Blog 43 Par to Cremyll (3 days). Farewell to Kernow,

Hello all

It has been a while since my last blog and the reason for this is that I have been either walking, driving, eating or sleeping.
But now I have a bit of a break so I can catch up on what has been happening.

But first let me add a new feature to this blogging/walking adventure. It is an email account I have set up so that people can contact and converse with me without the need for all to see. So if you wish to share an email address or phone number with me, you can do with this by email.
robsetterswcp@gmail.com

This may be a good idea or I may have created a monster. If the latter is true, I will close down the account a short while after I have completed the walk.

The Last Three Days

Returning to Cornwall to complete the days that I missed out due to my mystery swollen leg problem, was a good idea and I am really glad that I did it. When I planned the whole walk I decided that by starting in late April and finishing in late June would hopefully mean that I would get good walking weather. Yes, there was a risk of rain and cold weather, but in my experience both of these conditions are preferable to heat. The last three days have been sunny indeed, but they only served to remind me that walking in full sun and high temperatures adds another element to the task. I am also aware that there will be hotter weather to come, but hopefully I'll be finished before the extremes of hot days of July and August are upon me.

This is photo of Par on a miserable morning. My memories of Par are not great ones. It was as I arrived in the town, a few weeks ago, that I first noticed that my leg was swelling up. I can't blame Par for that but the association is with me and will remain so. On the morning of the photo, Jennie had dropped me off in the middle of the one way system that forms the centre of the town and I started walking, and got lost within a few minutes. I walked along a busy road until I eventually spotted a bashed up sign directing me back to the path. And it was from the path that I took the photo you see here. I apologise to anybody reading this who has a fond connection to Par but I found the place dull in the extreme! (Does the use of the "!" soften the blow. I hope so!)

Not far around the coast is Polkerris where I stopped for a coffee and collected my thoughts. In the South West Coast Path web page, the 14 mile section between Par and Polperro is described as "Strenuous and Challenging". And it was. But along the way was some beautiful scenery.

The view from Little Gribbin to Gribbin Head

The impressive Gribbin Tower

Jennie and I had a holiday in this area a few years ago. This is Daphne Du Maurier territory, and while we were staying in a tiny little cottage on the Pont Pill river, I read "Frenchman's Creek". In the story there is a daring raid on Fowey by a band of French adventurers. One day I was sitting on a bench reading this section of the book as I looked down at Fowey from the Polruan side of the river. It was quite a special moment.

Polruan from the Fowey side of the river

Fowey from the ferry. I was on my best behaviour. You never
 know who is watching! 

The eagle eyed among you will have noticed that there is not a trace of sun in all of these photos. That is because the sun and the heat only arrived in the afternoon.

It was a very tiring afternoon and the relentless ups and downs left me in a state of extreme tiredness and I was delighted to see Jennie walking towards me on the high cliffs a couple of miles out of Polperro. We walked the last bit together. (I am always delighted to see Jennie, by the way).

Polperro is popular for a reason. It is perfect. As a result it was absolutely heaving with tourists. 

Beautiful Polperro, and look at the sky!

Polperro to Port Wrinkle

One thing sticks in my mind about the walk from Polperro which I would love to erase.

As I was walking along the cliffs, a couple of miles out of Polperro, I saw a man in his eighties (I would guess) walking toward me. What he was wearing was a pair of sandals and what I believe is called, a posing pouch. I would have liked to have taken a photo so that you would also have the image to deal with.
I would add that for a man of his age he had a very good body and I think he was very pleased with it. As he approached, I turned over in my mind what I could say to him. But for some reason I couldn't come up with anything other than, "good morning".
Would you believe it.......he completely ignored me and walked on. I couldn't resist the urge to look behind me and I quickly prepared my phone to take a photo. But as I raised the phone, he turned too and I had to quickly hide it. I'm sure he noticed.
What you would have seen was, in essence, a thong which had almost completely disappeared into where the sun doesn't shine. You will have to imagine.  But I have to live with this terrible sight for ever.
Lucky you.
Unlucky me.

Talland Bay is a most beautiful spot to reflect and try to clear one's head of disturbing images.

___________________________

Jennie and I met up in Looe and had some lunch together sitting on a bench by the harbour. We agreed that Looe is one of our favourite places to visit and we will come back again soon.

