The start of the 630 mile hike on the seafront at Minehead is marked by a giant pair of hands holding an open map.
Although it's only about sixteen years old, and still in great condition, I wonder if Owen Cunningham's sculpture might be already outdated with so many walkers using tech devices these days.
Not me though, I'm still a map man, but I'm not using a map for this first bit thinking it's just a matter of keeping the sea on your right. I was soon proved wrong.
Leaving the statue, we started the walk passing the lovely little old harbour, surrounded by cosy cottages and began the climb out of Minehead, zig-zagging up through a thick wooded hill, with glimpses of the sea to both the right and left and with the breakfast baby kicking and burping.
After about an hour of climbing we sat on a well placed bench to get our breath back and enjoy the view over the Bristol Channel to South Wales.
There followed a couple of hours of fairly level, pleasant walking high up along the edge of Exmoor through herds of grazing cattle and Exmoor ponies. The sun was shining and the sea glistening far below.
When we reached the end of the high moor we could just about see our destination way off at the far end of Porlock Beach.
After a steep climb down we rewarded ourselves with a cream tea in the ridiculously pretty village of Bossingtton before the last stretch to Porlock Weir but then made the mistake of leaving the path to walk along the beach.
Beach is not accurate description for a huge pile of large, round pebbles. Very difficult to walk on and, wedged between the sea and the marsh, impossible to get off.
Just when it seemed like we were finally getting close to the end we came to a fast flowing river crossing the beach with no way around it.
To turn back would have meant a further two hours walking so we had to wade across.
We managed to get across without any mishaps but the combination of wet feet in wet sandals walking on large stones gave me a blister to finish the day with.
We stayed at Miller's in Porlock Weir, the home of Miller's gin. Keats, Shelley and Coleridge all stayed here and I don't think the décor has changed much since. Old man Miller was a bit of an eccentric and a great collector of books and antiquities.
They're all still there making this an interesting and unique place to stay, and they serve Miller's gin so we had a large G&T to finish the day thinking that went quite well. If all the days are that easy ....
After about an hour of climbing we sat on a well placed bench to get our breath back and enjoy the view over the Bristol Channel to South Wales.
There followed a couple of hours of fairly level, pleasant walking high up along the edge of Exmoor through herds of grazing cattle and Exmoor ponies. The sun was shining and the sea glistening far below.
When we reached the end of the high moor we could just about see our destination way off at the far end of Porlock Beach.
After a steep climb down we rewarded ourselves with a cream tea in the ridiculously pretty village of Bossingtton before the last stretch to Porlock Weir but then made the mistake of leaving the path to walk along the beach.
Beach is not accurate description for a huge pile of large, round pebbles. Very difficult to walk on and, wedged between the sea and the marsh, impossible to get off.
Just when it seemed like we were finally getting close to the end we came to a fast flowing river crossing the beach with no way around it.
To turn back would have meant a further two hours walking so we had to wade across.
We managed to get across without any mishaps but the combination of wet feet in wet sandals walking on large stones gave me a blister to finish the day with.
We stayed at Miller's in Porlock Weir, the home of Miller's gin. Keats, Shelley and Coleridge all stayed here and I don't think the décor has changed much since. Old man Miller was a bit of an eccentric and a great collector of books and antiquities.
They're all still there making this an interesting and unique place to stay, and they serve Miller's gin so we had a large G&T to finish the day thinking that went quite well. If all the days are that easy ....
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