B2B Day 8 Porlock to Luxborough—Mizzling, Muddy, Meeting Folk

An OS map of today's walk (13.1 mi; 21 km; 2,604 ft total ascent) can be found here.

The weather forecast was accurate for today--most of the day was walking in mizzle (mist and drizzle), with a few periods of rain. Because of the weather, we took almost no photos, since we didn't want to get water on the camera lens.

Note the rain on Ken's sleeve

Ken had anticipated that it would be a difficult day of walking over Dunkery hill, so he had asked our hosts if we could arrange for luggage transfer to our next place. Nigel kindly made the arrangements, and so for the first time we traveled only with a day pack which we shared carrying. It did seem to make a difference not having 13-15 pounds on our backs (depending on how much water we are carrying).

Here is Ken at the Jubilee Hut on the Holnicote estate (which we walked through):

After crossing a road near Webber's Post, we saw women on four horses, one of them a beautiful appaloosa that had spotting like a Dalmation.

Instead of walking to the top of Dunkery Beacon, which was covered in mist, we walked the Coleridge Way which circled around the side of the hill. It had the advantage of a bit less uphill walking (though there was still plenty of that), not wondering if we would get lost in fog, and meeting a few other people. It is always interesting having people become part of our story and for us to become part of their stories, even if it's after just a five minute conversation. We first met a woman with two dogs, one a Doberman on a tight lead. She was friendly and we had a nice chat about the views that we could have seen and the fact that it was beautiful even though it was rainy. Then another woman with a dog with whom we just exchanged greetings. Then a man walking by himself who passed us with a hello, and then from behind us he called out, "Excuse me, are you walking the Coleridge Way?" He had seen Sara carrying printed directions of the Coleridge Way walk, and so we came back and chatted.

Sara's waterlogged and mud/dung besmeared Coleridge Way directions

He was walking the Coleridge Way in sections, and had walked the Cotswolds Way five times. He and Ken agreed that the north of the Cotswolds was the most beautiful. We had a very nice chat, and set off in our different directions. He appeared not even to have a day pack with him, but just to be walking unencumbered from place to place.

Later on Mick's path we met two women who were friendly and said they were part of a group, and they were shortly followed by two men and another woman. One man was especially chatty, and said that we were the first walkers they had encountered on the Coleridge Way in the three days they had been walking. They seemed impressed that we were on a 26 day walk, and didn't think our distances were short. They asked if there was any place ahead to eat lunch, and we suggested that there would be some trees which would provide some shelter ahead.

We walked down to a creek and stood and ate our lunch there--half of a chicken mayo sandwich each, and Sara had a chocolate chip biscuit.

We walked uphill for what seemed a very long time. We curved around the side of the hill. At one point Sara saw blue ahead and thought it was a shed or something, but it was sheep--blue sheep! Many of the sheep have numbers sprayed on their sides for identification, so we will often say, "Hello, number 5!" as we pass by. But these sheep had their entire backs, tops of their heads, and horns painted blue.

We walked down, down, down to the River Avill, and forded a few streams by walking on stones. Ken chose a bridleway on the other side because it wasn't too steep. We then came up, up, up again, crossed a road, and went up, up, up on a muddy bridleway. We joined the entrance drive to a manor house near Wheddon Cross and met a man walking his dog. He greeted us with, "You're not walking the Coleridge Way backwards, are you?" He said that the Royal Oak (where we were going to stay) was a good place, and they had done it up nicely. He gave us advice on paths to Wheddon Cross, but we ended up taking the road. We met another man and dog with whom we chatted, and he recommended the Royal Oak as well. We stopped at the "Rest and Be Thankful Inn" at Wheddon Cross; we did, and we were.

Sara at the "Rest and Be Thankful"

We set out from Wheddon Cross on Popery Lane, then up a path with slippery rock, and then into field after field. One with cute sheep, one with curious and ever moving closer cows, one a beautiful meadow with flowers. However, with all of the rain continuing to come down, the fields were of course WET. Ken felt his feet grow damp first, and Sara eventually did too. There also seemed to be a superabundance of sheep manure everywhere.