This is Nelson. He isn't real. He's a sculpture. Nelson was a famous seal who swam the waters
off Looe. And, to my shame, this is the only photo that I took in lovely Looe.

Portwrinkle to Cremyll (Mount Edgcumbe)

I was determined not to treat these three days in Cornwall as an opportunity to tidy up the days that I had missed. I really should enjoy them too. But by the time that I got to the last of the three days, all I could think about was getting it done. Actually the early section fro Portwinkle was lovely and then I came to the Kerslake firing ranges. There was not any firing but I foolishly took the inland route which meant that I walked along a busy road for a few miles. 

Then I arrived at Freathy and the Freathy cliffs. My friend Terry had warned me about this section, but I wasn't listening properly. The path zig-zags in and out and up and down around a lot of holiday chalets and dwellings. I was glad to put it all behind me. 

Rame Head was a delight and I had my lunch there before I walked along the path into Mount Edgcumbe. Here are two photos; one from the west side and one from the east side of Rame Head.

So, then I walked into Cremyll and the end of my walks in Cornwall.

These three days have taken me well over the 500 miles of the path so far. It really does feel that I am getting toward my goal of completing the 630 miles of the South West Coast Path.

I'm looking forward to the walks to come which are all in Dorset. 

Take it easy.

Rob.

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 42: Seaton to Seatown. A Special Birthday, Excuses, A Load of Bull.

Hello all

The walk from Seaton to Seatown took place on Saturday 22nd June and it is now Tuesday 25th. There is are three main reasons for the delay in the writing of blog 42, they are - alcohol, my birthday and gooseberries.

Alcohol and good intentions do not mix.
When I arrived home on Saturday I had a cup of tea and a shower and I had a choice, start writing the blog with or without a glass of red.  Firstly I chose - with.  Secondly I decided without the writing. The evening continued with a delicious meal and more wine.
The rest is a bit of a blur mainly caused by a couple of generous glasses of calvados.

The next day was my birthday. I had a great day with my family and lots of messages and cards from friends and family.

So now I am sixty-five. It doesn't seem credible that so many years have passed since I first graced the world with my good looks. (1st prize in a beautiful baby competition, Totnes 1955). Apparently I had glorious blond curls, all of which disappeared to be replaced with straight black hair when I was about two years old.

Prior to despicable changes by the government, I would now be a pensioner and in receipt of my state pension. As it is, I will now get what I "deserve" when I am 65 and 9 months. (As for the way that women of a certain age have been treated, I know that I have very little to complain about.)
And that brings me on to the subject of my bus pass.
The bus pass (allowing free bus travel to the elderly (not before 9 am)) should have been mine when I was sixty. All that I had to do to get my bus pass was fill in a form and present it with a valid birth certificate. The form was in my possession and ready to fill in when I heard that the rules had changed and the new age for qualifying for the pass was the new retirement age, in my case 65 and 9 months. I was well and truly gutted.
I don't think I have found it easy to get over my disappointment.

Anyway. I have had a marvelous birthday thank-you.

Whilst at home I have picked 39 pounds of gooseberries.

"I thought this blog was supposed to be about walking," I hear you cry.

Seaton to Seatown was a lovely walk and I enjoyed gorgeous weather for all of it. Seaton, which has been my home for the last few days looked splendid in the early morning sunshine. So here are three pictures of it.

There always seem to be fishermen/women at that end of the beach

And no fisherwomen/men at the other end. 

Seaton is extremely famous for have the oldest (standing) concrete bridge in the Country.

 Having walked across the oldest (standing) concrete bridge in the Country I climbed the steep road up to the golf course which marks the beginning of the countryside walk. Soon after the golf course the path drops into the under-cliff which is the main feature of the first half of the walk. This was the fourth time that I have completed this walk and I swore (after the third time) that I would never do it again.
At first sight it is beautiful as the path meanders through the trees and ferns.

But after about 3 to 4 hours of looking at your feet to avoid tripping and hardly a glimpse of the sea, it becomes rather wearing. There is a sign as you enter the under-cliff informing you that it can take 3 to 4 hours to complete the walk and that there are no exit routes along the way. I have to confess that I rushed along as fast as I could and completed it in two and a half hours. I did however stop for a few minutes at the only place where the sea can be seen.

