South West Coast Path Day 4.
Distance today: 13 miles.
Total distance: 1148.2 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
A very civilized start to the day with a fine breakfast at The Worx café. Sat at the next table (with his mum, who Helen knew) was a proper fund-raising hero. Max Woosey was The Boy In The Tent who had slept in a tent for 3 years and had raised … wait for it … a whopping £640,000 for the local hospice. Respect.
The civilized approach to things continued with Steve, Helen (and dog) joining me on the section of the SWCP from Braunton to Barnstaple. The trail followed an old railway line and was (a little bit too) popular with cyclists. Nice views of the River Taw. After a coffee and cake in Barnstaple, it was time to say goodbye. It had been a flying visit but I definitely felt a tinge of sadness heading back on to the trail. I think it emphasized if not the loneliness then the solitude of what I was doing.
As if to confirm it was back to business as usual, I struggled to find my way out of Barnstaple – but at least I am now familiar with the local retail park. The trail continued with more (slightly dull) cycle path although Fremington Quay did help break up the monotony even if the café had nothing I fancied.
Treating myself to a short walking day, my stopping point for the night was Yelland. Tarka Trail Camping was a nice, open farm campsite with plenty of space. As a bonus, it also had an on-site brewery/pizzeria. Well, it did in theory. The owner/operator/brewer/chef had gone AWOL. After a lengthy delay, he did finally turn up and I joined 2 other customers as he led the way into the shack/bar/brewery. Let’s get one thing out of the way to start with. Something about the guy was definitely off-kilter. You got the sense that he was a very intelligent man who might have a suffered a serious breakdown at some point in his life. He spotted that I also had a Tilley hat and was disappointed to learn I didn’t keep any money in the (not-so) secret compartment. And as for his brewing skills? I’d say the beer was a little bit home brew-ish but drinkable. In the seating area outside the bar there were faded signs advertising “Pizza £6.99. Any size”. It seemed doubtful but I ordered one anyway. When it arrived, it was about the size and shape of an A3 piece of paper. Huge. Should I have eaten it all? No. Did I eat it all? Yes. The bill for beer and pizza came to £10.
