Day 7 - Bude, Widemouth, Millook Haven

Total: 124+m / Daily:18m  / Overcast + Sunny / 'The Arduous Day'

For 'probably the most arduous day of the itinerary' this morning didn't seem to bad. I was already 2 miles into the 15mile section at the hostel so that helped I suppose. I was able to reach Bude (apologies if it gets published as Nude, my phone kindly autocorrects it) by lunchtime and ate a full English breakfast, delicious.

The day didn't start quite so successfully. I had the worst night sleep I have had in a long time. I was sleeping in a 4 man dorm with one other gentleman but it sounded more like a race track. I tried everything I could think of but nothing could stop him snoring for longer than 30 seconds. I took a 20 audio clip from my bunk which is pretty clear (I may upload it at some point) and I even went outside at 3am to escape, but I could still hear the snoring. I didn't have more than 30 minutes uninterrupted sleep from 11:45 to 5:30 when I got up and left. The joys of staying in a hostel dorm? There should be some sort of vetting process to stop this! Funny thing is, he probably had a great sleep..

Rather than hide from the sun, I decided to sit on the beach, catching up on a couple of hours sleep whilst casually learning how to surf, listening to an instructor teach a young group. I was thinking it might be fun to try somewhere, and Stan suggested the same thing later in the day. Bude turned into Widemouth and then I returned to steep rises and falls ending up in Millook Haven. For late in the day (6ish) there was a good number of people on the beach and I asked about camping on the grass around the 6/7 houses the valley had.

A lady with three pugs suggested that I walk a little way on a track beside a stream and ask at the cottage. She kindly showed me the way and introduced me to Lucy at a charming old cottage hidden back from the road with a stream and wooden bridge in the garden. Lucy allowed me to setup in one of the fields and just as I finished setting up, two lads appeared.

Lucy's son, Stan and his friend Ravi brought me a packet of Mini Cheddars and soon took an interest in what I'm doing, I was happy to field their questions as we played with Stan's diablo. The boys were called to have supper but returned with the offer of a cup of tea and a bath!

The cottage is just as charming inside as it is outside and the family visit every holiday, including all their Christmas holidays too. As the situation was being explained, I realised it is for them, what Treetops is for me. The light fitting in the bathroom was rusted and Lucy gave me a candle, I suggest they never fix the fitting, a candle is much better! So there I was, drinking a cup of tea in a hot bath, relaxing my knee by candlelight, there is no chance I would have guessed that as the end of the day. Lucy, thank you so much for your incredible hospitality to a complete stranger and I hope you and the boys enjoy the rest of your holiday.

A late night by walking standards at 10.30, I highly doubt tomorrow will be as interesting!

Day 3 - Ilfracombe, Woolacombe, Croyde

Total: 54m / ~19m  / Sunny / Sunseakers:1000+

The first thing I did today (after sitting up) was to take 2 painkillers. The walk into Ilfracombe wasn't too bad and I feel my pole technique is improving although I'm all over the place going downhill. I was thinking about painkillers and then onto ice as a painkiller. The only reason ice is applied is to numb pain, this can then trick the body into producing less fluid as it thinks the problem is going away, thereby reducing swelling. All of this information comes off the side of my new tubegrip knee support, which (rather worryingly) is white. White is a bad idea for long walks for rather obvious reasons, perhaps it can become my clothes washing indicator.

A fantastic walk around Lee Bay, Bull Point and Morte Point took me past inaccessible sandy coves, a stunning lighthouse with converted holidays cottages, rocky outcrops and undulating hills (of which these ones did slightly more undulating than I was expecting). My first sight of Woolacombe was thousands of sunseakers on the vast sandy beach and the little town perched on the edge. It was slightly later than I had hoped and I found welcome shade at the Sea Breeze Ice Cream and Coffee Shop.

Lunch was accompanied by a show as a lady from Birmingham became more and more irate with her broken down car. One man suggested that it 'sounds like a fault with the petrol pump,' how can you tell? I have no idea whether he was qualified to make that comment, all I know is that it sounds like it won't start!

Across Woolacombe beach I climbed up around the headland and was able to see right the way across the next huge bay (with Barnstaple in the middle) all the way to Hartland, where where I will hopefully be spending Monday night in the YHA.

The Saunton Hotel, starting at £110 per room per night was a little out of my price range, so a pizza beside the beach and sleeping in my tent will do nicely!

If you look carefully at the rock photo you will see two people. One abseiled down the rope attached coiled in his bag and the other clipped in and came down the same rope.