One other thing about this walk through the under-cliff is this - because I was walking early in the day, it became clear to me that I was the first person to pass through the area on that day. I knew this by the amount of cobwebs that stretched across the path. I must have walked through hundreds and I was crawling with tiny spiders. This only ended when, after about an hour, I met someone coming in the other direction. From then on, both them and I had a cobweb free walk.

What a contrast it was to arrive in Lyme Regis. It was heaving with people and I added to the scene by stopping for an ice-cream and a coffee. It was fun people watching but I tore myself away and headed onward.

What followed was predominately road walking for about 4 miles as the coast path headed inland due to a cliff fall that has resulted in a "temporary" diversion. This "temporary" diversion has been in place for about 7 years to my knowledge.

After leaving the road I walked through some delightful meadows.

Soon Golden Cap came into view and I got ready for the steep climb by eating a family sized pork pie.

In an earlier blog I wrote about a bunch of cows which spooked me a bit by following me across a field. In that blog I wrote that I had another experience which I would write about in a later blog.
The waiting is over for you because here it is -

About 7 years ago I was walking on my own along this part of the path and approaching Golden Cap. I came to a field which had a sign on the gate informing me that there was a bull in the field. I could see the bull on the other side of the field and I walked on towards it's general direction because that was where the exit from the field was. As I got closer I could see that the bull was standing just in front of the stile which was my only way out. Slowly, I moved closer to the bull which was looking straight at me. I kept telling myself to show no fear and that the bull would surely move away and not charge me. I was not convincing myself. I was about 20 feet away and the bull had not moved ant I could see the bloodshot whites of his eyes. There was no way to pass the bull as he was right up against the stile.
So, I started talking to the bull in a fake dominant, farmer type way. "Come on now, Out the way!"
Nothing happened.
What I did next I would never advise anybody else to do - I walked slowly behind the bull and hit it on the backside with my walking pole. This did the trick and the bull moved angrily and reluctantly forward allowing me to pass behind it and swiftly over the stile.
And this is the funny bit about the story - when I got over the stile I realised that I was feeling faint. I had to lie on the grass with my feet up on the stile until I felt better whilst the bull looked on from the other side of the stile.

There was no bull in the field this time.



Golden Cap is 191 metres high and is the highest point on the South Coast of Britain. It is a very steep climb including many steps. Because I was running a bit late for my lift from Seatown, I walked/climbed all the way to the top without a break and was puffing when I arrived on the plateau.
The views from the top are amazing and my mobile phone camera can never do them justice. I took a few but here are just two. One looking back towards Seaton and Sidmouth and the other looking down at Seatown beach with Chesil beach stretching away in the distance towards the Isle of Portland.

My friend Caroline was somewhere down on that beach and I hurried down the path towards her and the car. We both had an ice cream and then she drove me back to Seaton to collect my van.

Then I drove home for my birthday weekend. (Have I mentioned it was my birthday?)

Tomorrow (Wednesday 26th June) I will be going back to Cornwall to complete the three days of walking that I couldn't do because I had a bad leg.

Take it easy.

Rob.

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 41: Sidmouth to Seaton. Sandwiches, Bus Drivers, Red Tee Shirts, Fish and Chips.

Hello all

I was up early this morning and soon on the bus to Sidmouth.
But first I had to come to terms with a great disappointment. I have enjoyed buying my daily sandwich from any Co-op that I find along the way. There is a fairly large Co-op just around the corner from where I am staying in Seaton, and I walked jauntily around the corner this morning thinking of egg mayonnaise and cress, or smoked ham and cheddar. Which one to have? Or maybe I could push the boat out and get something exotic like a coronation chicken.
I was greeted by a cheery "hello dear", as I entered the shop.
I headed for the sandwiches.
What??????????
No sandwiches.
Not one single sandwich.
Gutted!

Dejected, I walked out of the Co-op and headed for the bus stop.

At the bus stop there was a lady who was fussing over the contents of her shopping bag and was clearly a little confused and agitated. She got on the same bus as me and she sat near to the front; she was clearly still agitated.
When we reached the outskirts of Seaton, she pressed the button for the bus to stop, which it did at the next stopping place.
"Oh dear, this isn't my stop" she said.
"Never mind dear" said the driver, "where do you want me to stop?"
"I don't know, I've forgotten where I live".
"What about if I drive on slowly and you shout out when you recognise the place that you usually get off".
We set off slowly and a few seconds later she pressed the button again.
"Is this it?"
"Yes".
"What definitely, I don't want you getting out at the wrong place".
"No, no, this is definitely it".
She got off the bus.
"You be careful now", said the driver.
We drove off.
I have mentioned the bus drivers in previous blogs and this is yet another good story about how they go beyond what is expected of them.

