I am now sitting in the van, trying to get this blog done quickly so that I can go back to the bar/ bistro/family room of The Golden Coast Camp Site, Woolacombe.
Following my request for help that Lucy (my lovely daughter and admin person) put on the Facebook world, I was contacted by Jack who said the he, Jen and Bryn are staying at the camp and I would be welcome to join them and park up next to their van for the night. I've been here for about a couple of hours and have been treated to a can of Fosters, a pint of Guinness, and the free use of a luxury chalet and the all important shower. I feel refreshed and hungry, so I am experiencing something for the first time ever. I could have stayed with Jack, Jen and lots of their friends and had something nice from the bistro, but I decided that I wanted to get a blog out tonight, so as I type this I'm waiting for my kettle to boil so that I can have my first ever Pot Noodle (Chicken and Mushroom Flavour)..........
.......The kettle is boiling so I'll stop now and finish the cooking process.
That was actually quite a tasty treat. I had it with naan bread.
I have two days of walking to write about, but I think I can keep them both pretty short. Yesterday was a difficult day. It didn't stop raining from the start till the finish. The climbs were immense and the views would have been amazing had I been able to see any of them.
It was arranged that Jennie would meet me at the end of the walk. The idea was that she would park up at Combe Martin and walk back along the coast path until we met. Unfortunately the car parks in C M don't take card payments and she could only find enough change for 2 hours. She walked toward me for an hour but I was not near enough to her for us to meet. So instead of a wonderful melodramatic meeting on the cliff edge, we met a while later in the car park, next to the public toilets.
We drove back to the campsite and what followed was a night that tested our patience and resolve. It never stopped raining and the wind was rocking the van from side to side throughout a long night. Difficult in the extreme.
There were some good bits about the walk and the day; for instance, I actually enjoyed a chance to sing at the top of my voice in the knowledge that no-one could here me. It was strangely empowering and great fun. But I can't for the life of me remember what I sang.
Today was a very different day. I stepped out into all that "Storm Hannah" could throw at me and the experience was great fun. Suddenly I would be forced to the left, right, forward or backward by the amazing blasts of wind. My walking poles paid for themselves today by keeping me upright when I could easily have floundered.
I had problems with my phone today. I suddenly noticed that I only had 2% of charge left so I shut everything down in case of emergencies. (This evening I discovered that I have a 30 minute video of the inside of my pocket). The problem was that I could not take any photos from lunchtime onward.
I was annoyed about this in particular because, as I was walking into a deep valley just below Morthoe, I saw something quite peculiar, which will be hard to explain, but I'll try :
A small stream which appeared to be flowing down the hill from Morthoe and would normally flow over the edge of the cliff down to the rocks below, was being gusted skyward by the incredible wind coming in from the sea. This was a beautiful sight as it went up into the air, fountain like,and then landed on the path forming a natural shower. I knew that I would have to walk through it as it covered about 30 yards of my path to a gate which was all drenched from the water. I was actually looking forward to walking slowly through the refreshing spray. As I got closer I detected a smell that was the same as I have smelt while passing sewage treatment plants, and I realised that this was water from a less than desirable source. I had no choice. I dropped my head and ran as fast as I could over the soaking distance to the gate, but I couldn't get the gate open without a struggle. By the time I had managed the gate and got through and away from the spray I was pretty wet and feeling sorry for myself. But then I found the whole experience incredibly funny and I couldn't stop laughing.
Singing and laughing when no-one can hear you is great. We should all try it sometimes.
Anyway, I expect the bingo is over by now so I'll join the others for a drink before I go to bed.
Here are some photos that I am pleased with because the are very colourful. They were taken on Ilfracombe harbour.
Following my request for help that Lucy (my lovely daughter and admin person) put on the Facebook world, I was contacted by Jack who said the he, Jen and Bryn are staying at the camp and I would be welcome to join them and park up next to their van for the night. I've been here for about a couple of hours and have been treated to a can of Fosters, a pint of Guinness, and the free use of a luxury chalet and the all important shower. I feel refreshed and hungry, so I am experiencing something for the first time ever. I could have stayed with Jack, Jen and lots of their friends and had something nice from the bistro, but I decided that I wanted to get a blog out tonight, so as I type this I'm waiting for my kettle to boil so that I can have my first ever Pot Noodle (Chicken and Mushroom Flavour)..........
.......The kettle is boiling so I'll stop now and finish the cooking process.
That was actually quite a tasty treat. I had it with naan bread.
I have two days of walking to write about, but I think I can keep them both pretty short. Yesterday was a difficult day. It didn't stop raining from the start till the finish. The climbs were immense and the views would have been amazing had I been able to see any of them.
It was arranged that Jennie would meet me at the end of the walk. The idea was that she would park up at Combe Martin and walk back along the coast path until we met. Unfortunately the car parks in C M don't take card payments and she could only find enough change for 2 hours. She walked toward me for an hour but I was not near enough to her for us to meet. So instead of a wonderful melodramatic meeting on the cliff edge, we met a while later in the car park, next to the public toilets.
We drove back to the campsite and what followed was a night that tested our patience and resolve. It never stopped raining and the wind was rocking the van from side to side throughout a long night. Difficult in the extreme.
There were some good bits about the walk and the day; for instance, I actually enjoyed a chance to sing at the top of my voice in the knowledge that no-one could here me. It was strangely empowering and great fun. But I can't for the life of me remember what I sang.
Today was a very different day. I stepped out into all that "Storm Hannah" could throw at me and the experience was great fun. Suddenly I would be forced to the left, right, forward or backward by the amazing blasts of wind. My walking poles paid for themselves today by keeping me upright when I could easily have floundered.
I had problems with my phone today. I suddenly noticed that I only had 2% of charge left so I shut everything down in case of emergencies. (This evening I discovered that I have a 30 minute video of the inside of my pocket). The problem was that I could not take any photos from lunchtime onward.
I was annoyed about this in particular because, as I was walking into a deep valley just below Morthoe, I saw something quite peculiar, which will be hard to explain, but I'll try :
A small stream which appeared to be flowing down the hill from Morthoe and would normally flow over the edge of the cliff down to the rocks below, was being gusted skyward by the incredible wind coming in from the sea. This was a beautiful sight as it went up into the air, fountain like,and then landed on the path forming a natural shower. I knew that I would have to walk through it as it covered about 30 yards of my path to a gate which was all drenched from the water. I was actually looking forward to walking slowly through the refreshing spray. As I got closer I detected a smell that was the same as I have smelt while passing sewage treatment plants, and I realised that this was water from a less than desirable source. I had no choice. I dropped my head and ran as fast as I could over the soaking distance to the gate, but I couldn't get the gate open without a struggle. By the time I had managed the gate and got through and away from the spray I was pretty wet and feeling sorry for myself. But then I found the whole experience incredibly funny and I couldn't stop laughing.
Singing and laughing when no-one can hear you is great. We should all try it sometimes.
Anyway, I expect the bingo is over by now so I'll join the others for a drink before I go to bed.
Here are some photos that I am pleased with because the are very colourful. They were taken on Ilfracombe harbour.
And of course there is this :
Take it easy.
Rob
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