Then a long descent through a forest, then down red muddy farm lanes, along the road, and to Luxborough to the Royal Oak Inn. We arrived around 5:30. We had a comfortable room and a delicious dinner. Because it was cold and wet, Sara wanted something with chips, so had fish and chips. Ken liked the tartar sauce, which had some unusual herb in it (tarragon?). Ken had a beef, mushroom, and ale pie with mashed potatoes. We've now had a few really good pub meals, and this was one of them. That left not much time in the evening except to rest and be thankful.

Our room at the Royal Oak, Luxborough

B2B Day 7 Rest, Railway Rides, and Tea

This morning Sara had what she had long been waiting for: a breakfast of hot buttered crumpets at Myrtle Cottage B & B in Porlock! She was not disappointed, and was glad to partake of the delicious crumpets again, a rare treat.

We had several options for our rest day, but decided to ride the West Somerset Railway from Minehead to Crowcombe Heathfield. Nigel kindly dropped us at the station as he was going to Minehead to shop.

This particular train line is run by volunteers, and the stations and trains have a vintage look. All of the stations look amazing, and you can tell that keeping the stations and trains looking great is a labour of love. When we walked past a compartment car with sliding doors, like you see in films and shows covering the periods from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, it felt like we had stepped back in time.

They run steam trains and diesel trains. We caught a steam train and rode to Blue Anchor.

Ken on our train to the Blue Anchor

The Blue Anchor station was beautiful, and we thought we would walk on the beach there. It was cold and windy.

A windblown Sara at Blue Anchor

Feeling a bit too cold, we walked back to the station and admired the beautiful gardens, and went inside the station waiting room. They had various snacks, including Starburst candy for sale for 50p, and Twix for 75p. Ken hadn't had Starburst for years, so he got one, and Sara got a Twix. The Starburst flavours were a bit different from what we were used to, and included blackcurrant.

We resumed our ride by getting onto a diesel train from 1960. We got off at Crowcombe Heathfield, our favourite station for two reasons: first, we had seen the station when we rode the same train in 2015 on a trip with Sara's Dad and thought it was beautiful; second, a musician that Ken likes named Keith Chesterton recorded one of his songs at that station, "Travel Safely, Sing Sweetly."

The beautiful Crowcombe Heathfield station

We looked at the beautiful gardens and were let into the station waiting room. We knew there probably wouldn't be lunch there, as it was a small station, but we asked for tea and a slice of lemon cake each. The woman who served us was really nice, and she got us a little table and our tea and cake (the tea was in Crowcombe Heathfield station mugs). We all chatted together about walking and travel, and she told us she and her husband had taken the train from Vancouver to Jasper.

Tea at Crowcombe Heathfield station

We didn't get the woman's name until after we were waiting for the train, and we called across the tracks to learn that her name was Gina. Being able to meet people and talk with them makes a trip special and unique.

We then got on a steam train for our return trip to Minehead. After that, we waited for a mini-bus (16 passengers) to take us to Allerford Turn. The bus was a bit late, and at a later stop we saw why. The driver knew everybody, and when a man was getting on the bus, the driver asked him what the password was! She (the driver) also chatted with him about some photos she wanted to get to him somehow, through email or printing them off. I think he realized that their conversation was holding up the whole bus, so he came in and sat down. We knew that another woman was getting off at our stop, so we just watched her and then disembarked at the same time.

Ken had to take a picture of Allerford Bridge, even though he had taken some before in 2013.

Allerford Bridge

We knew that we were going to have a cream tea at Kitnors in Bossington, so we walked a short distance on the road and arrived at Bossington.

Kitnors Tea Room

The tea as a whole was lovely, but the clotted cream was outstanding--so thick that the spoon stood up in it. We each had a scone and a half, with cream and jam. It was satisfying, especially because we never really had lunch.

Tea at Kitnors

There was an adorable robin perched on a tree near us. Sara loved watching it.

Waiting for crumbs

After tea, we walked back to Porlock, about 1.5 miles. Near Bossington Street, we saw a field which was full of bunnies along one side--you could just see ears sticking up in a lot of places, or silhouettes of bunnies further away.