In the words of Bart and Lisa Simpson -"Hail to the bus driver".

Witnessing this had very nearly made me forget my sandwich disappointment, but not quite.

__________________________________

Sidmouth Beach in the early morning

The view back along the coast to yesterday's walk.

Quite possibly, the best bench on the whole coast path. And it was mine for about 30 minutes.

As I walked up and down, up and down on the path today I encountered about a hundred school children in groups of 4 to 8. They were all wearing bright red tee shirts with "Jurassic Challenge 2019" printed on them. I was pleasantly surprised by how polite they were. I don't think I have had so many "good mornings" as I have had today.  I often find myself saying, "alright?" to people as I pass them. Today I received answers to this throwaway question.
"Yes thank-you, and how are you?"
When I got to Branscombe I found a group of teachers who were dishing out drinks and food to the kids and checking on their state of fitness. I decided to go and tell them how much I was impressed by the children.
"I have been walking from Sidmouth to here, this morning and have passed a lot of your children".
The woman I was talking to looked worried.
"I have to say, what a good mannered and delightful group of children they are".
"Thank-you very much, it's really nice to get some positive feedback for a change".
I have no idea what other people have been saying.

_____________________________

Jennie and I have holidayed in a chalet on the cliffs at Branscombe. I fact we stayed there about 4 years in a row during the cheaper Autumn times.

One day we were walking up the extremely steep climb from the beach to the top of the cliffs on the way to Beer. We were in our forties then. The climb was a struggle for us and as we stopped to look back down the slope we saw an older man and a child catching up with us. Determined not to be overtaken we climbed on. It was no use, they soon overtook us and we noticed that the man was probably in his sixties and the child was a in fact a teenager. I know that we were disappointed in our lack of fitness at the time.

Today, I powered from the bottom of the hill to the top, passing many people along the way.

Now I am the old chap approaching my Sixty-Fifth Birthday.

I am extremely pleased with myself.

_________________________

Tonight I am dining out on fish and chips with 4 members of the same family.

Jill is the great-grandmother, Caroline is the grandmother, Cassie is the mother and Minnie is their respective - great-granddaughter, granddaughter and daughter. And then there is me - their friend.

Take it easy

Rob

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 40 ; Exmouth to Sidmouth. Jelly-fish, Pebbles, Rain.

Hello all

"What a difference a week makes,
One Hundred and Sixty-Eight little hours.
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain."

I've taken a few liberties with the Dinah Washington song and as a result it reflects how I feel now compared with my mood of a week ago.  The thing is, in the back of my mind I had a fear that I wasn't going to enjoy getting back on the path following my recent miserable experience. But, I needn't have worried. I have really enjoyed myself today, despite being drenched twice and not having had much of a conversation along the way.

What a relief.

I'm now sitting in my friend Caroline's flat looking out of the window  at the sea off Seaton and the evening sun is shining. The big puddles of rain from today's downpours are drying up and people are wandering the streets.  I've just had a very pleasant Waitrose meal for one, a couple of lagers, two individual strawberry cheesecakes and I'm listening to a bit of Schubert as I type this blog.  Oh yes, all is well with my world.

_________________________

My daughter Lucy collected me from a car-park in Sidmouth and drove me to Exmouth so that I could start the walk. She chatted away for the whole of the journey. She always does. It's great.

As I walked along the prom at Exmouth I noticed that there were hundreds of jelly-fish washed up on the beach. I joined some other people who were taking photos of them. 

This one was about 12 -14 inches across.

I borrowed this photo from DevonLive as it
shows the size of the creature better than mine does.

I've looked it up on the internet, since I got to Seaton, and Exmouth has made it into the news because of this unusual event. I'm just glad that I was there to witness it for myself.

___________________________

There is something about Budleigh Salterton that I really like. It is hard for me to put my finger on it. I think that it may be that it doesn't try to be anything different from what it naturally is. It is said to cater for older people and this is probably true. I've visited Budleigh a few times over the years and, to me, it doesn't appear to have changed.  I'm going to have a day in Budleigh when I've finished doing this walk and really enjoy the simple things that the town and beach have to offer.

