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 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.
I'll be back.
Take it easy.
Rob
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter
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.
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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)
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
Always listen to your body (and wife ). Take a good rest, you've done amazingly well for an old boy. Thing is who's going to find Robbie now the beards gone. 🍻 . Take it easy. Nick.
ReplyDeleteGoing to miss my nightly catch ups with your adventures, Rob - but it sounds like you have made the correct decision. It would be a shame not to enjoy it.
ReplyDelete