Wednesday 04th June 1997 - Day five, Bude, Exeter, (Home) Prev

I packed everything carefully back onto the rucksack now it was dry and went down for breakfast. Another full English and I ate the lot with ease. The grapefruit was unusual because it almost fizzed as you bit it. The night at Crooklets Inn had been a good one and I felt quite refreshed even if my legs did still hurt. At the top of the hill I found a good knick-knack shop and bought some presents and a couple of postcards. I wrote them and walked down the hill to the bus stop in The Strand. The bus in there was labelled X9 Exeter. I checked with the driver, he was leaving in six minutes. I quickly found a post box, posted the cards and climbed aboard. I don't remember much about the journey to Exeter as I half slept dreaming of all the high headlands and coombes I had just walked, and that the coach had a vicious kick the gearbox between 2nd and 3rd. It dropped me off outside Exeter St David's railway station. I checked the train times and walked into Exeter with 4 hours to kill. I started killing it in Burger King.

Epilogue

I had done the bit of the coast path that I really wanted to see to start with. I had totally underestimated what was required to tackle the serious hills there and paid the price. But I had, in retrospect, thoroughly enjoyed it and I would return to complete what I had started to do.

The next day that part of Cornwall in particular had some severe weather, enough for Bude to be highlighted in the national weather forcast showing reds and yellows of heavy rain on the radar picture. It was the right decision to go back home because of the weather and because of the state of my legs even though it was intensely disappointing.

I planned to return later in the year and finish off what I had started, and get to Newquay.

Previous page, Day four, 03rd June 97, Leddon Farm, Devon/Cornwall border, Bude.

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