And I love a pebble beach.

I'm not sure who created these pebble pictures, but I think that they are great -

And just two more photos of Budleigh which are my favourites of the day.

I sat here on the wall and ate an early lunch and watched the rain clouds gathering overhead.
I knew what was to come.

And, did it rain!

I was glad that I had my blue jacket with me, but my heavy-duty green jacket would have been better. I was pretty damp inside within a few minutes and this rain went on for about thirty minutes. But, it couldn't dampen my spirits and I walked on through it. 

Soon after crossing the River Otter the rain stopped and the warm sun came out and I was able to dry out a bit and take some photos of the marvelous farm land on the hills between the river and Ladram Bay.

And then the rain came for a second time. This time it was worse than the first time. This time the sun didn't come out. I arrived back at my van in Sidmouth feeling very wet and chilly. 

But, I didn't care......................much!

__________________________

Tomorrow's walk between Sidmouth and Seaton will be a challenge. The route through Branscombe and Beer has more than it's fair share of ups and downs. But the weather looks good and I feel good. 

So I think I will get a good night's sleep and I'll be ready to go. 

I'm going to have one more lager then I shall settle down with my Guardian Crossword until I fall asleep. (I have just realised that I haven't talked about crosswords in any of my blogs so far. So, you have got that pleasure to come)

Take it easy.

Rob.

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 39 : You Can't Keep a Good Man Down - well not for long!

Hello all.

I've had a lovely few days to get some strength back and have decided to get back on the path before I get used to the easy life.
Jennie and I went to Seaton the other evening to meet up with our friend Caroline and her mum Jill.
It was good to see them both, and while we were there I went for a drive around the town - looking for a parking space - and I couldn't help but get all enthusiastic about the coast as I looked along the cliffs to both East and West. I realised then that I really wanted to get going as soon as possible.

But.

I don't want to end up struggling and disliking what I am doing, so I need to be ready.


Stopping when I did was without doubt the correct thing to do. I now am aware that I was exhausted and the aches and pains that I was feeling was as a result of that exhaustion. I only had to sit down and I would fall asleep and when I awoke I didn't feel any better. After a couple of days that unpleasant experience has pretty much gone and I can manage to stay awake for a whole day.......... Yes a whole day.

_____________________________

I would like to thank all of my friends, family and people that I really do not know very well, for their messages and calls asking after me and wishing me well. Thank-you very much, all of you.


So here is the new itinerary.

You will notice that I am popping back to Cornwall to complete the three days that were not possible due to my swollen leg. It will be good to do this as it means that I can finish the 630 miles at South Haven Point which is the official end/start of the South West Coast Path.

Also, I have included a lot more rest days to help with the experience. As a result I will not be finishing on my Sixty-Fifth Birthday on the 23rd June, but I will be finishing on Ringo Starr and Jeremy Kyle's Birthdays.
I can't help but feel that it was meant to be.

South West Coast Path Itinerary

	Date	From	To	Approx Miles
	Thursday 20th June	Exmouth	Sidmouth	13
	Friday 21st June	Sidmouth	Seaton	11
	Saturday 22nd June	Seaton	Seatown	14
	Wednesday 26th June	Par	Polperro	13
	Thursday 27th June	Polperro	Portwrinkle	12
	Friday 28th June	Portwrinkle	Cremyll	13
	Monday 1st July	Seatown	Abbotsbury Ridge	12
	Tuesday 2nd July	Abbotsbury Ridge	Bincombe	10
	Wednesday 3rd July	Isle of Portland		13
	Thursday 4th July	Bincombe	Lulworth	10
	Saturday 6th July	Lulworth	Worth Matravers	14
	Sunday 7th July	Worth Matravers	South Haven Point	14

Take it easy

Rob

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 38 - Update

Hello all

I wasn't happy not knowing what happened to the dog.

So, I texted the number which I had on my phone, and enquired.

Recently, I received a text from someone called Mike, telling me that the dog was found about four hours later about half a mile away.

All's well that ends well.

Take it easy.

Rob

Blog 38: Babbacombe to Starcross. Lost Dog, Decision Time, Good Things to Come

Hello all

What a strange day it has been.

Thanks to Pauline (my sister) and Chris for a bed for the night and a delicious meal.