Once in Porlock, we picked up a sandwich to share for dinner, and then rested in our B & B before heading out to a local lecture on "An Exmoor Farmer's Wife" held in the Village Hall. We got to the hall (only a few minutes away), and there were people with dogs sitting outside. We walked into the hall, approached a lady sitting at a table who looked like she was collecting the money, and said we were here for the lecture. She looked puzzled, and said that it was always a dog management class on Tuesday nights. (Ken said to Sara that would explain why we saw so many people with dogs!) We looked at the meeting room in the lower hall, which was closed, and the lady supposed we must have got the wrong evening. We saw a poster on the way back to our B&B, which said that the lecture was Wednesday night--but a calendar at our B&B (which must have been what Sara had seen) said the lecture was Tuesday night. We were a bit disappointed.

Sara took some photos of our B & B, Myrtle Cottage, instead. It has a newly thatched roof which still looks golden.

Ken and the seals in our bedroom at Myrtle Cottage

B2B Day 6 Brendon to Porlock--Uphill Again

For an OS map of today's walk (10 mi.; 16 km; 1,562 ft total ascent), click here.

This morning after a hearty granola breakfast we say goodbye to Nigel and Annie and to the lovely shepherd’s hut. 

Sara outside the shepherd's hut

It was cloudy and threatening rain when we left. We decided to take the path through Southernwood rather than the road, even though we knew the path would be steeper. It was. We navigated our first major climb of the day, and then came down the path into sunshine and Malmsmead, where there was a Lorna Doone path, Lorna Doone Farm (a gift shop) and Lorna Doone Inn with refreshments. 

The Lorna Doone Inn

We ordered a ham and mustard baguette to go, to take with us for lunch. We did sit at a table outside for a rest, watching the cars drive through the splash. 

The splash beside the bridge at Malmsmead

We then set out down the narrow road to Oare. 

As one driver was creeping past us, pressed into the hedgerow at the side of the road, he rolled down his window and said teasingly, “Mind your toes!”

We liked little Oare church, which was small and bright. 

The interior of Oare church (west end)

After Oare church, we set out on our upwards path. It went up and up, and of course we needed to rest in order to take in the splendid views!

The view from the top

Once at the top, we crossed a major road and then could see the ocean, and took a path downwards to join the South West Coast Path section we had taken before in 2013, and enjoyed it again (especially knowing that the major climb was over). It was windy and fairly cold. 

Sheep, ocean, and a brisk breeze

We stopped and sat on a small bank at the side of the road near Parsonage Farm. There were various family members who walked up and down the road, and instead of discouraging us from sitting on their land, they made us feel most welcome. One woman kindly invited us to sit in their garden at a picnic bench, but we were almost done eating. Our takeaway sandwich came with tortilla chips and salad, and we put the salad inside the sandwich. It was all quite good.

We set off again and took photos of Ash Farm, where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge apparently was resting when he wrote “Kubla Khan” (and was famously interrupted by a person from Porlock, as we mentioned in 2013). 

Ash Farm

As we were going on the road down the hill towards the Worthy Toll Road, a man in a car drove slowly past us, rolled down his window, and said, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” We think he was referring to himself, and that he had found that the road became poorer the further he went, so he had turned around.

Walkers weren’t permitted on the Worthy Road, so we took the woodland path, partly following the instructions for the Coleridge Way that we had printed out. The instructions were poor, most frustratingly describing the path as going downhill when it went uphill. 

The Coleridge Way directions were poor, but the woods were fascinating

We also had some fairly steep downhill walking, and we took a zig-zag path down through woods infiltrated by rhododendrons, coming out at the bottom at Porlock Weir. 

Ken going downhill through the ferns to Porlock Weir

We had a good time looking around the weir, and we had some lemonade at the Ship Inn (the Bottom Ship; the Top Ship is in Porlock). 

Porlock weir

At the Ship Inn in Porlock Weir

Our path to Porlock began on a shingle beach, and hearing the large rocks underfoot was an interesting sound—sort of like someone clicking bricks together. 

Colourful shingle

After we left the shingle beach behind, we decided to take the road—a bit uphill but not bad. The experience was nothing like we remembered in 2013, when we had walked from Lynmouth to Porlock, were quite late, and were walking as quickly as we could uphill to Porlock, arriving at our B&B at 7:30 p.m. This time we arrived at a respectable 5:15.

