First days are a little tough, whether they’re on a long distance path or at medical school. Most days are easier after the first one.
The idea was to have an easier day of maybe 25km to ease into walking every day but of course you add a km from the bus to the start, you add a couple of km to the campsite and the next thing you know it’s a 29 day with lots of climbing. It was 28C for most of the day but as it took us 6 hours to get to Minehead we started walking late and half of our walking was in the not so hot evening.
The path was excellent and the climbs were through thick woods. We were out of the sun until the tops where we could pick up the mildest of breezes if we walked close to the sea side of the path. The kilometres tick by easily when you start but drag when your feet are sore. Because we spent half the day travelling we didn’t have much time to stop if we wanted to get the planned campsite before dark.
Porlock felt further than it was. The flat section was out in the open and the heat with long, straight sections. The Ship Inn raised us up with coke and crisps and a sit down. The next hill climb felt more normal but the extra hill to the campsite was not welcome.
The climb was worth it as we dropped down into the valley and stretched out the last to the National Trust campsite as the sun was setting behind the hilltops. The extra long entrance was not welcome to overdone feet but the excellent showers and all the other bits and bobs made up for it. We cooked in the dark at a bench and struggled to stay awake.
29.4km with 1100m of ascent.