On Tuesday, when Chris collected me from Babbacombe, I was feeling pretty tired after a fairly challenging day, but I was surprised at how much I was aching and just how tired I felt. Unfortunately this has been a growing pattern over the last couple of weeks.

In the morning I woke and prepared for another day on the trail, but I was already feeling weary before I had even put one foot in front of the other. At Babbacombe, the first part of the walk is straight down to the beach which is followed by a climb up the other side. My legs felt like lead and I was feeling quite miserable. Within an hour I was looking forward to the end of the day and stopping.

After a mile or so I came across a golden retriever which was clearly in distress. It was very out of breath and running up and down the path. It ran off many times then kept coming back to me. I managed to get hold of it and checked it's collar but there was no tag so I couldn't phone the owner. I was joined by a woman who was also walking the path that day. We had a chat about what to do but could not come up with a plan. As the dog was becoming increasingly agitated, I let it go and it ran off again.
We walked on together and soon we could hear someone shouting for the dog. The shouts were becoming more and more urgent. It was a tense situation and I didn't really know what to do.
A mile or so further on we met a couple of chaps who asked us if we had seen their dog.
I explained and suggested that the owner give me his mobile number so that I could call him if we found the dog again. He did this and I tried to ring him to check that I had the correct number....... Would you believe it, he had his phone on flight mode so the call wouldn't go through.
"I keep my phone on flight settings to save the battery", he said.
"Well, it might be a good idea to take it off flight mode for now".
"But then my battery will drain".
"Yes but......".
Some how I decided that there was little point carrying on with this train of thought.
"Well, at least you've got my number now on your missed calls," I said.
We walked on and I didn't see them or the dog again.
I had rather hoped that he would ring or text me to tell say whether he had found his dog, but he hasn't.

____________________________________

The woman and I walked along together and chatted about walking the path etc. (I am ashamed to say that I didn't ask her what she was called, so she will have to be "the woman", for the duration of this blog). I really enjoyed our conversation as we walked and it took my mind off my increasingly aching and weary legs. But even though I wasn't feeling great, it was clear that I was generally a faster walker than her, and she suggested a couple of times that I shouldn't feel that I had to wait for her.

A little later we met a chap who was walking his dog and he walked with us for about half a mile.

We came to an extremely steep hill and she said she would stop for a breather. I walked on with the dog walker and the distance between us and her grew and grew until she was a long way behind and completely out of sight. 

"Aren't you worried about your wife? She is a long way behind."

"No, no, she isn't my wife. We've only just met on the path today".

"That's a relief. I was starting to think that you were a right callous bastard".

"And you would be right....imagine that", I said.

We had a good laugh about it.

_________________________________

For the rest of the day I walked on alone and didn't speak to a single person. By the time I got to the outskirts of Teignmouth I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and I somehow feel that this photo of Teignmouth sums up my mood. (It was the only photo that I took for the whole day)

The walk beside the railway line from Teignmouth to Smugglers Lane and then along the road to Dawlish is long and boring experience. When I arrived in Dawlish, I sat on a bench and seriously considered calling it a day. My legs were aching, I had a cramping sensation in my right foot, I was feeling sick and most worryingly, there were "floaters" in my vision, which I have never experienced before. I drank all that was left of my water, ate all of my food and bought another bottle of water.
There was still about 5 miles to go.
There is not much to say about the rest of the walk apart from it was a slog. No hills, just the pavement.
When I walk, I sometime count my steps as I go. I hate this habit and when I realise that I'm doing it, I hum a tune or anything to break the pattern of counting. When I am really tired, I give in to the counting. I counted every single step from Dawlish Warren to Starcross.

The walk from Babbacombe to Starcross had taken me seven hours.

As I sat on a bench in the car park at Starcross I decided that I couldn't walk again tomorrow. When Jennie came to collect me I hobbled to the car and straight away she supported my plan to have a rest for a day or two. In fact, it was her idea which made it nice and easy for me.

_____________________________________

So, as things stand, I am not absolutely sure when I will be back on the path again. I want to enjoy the beautiful scenery from Exmouth to Poole and I need to be a bit fitter than I feel now so that I can do this. In short, I am pretty exhausted and feeling my age. But my guess is that a week should do it.