We had a warm greeting from Nigel (and later from Jan), who served us tea in the garden. Yes, we have had two hosts named Nigel and two named Jan so far, and they have all been wonderful.

We had dinner at The Ship Inn (the top ship in Porlock). It was Bank Holiday Monday, but we got one of the last tables and enjoyed a delicious meal, the best pub meal by far we’ve had this trip. We thought we’d order something different, so Ken had venison meatballs in stroganoff sauce with basmati rice, and Sara had pork steak with mustard sauce, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. The portions were reasonable rather than gargantuan, and so we shared a sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream for dessert—a sweet ending to the day.

B2B Day 5 A Day of Rest

We didn’t set an alarm today, knowing that we were going to take it easy, not suspecting quite how easy we were going to take it. Ken said he felt the same as the day before, and not any better. We started with breakfast—a delicious granola with milk from our outdoor cooler (a terra cotta pot with lid nestled in a larger terra cotta pot that must have ice or cold water in it), and tea. Maybe around 9:30 Nigel delivered our fresh laundry. Sara had to sniff it when putting it away—she always gets excited about clean clothes.

It was misting and drizzling on and off, and Ken didn’t feel well, so we decided truly to have a day of rest. 

Ken in bed

Sara again read from the introduction of Lorna Doone to Ken, resuming at the troublesome paddle steamers. The irony of reading about Lorna Doone and foregoing the day’s walk in Doone Valley was not lost on us. But there’s a story about that . . .

When we were first married, Sara began reading aloud to Ken at night. Lorna Doone was a book we attempted in the first couple of years, and is one of the few books that we hadn’t finished reading together (the other is Dante’s Divine Comedy—we are stuck in purgatory). Sara’s friend Frances had described R. D. Blackmore’s sentences as “Latinate”—long and torturous. The book is probably lovely when it’s read silently, but read aloud, the sentences are so long you are just begging for them to come to an end. Blackmore is also a very rhythmic writer, so that many of the sentences have the same rhythm, which (1) makes it difficult to read expressively, and (2) tends to lull one to sleep.

For the trip this year, we knew we were returning to Exmoor. Last time we visited Exmoor we didn’t go to Doone valley, so we planned for a Lorna Doone day trip this time. In preparation for the trip, we restarted the novel and tried to finish it before we came to England, but only succeeded in getting about halfway. We also rediscovered that the rhythms and sentence structures make the novel rather sleep-inducing--two to five pages are enough to put Ken to sleep every time.

So it somehow seemed fitting that we didn’t end up going on a walk in Doone valley but resting sleepily at home instead, though we will be visiting Oare Church and Malmsmead tomorrow, both of which are locations in the novel.

Instead of walking, we napped. And chatted. And ate. For lunch we ate things we had on hand, including a fresh loaf of bread.

At 2:00 we listened on the radio to one of our favourite shows that we listen to in Canada online, Gardener’s Question Time. The panel was at the Chelsea Flower Show, which is currently going on right now. It was fun to be listening to our show while actually being in England!

In the afternoon it did pour rain, so that the flag at the campground across the street was wet and sad, but the wind later dried things and restored the flag to life. 

The wet flag at the campground

 

The flag flies again

At 3:00 on the radio there was an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1847?) which was quite funny and very effective, taking a long novel (which Sara had a difficult time getting through) and capturing the humour and tone while greatly shortening the action.

Our view all day was through the half door of the hut, watching the rain come down in varying amounts. 

Our day's view outside the half-door of the shepherd's hut

After more reading, chatting, and dozing, we were ready for Nigel to drive us to the Rockford Inn, where we had a 6:00 dinner reservation. We would then walk home (about 45 min.). We got to the Rockford and read a notice in the window that said there was no food that night because of an electrical problem. We managed to flag Nigel down before he left, and we decided to go to the Staghunter’s Inn again, if they had space. We got the last table. Food was served starting at 6:30, so we ordered a Sunday roast each (Sara got the half-size), with beef, gravy, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, turnips, parsnip, carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and cauliflower cheese. It was good and satisfying, and the people who serve there were again friendly and kind.

We had a shorter walk home than anticipated—about ten minutes, and enjoyed hot chocolate and digestive biscuits while Sara typed up two days’ blogs (since there is no Internet here, or at least, we didn’t ask if there were any), and Ken is reading a book entitled The Worst Journey in the Midlands, which must be humorous given the occasional bursts of laughter Sara is hearing.

