Geoff Jones

Inveterate dabbler in business, travel, gadgets & life

Category: Travel Blogging

Posts on my experiences in travelling

Day 3 on the South West Coast Path and 576 miles to go.

South west coast path sign

barefoot on Woolacombe beachNot sure how many more of these postsI can do!  Every day has such amazing views and gorgeous weather 🙂

Today was the shortest so far only 15 miles walked although it was a record for ice creams consumed! since Woolacombe is such a holiday honey pot. Arriving their bought back memories of Nick’s first holiday in 1975, it’s still much the same except for the HUGE numbers of surfers with their boards and rubber kit. In fact te whole Devon coast is a bit of a time warp, this was bought home after reading Cory Doctorow’s twitters about been stuck in immigration at LHR T5 [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/doctorow/status/190739532101070848″] which is about as far removed from walking through villages like Lee Bay as you can get.

I finally ended in Croyde desperate to find a b&b the first 5 were all full 🙁 So I ended up paying £65 for a basic b&b (with no wi-fi). the warning sign is AA recommended!  The whole village is a  a wallet busting place. I mean £4.70 for a Guinness in a PH.

I’ve managed to get a small blood blister on the side of my left heel , I attacked it with the army knife plus cut of the sides of the insole so hopefully it will be gone tomorrow.

Images can be found on Google+ here

The next few days look easier as it’s an old railway line 🙂

Here is the Everytrail and my stats are here:
South West Coast Path – Ilfracombe to Croyde at EveryTrail

Leave only footprints

footprints in the sand

footprints in the sandOne of my mottoes when travelling has been:

Leave only footprints
Take only memories 

So whilst walking across Woolacombe beach as part of my South West Coast Path trip I couldn’t resist taking the above photo.

In fact one of my ambitions in 2000 was to walk around the coast of the UK as far as possible in barefeet and carrying a coracle for the estuaries. 🙂

I started (without a coracle) by walking from Scarborough to Redcar in 2000 followed by Kings Lynn to Cromer at various times since.

I’m now on the South West Coast Path which will add another few miles to the total…

 

Day 2 and 590 miles to go on the South West Coast Path

This was an Ian of a day (sorry Mr Corker couldn’t resist that).

South West CoastpathA totally superb walk in every way. Fantastic weather, excellent views , well kept paths and signposted plus bumping into Fiona the girl guide helped with the navigation to Great Hangman and beyond.

I’m settled into the Harcourt Hotel in the centre of Ilfracombe which fully meets my specs. of in room wifi, decent shower & a bed 🙂 for a reasonable price of £33, after my Fish, Chips & Guinness at The George & Dragon for £10.90.

Today I was unable to use Posterous to post any iPhone pics but maybe that was to do with the totally rubbish cell connections.

I’ve now created a spreadsheet of all the trip data, this will be updated daily, click here.

Pictures can be viewed can no longer be viewed on Google+ but are now on Flickr here https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffjones/albums/72157708237762234

Unfortunately, Everytrail went out of business. However, AllTrails extricated all the data so my route and pics are now at https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/lynmouth-to-ilfracomb-day2-of-south-west-coast-path–2

 

South West Coast Path 608 miles to go.

Coast path sign

Geoff at start of South West Coast trailI had a corker of a day! I did the first two days of the South West Coast Path walk in one day including the additional strenuous bit. The  GPS gave the distance travelled as 22 miles. with a vertical ascent of over 6000 feet.

Started the day with a great breakfast at The Quay Inn of a kipper and two poached eggs 🙂 I spoke to another guy who was starting the walk today but he was slackpacking and only going the first 9 miles before his suitcase caught up with him.

With it being a fine, cold day and arriving at Porlock at 1 pm I decided to carry on and get to Lynmouth. It got pretty tiring towards the end as the hills are relatively short but much steeper than in The Pyrenees.

The biggest problem is the diabolical mobile phone coverage, the poor iPhone has been ¨searching¨all day 🙁 with very intermittent connections. In Lynmouth, my hotel The Bath Hotel (an apt name as my room has no shower but a huge long bath) has yet to hear about this internet thing. So I’m ensconced in The Rock House Hotel drinking Guinness and eating fish & chips to try and replace the 4500 calories that Fitbit things I’ve burnt walking the 49,000 steps and climbing up 441 floors).

The pics on Google+ can be found here

Here is my Everytrail of the day (Hopefully the pics will get there before the battery runs out).
Minehead to Lynmouth – South West Coast Path at EveryTrail
EveryTrail