_____________________________________

This morning, following two showers, a good night's sleep, and a shave (no more beard), I am feeling a bit better but know that it is the right decision to stop. 

____________________________

The photo below is what walking the coast path is all about.

I'll be back.

Take it easy.

Rob

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter

Blog 37: Kingswear to Brixham, Brixham to Babbacombe. More Rain, A trip to the Pier. Good Fortune.

Hello all.

On balance I have had brilliant weather for nearly all of the walk so far, but the last two days have been disappointing to say the least. Not only have I been drenched a few times but it has been cold.
But, ever mind all that.

The walk from Kingswear to Brixham is a lovely one normally, but when it is viewed from a letterboxed size gap in my coat and hood it loses most of it's magic.

I took a few photos when it wasn't raining, and it wasn't raining as I left Kingswear.

The entrance to the River Dart Estuary.

I thought that this was a delightful bit of pathway

Looking towards Berry Head with clouds gathering

There's a lot of rain in them there clouds

 And I didn't take any more photos because soon the rain came down and didn't really stop at all.
But as I was coming into the Berry Head area I found a tree that had been carved and it was the best of it's kind that I have seen. So I had to get a photograph of it.

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Brixham to Babbacombe

I must confess that I had not been looking forward to this day of walking. I have done all of the coast path along this stretch before, in some cases many, many times. So, as I set off in the rain it felt like a case of "just get it done". The truth is, although it was either raining or nearly raining for the whole day, I actually enjoyed myself.

The boats in Brixham harbour and on the moorings were being buffeted about, just like I was.

I soon arrived at Broadsands which holds a lot of fond memories of picnics and rounders on the green with Jennie's parents and her sisters and a lot of kids. But when I came to the beach it was another type of memory that came to mind.

Broadsands on a summer's day. How inviting!

Learning to swim.

For many years on a Sunday, together with my sister, I had swimming lessons. A chap called Dave Simmonds would collect many kids, and all together in his minibus we would - in winter go to the Marine Spa swimming pool in Torquay; and in Summer we would go to Broadsands. 

I hated swimming lessons and dreaded the swimming pool. Sometimes I would just hide in the changing room and only appear when it was time to go home. To this day, I still get a nervous feeling in my stomach when I smell whatever chemicals are put into the water at swimming pools. But what was far worse than the pool was the beach. There was nowhere to hide and it was freezing cold. I remember shivering in my trunks with my water wings around my shoulders (look them up if you don't know what they look like).  Is it any wonder that I didn't actually learn to swim until I was 16. 

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Between Broadsands and Paignton I saw the steam train and memories of Jenny Agutter came into my head. I waved to lots of happy holidaymakers and they waved back. What fun we had.

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You can always rely on a Donald to give good advice.

As I was walking past the amusement arcade on the pier, a voice called me over and I went to see who it was. There was no-one to be seen. Then I heard the voice again.

It was Zoltar. I reached into my pocket and inserted a one pound coin and Zoltar spoke again. I can't remember what he said but as soon as he finished a card appeared at the front of the machine. 

On the back of the card was written -

"There is nothing you can do to gain complete satisfaction without self-reflection. Nor can there be compliance without self-reformation.

Put loyalty and reliability first. If you have faults do not fear self-improvement."

And .....

Bizarrely ........

"Play Again".

I suppose if you are not satisfied with your future, you can always have another go.

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I always knew that a trip to Paignton would mean that I would be taking a photograph of a certain row of shops. And here they are - 

I had to take a detour to take this photo, but it was worth it. 

This is the site of a discotheque called "Pandemonia". The club was actually on the first floor with an entrance where "Maggie's Beauty Salon" is now. It hasn't been a disco for many years now.

It was in Pandemonia that I first met Jennie. And this is how it happened -

I was sitting at a table near the stage which was the site of the DJ's station. Jennie - who I didn't know - was on her way back from the DJ booth after requesting a record. She was a bit drunk and lost her balance and fell off the stage and landed on me. I was stunned and did the only thing that I could think of at the time and asked her for a dance. And we have been together ever since. 

What wonderful fortune it was that I was there that night; and that Jennie was there that night; that Jennie had been drinking; that I wasn't badly injured; and that Jennie said "yes".

I think that if I had visited the pier and come across Zoltar earlier on that evening, he would have told me that my life was about to become everything that I had ever dreamed of.

Take it easy

Rob

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