B2B Day 4 Lynmouth to Brendon--A Walk in the Woods

For an OS map of today's walk (5.0 mi; 8 km; 1,562 ft total ascent) here.

We had a light breakfast at Hillside House B & B, and were delighted that we could leave our bags while wandering around Lynmouth and Lynton. We looked briefly around Lynmouth on our way to the water-powered railway up the cliff to Lynton (it is a brief ride). In Lynmouth, Sara bought a copy of Lorna Doone, so that we could read a bit more of it before going on our walk in the Doone valley tomorrow. On the railway, we talked with a man named Clive who was turning 71 next year. He was walking on the South West Coast Path for seven weeks, hoping to make Penzance by the end (this is about halfway on the path, which is the longest of the national trails, around 625 miles). He had a 20 kg pack with tent and stove, and was wild camping along the way. He said he kept trying to think of what he could send home! We wished each other well as we got off the train.

We wended our way to the churchyard and sat on a bench to look at the ocean view, and then went down into the village to look at the little museum. It was closed. We wandered back to the churchyard and sat on a different bench. A group of people came into the churchyard and were choosing where to sit, and one of them was about to sit down and realized he was about to sit on a table grave. He quickly moved elsewhere, and the group had a good laugh. 

The view from the churchyard in Lynton

After taking the railway back down to Lynmouth, we went to the Flood Memorial Museum. It was informative and inspiring to read and hear about the responses to the flood that swept water and boulders through Lynmouth in August 1952, killing over 30 people and rendering over 400 people homeless. There were some astonishing rescues (like catching people floating by and hauling them in through a hotel window) and much courage in rebuilding the village.

Hillside House B & B in Lynmouth

We then picked up our packs at the B & B with a farewell from our friendly host Denise, and set out for Watersmeet, the same way we had come into Lynmouth. Up to that point, we hadn’t considered that our walk into Lynmouth followed the course of the river downhill, so that today’s walk out of Lynmouth involved a fair amount of uphill. As we were walking, we saw a couple go down to the river, disappear behind a rock outcropping, and emerge in swimwear. The man dived into a deep pool and said something about feeling “very alive” afterwards, and the woman waded in more gradually. The water was very cold, from the sound of it.

When we reached Watersmeet House, there were lots of people there. I ordered one cream tea, which did for both of us—two huge scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam, and a pot of tea. 

Watersmeet again

 

After the cream tea

The walk from Watersmeet to Rockford was beautiful, with different types of forest, including one with mature trees which might have been whitebeams, a rare tree (we read on an information board at Rockford). 

Whitebeam trees?

Ken on the forest path

At one point in the walk we smelled woodsmoke, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. We didn’t want to get caught in a forest fire in England! We stopped at the Rockford Inn for a break and a drink of lemonade. We did not see any car chases (a reference for anyone who has watched the TV series The Rockford Files). 

The Rockford Inn

We then continued on the forest path, which eventually became a mown path. 

The mown path

We were welcomed by our host Nigel to a beautiful shepherd’s hut. Sara wants one. He had thought of everything in fitting it out, and we were greeted with a card and home-baked (by his wife Annie) shortbread and flapjack (North American readers—flapjack is kind of like a soft oatbar/granola bar) that was absolutely delicious. They also kindly agreed to do our laundry, which was cause for rejoicing because we were near the end of anything clean. 

Our greeting inside the shepherd's hut

We can post some photos of the shepherd’s hut, but they probably won’t capture how nice it is. We appreciated the scalloped trim in the interior, the sink that is a water pump, the gateleg table, and the couch that folds out into a bed. 

The wonderful shepherd's hut

After a bit of a rest, we walked to the Staghunter’s Inn, where we had a dinner reservation for 7:00. They had one cook and a notice that food might take awhile to come when it was busy, so at least we were prepared for the one-hour wait. The service was excellent--the people who served us were kind and welcoming. Sara had a small cottage pie with vegetables, which was good. Ken ordered the burger, which was the second burger he had experienced in his life that he didn’t like and couldn’t finish. It came with cheese—too much thick melted white cheese—and bacon, which is thick back bacon in the UK, not strip bacon. He said the beef was undercooked and had almost no flavour. That was disappointing after such a long wait.

