Wading the Erme! Oct 7th

...or Noss Mayo to Bigbury!
Over breakfast, Tim and I decided that we wished we could stay longer with Jane and Roger.

We had already booked the next couple of nights, but decided we would come back on the Saturday and stay the Sunday as well. What a lovely decision that was.

We set off happily at about 9am, deciding to head straight up the coast on Revelstoke Drive,

Revelstoke Drive

leaving the headland behind us to do on the day we returned.

The headland, Gara Point, for Sunday - you can see the Drive winding its way along.

The book told us that this carriage drive was built in the C19 to encircle Lord Revelstoke's property and impress his guests! It certainly impressed us and made for lovely speedy walking at the start of the day.

We took a little detour to see the church of St Peter the Poor Fisherman. A wonderful little church, Tim knows the details - I can never remember - but the link will tell you more :-)

Church of St Peter the Poor Fisherman.

The views along the coast were lovely...

I even found some trees for Jac :-)

St Anchorite's Rock came into view which was very impressive from a distance, less so close up!

We had been careful about choosing the dates for this part of the walk and Tim has to take all the credit for it for forward planning! We had to reach the River Erme at low tide because the only way to cross it is to get your feet wet! There is an alternative - a 9 mile walk inland! So, Tim had carefully timed it for us to arrive at low tide, and also at the time of some of the lowest tides of the year!

It was a big challenge in our minds as we didn't know how deep it would be and because of all the warnings about taking care.

As it turned out it was rather fun! We took our boots and socks off and rolled up our trousers, tucking in or tieing everything to the backpacks.

We set off with a little trepidation across the sand between the two slipways... that is as detailed as the directions go! Our feet got used to the cool sand so by the time we reached the river water our feet were acclimatised. We decided the I should lead the way through the river as I had some walking poles (which we then shared) and they were so helpful. The river bed was pebbled and the water flowing fairly fast so you had to concentrate fully, but it wasn't as cold as we expected and it didn't come above our knees.

Once we were across, we took some time to dry off and re-boot.

We did get cold doing this and were glad to stop soon after in a sunny spot for lunch with a lovely view of the estuary we had just crossed and a feeling of success/relief... the unknown was over. This estuary is supposedly on of the most unspoilt in the country - it certainly is beautiful.

From here on the walk was strenuous with several steep ascents and descents. This beach I loved - how amazing the rock formations were - they look like a painting and not real!

Sorry...I can't choose the best...

here's another...

just stunning! More steep paths took us along to Bigbury where Burgh Island sits.

Here we called Val who came to collect us and take us to her house where we were staying. Long baths awaited and a lovely meal out at the local pub!

November Raspberries!

The Title says it all! I've just picked another half pound of raspberries! They have been awesome this year... and seem to be still coming!

Miles and miles... Weds 6th October

Tim and I had planned to get as far as Exmouth, perhaps a little further if things went well, so we were "well pleased" to get as far as Weymouth. We did have a couple of sections on a bus because of road walking (which we decided against) but I'll explain that as we go!

First Great Western turned up trumps - my journey down to Plymouth cost £20.50 and the return leg from Exeter was only £15.50 - booking in advance is brilliant! (The standard charge to Plymouth ranges from £80 to £110)

Tim dropped me off at Bedford station early in the morning with my weighty pack (about 25 lbs which I think is nothing compared to your Wild West packsA&J).

Smeaton's Towers on Plymouth Hoe

Tim and I met outside the station - he had come up by bus arriving about the same tme :-) and we walked through Plymouth up to The Hoe and Smeaton's Tower - we thought it made a good re-start landmark. From there we walked down to catch the ferry across to Mountbatten and found the beginning of the path proper.

It was a glorious sunny day with a very strong wind, we had views out across Plymouth Sound over the breakwater to Kingsand, Cawsand and beyond!

We had the afternoon to walk about 10 miles, past holiday camps, through war defences, on roads and on some lovely paths too. It was busier than we were used to, but enjoyable all the same. The sun played games with us, even making rocks take on the mantle of a warship or submarine!

One rock - Great Mew Stone was apparently used as a prison in the 1700s for a petty criminal who was sentenced to live there for seven years!

In some lights, that prospect does not seem unattractive!

There were some good seats to rest on...

... with views across Wembury Bay, and some indicators of our progress along the whole path!

I am never one to pass by a rainbow...

