One word to describe today ‘Hilly’!
Was camping last night nr Dorchester but knowing I had some serious miles and serious hills I started packing my stuff at 05.30. I got breakfast, washed up, my tent down and on the road just before 7am.
As it was so early and the sun hadn’t come up it was winter gear on.. felt like I was back in Scotland!
Just outside Dorchester saw some deer grazing nr the road (too far for photos)
Next onto Burton Bradstock and West Bay for a full plate of English breakfast. Had a good conversation with the staff and again at the door. A chap from the local community,certainly a man of peace was very receptive and interested in what I was doing. We chatted for 20 minutes or so and then I headed off into the hills again!
My next decision could have gone eitherway. There was two roads joined in the middle with a piece of bridleway. The property’s at the bottom of the hill in the village metaphorically had barbed wire over the gates. But, talking to The Lord about it he encouraged me to continue and unsurprisingly He was right! A lovely uphill bridleway that took me towards my destination.
One of the challenges of the South Coast wasn’t just the numerous military ranges that had restricted access it was more the fact that muck of the geography seems to run North South meaning roads and infrastructure don’t go east to West as easily causing me to constantly have to re route round causing more mileage and more often than not big hills.
Legs are feeling good. So I pressed onto Exmouth where I could get a train home to Barnstaple. Fortunately the second part of the journey was delayed 2 hours and outside the station, there’s a great church that meets in a building across the road. So I got to join them for an hours worship that was great!
Will be back down Tuesday or Wednesday to finish to Lands End.
Thanks for following.
Jim ps please excuse typos.