We walked back home to our hut and Sara updated her written journal, and then at bedtime started to read the introduction at the beginning of the edition of Lorna Doone that she had purchased. Keep in mind that Ken is still sick, so she was reading to him and hearing him doze in and out of the introduction (she could tell by the snoring), and suddenly he said in a loud, anguished voice, “Why are we talking about paddle steamers?” I had just been reading about the many things that had been named after Lorna Doone (including Nabisco cookies), and had just gotten to paddle steamers when Ken surfaced to consciousness and was perplexed. He said that it was almost unbearable hearing Sara read such a detailed amount of information when he was falling asleep, so Sara stopped at paddle steamers, and we went to sleep.

B2B Day 3 Simonsbath to Lynmouth--Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now!

For an OS map of today's walk (10.1 mi.; 16.2 km; 1,425 ft total ascent) click here.

Ken woke up feeling worse with a cold and fever(?), so we had a slower day today. Sara actually thinks he should get a medal for walking more than ten miles today over sometimes steep terrain while feeling sick.

We initially weren’t sure about where the path began. We asked a man and woman walking together, and he seemed uncertain but suggested the direction of the circular walk. A few minutes later we asked a group of men who were doing the Devon Coast to Coast Walk, and they pointed us in the right direction, towards the upper car park. It was a steep path at first, and we gained height quickly.

 We saw the usual sheep, then the less usual cattle (who didn’t bother us when we went through their pasture). I noted that the landscape was the opposite of Kamloops, which has dry sandy coloured hills with little tufts of green on them, like a chenille bedspread. Here, there were green hills covered with little tufts of dry sandy coloured moor grass.

After a bit of road walking, we joined the Macmillan Way and had another ascent. 

Ken felt like if he could make it to Exe Head (about 3 miles into the walk), he could make it the rest of the way. We did arrive at Exe Head and sat down for lunch—ham baguettes from the Exmoor Forest Inn the night before.  We then began the part of the walk that we had done before in 2013, which we had really enjoyed. It began with the part Ken called the canyon walk. 

The canyon walk

When we got to the bottom, we were surprised and overjoyed (well, maybe just joyed and not overly so) that there was now a footbridge at the bottom, where the attempted fording of the river had caused us so much trouble before. 

The footbridge--it doesn't look like much, but it was great!

We then gently ascended to Cheriton ridge, and we saw the Exmoor ponies in the same area where we had seen them last year. They cheered us up.

Exmoor ponies!

I wish I had taken a photo of Ken once we got to the top of the ridge and were able to look down into Cheriton (it was a long way to get to that point). Ken said he needed to lie down on the grass, and he sort of collapsed down and happily lay on his back for awhile, shading his eyes with his map and then his hat, “waiting for the rescue jeep,” as he said. We enjoyed hearing the songs of the sky larks who rise high above their nests and sing a lengthy and seemingly unending song to distract people from the nests below. As no rescue jeep came, after about a twenty minute rest Ken felt good enough to go. He said that he felt like he was “soldiering on, like Mrs. Flack” (a reference to a character in the TV series As Time Goes By).

We again enjoyed our downhill walk, which last time had blooming gorse, this time had blooming hawthorn. We saw a fox on the path, briefly.

Ken beneath the blooming hawthorn

We entered the National Trust part of the land along the river, and again thoroughly enjoyed this peaceful, lovely walk. This time, the café at Watersmeet was still open, so Ken got a Pepsi to revive him a bit. He heard the cafe playing the song, "Nothing's gonna stop us now," with which he agreed. We remembered this time to actually take a photo of Watersmeet. 

Watersmeet

 When we came lower down the river, we saw a huge and majestic heron standing on a rock.

Sara really liked the architectural look of this tree.

We did finally arrive at Lynmouth. Throughout today’s walk, we appreciated that there were new fingerposts and better waymarking than there was six years ago. The quill on this fingerpost indicates the Coleridge Way, named for the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge who lived and walked in this area.

After a pub dinner, we’re settled in at our B&B Hillside House, where we are happy to stay again after enjoying it so much in 2013.