Tim stopped here to admire the view and consider life on Great Mew Stone, while I shed my pack and went further on to Warren Point with views across the River Yealm, very like Malpas/St Mawes/Fowey etc. We then headed inland to catch a bus in Wembury to get back to Plymstock where we caught a bus out to Noss Mayo. Had the ferry been running it would have been far more straightforward! We had a massive shower in Wembury, 10 minutes of heavy rain but it proved to be the only rain we experienced over the next two weeks :-)

We stayed with Jane and Roger at Noss Mayo and were made to feel so welcome and part of the family. They dropped us off at the pub for a soup supper then we headed back foran early night. We'd walked about 10 miles which was an excellent start.

She's back!

Well hello!
I'm back from the walk... we made it all the way to Weymouth (bar a stone's throw!) about 150 miles altogether. We did much more than we'd planned and it was great. We had superb weather yet again. I'm just sorting through the photos in readiness to post! Feeling a little weary but it was a great walk and I can see why people love it... however, my first love is still the wild Cornish coast!

Next steps...

Just a quick note - Tim and I continue the walk this week, Tim(son) is dropping me off at Bedford station early morning for a train to Plymouth... will be carrying the heavy pack again so it's going to be a challenge! Walking to Exmouth and a little further if we do well... will blog on return :-)

Family and golf!

Hello again,

Keith's just returned from a good trip to Addis, next stop will be Kosova!
Bridgie returns to Manchester today, all packed up and ready but I thought you must see her latest acquisition...

Wonderful!

Tim's been doing an amazing job of tidying the garden, we've borrowed a shredder and it's fun to use and what a difference! No 'proper' job in prospect for him yet - travelling is appealing at the moment!

We hear from Phil fairly frequently, the teaching remains very hard but he's really enjoying the social life and looks very well - he's on Skype :-).

The garden has produced a bumper crop of rasps...

about this many every day for the last month! I've jammed, frozen ,eaten and given away so many :-) Sweetcorn and potatoes are yummy at the moment, and i'm planting up the leeks.

I've played lots of golf and enjoyed the Club Championships over the weekend. I was playing alongside Beth who is just 12! She plays beautifully and we played together both days (one round each day - different hole positions). She played beautifully the first day and was leading...got really anxious overnight and hadn't slept, so Sunday was much harder for her. We managed to keep her going even through a few tears and she won! She is a sweet soul, it was lovely to play with her and encourage her. Thought you'd like to see us with our prizes!

U Tim and I are walking again next month, Plymouth to Exmouth, so look out for more pics etc at the end of October.

The moor

Yay!! It's worked ;-) Here's the video of the moors :-)

(Well, it did work - now doesn't seem to... will leave it here in case.)

And here are a couple more Graduation photos!

Keith looks amazingly awake considering his long flight!

I spoke to U Tim yesterday, and we'll probably pick up the walk again in October :-)

Getting up todate

The Pied Piper near Pakenham Mill

I'm going to try and bring you up to date! Over the last 3 months we seem to have been very busy, no one big thing but lots of little ones. Keith's been away a lot, in Warsaw, Addis, Singapore etc! We have said cheerio to Phil as he headed off to S Korea to teach English as a foreign language;

After a party!

and welcomed Tim back home from uni, enjoying his graduation en route (Keith flying back specially from Singapore and then heading back the next day!)The ceremony was in sheffield, and Tim was able to get a an extra ticket for Meriel, so she was able to join us. We stayed in Sheffield overnight and Tim took us out to a Pub that specialised in pies 'The Wig and Pen', it was great and we enjoyed delicious pies - I'd love to visit it on a winter's day with snow on the ground and a howling wind. Meriel came home with us and stayed for a few days, Phil and Bridgie took her out to Olney one day, and we also visited Francie and Jonathan for the day; spotting crocodiles, a hippo

Crocs

and a huge spider

near Jonathan's tranquil mill! We also had a delicious lunch at The Butt and Oyster... we're about to tuck in to the puds! Bridgie's been home too, experiencing the joys of commuting to London for a two week work placement at Simon and Schuster alongside working as a volunteer in the Oxfam bookshop and The Salvation Army shop. I've been playing lots of golf with my handicap now 20 which I am delighted about, I've also enjoyed three trips to Yorkshire to see Meriel. We had lovely trips out to enjoy walks along the river by the Bishop's Palace in York,

where there were beautiful buttercup meadows.

Most recently, we have ventured up on to the North York Moors,

enjoying stunning views and swathes of beautiful heather. We drove along gorgeous moorland roads, spotting things in the distance which we went on to explore. This is Roseberry Topping - a brilliant name - asking to be walked up - but not for us that day. We enjoyed a pub lunch at its foot, Meriel particularly liked the flowers in the bath!

I've tried to upload a little film of the moors but it won't work, so here are a couple more pics... and my favourite...

Now you're up to date :-) Keith's home but away again to Addis soon.