Exe all the way into Tiverton. At least navigating should be easy!

Oh, and I just worked out I’ve completed just under 20,000 ft of ascent so far. That’s 2/3rds the height of Everest!!

And there’s still plenty to come…!

Night night lovely people xx