28 March 2013: 35km. Started 08:30. Arrived 18:00.
An exciting start to the day, with a covering of snow on the ground!
At breakfast, there was a reminder from the past. I saw a lady who appeared to be in her early 20s wearing an Oxford University Cross Country Club tracksuit. Things have moved on from when I was Captain of Ladies’ Cross Country at Oxford in the early 1980s – we did have a club tracksuit but I’m sure it didn’t have a logo on it. I spoke to her and discovered that she was in the University Ladies’ third team. Clearly things have really moved on and interest in Ladies’ Cross Country Running has increased – when I started at Oxford in 1980, there was only a single ladies’ team, which was the Blues (or more accurately Half Blues) Team. Admittedly by the time I left there was a second team as well. I mentioned that the International marathon runner Richard Nerurkar had been a member of the club at the same time as me, but sadly she had never heard of him.
Breakfast soon over and all I had to do before leaving was put my used sheet and pillow case in the bedding laundry bin. As with the cessation of morning hostel chores, gone are the days of needing a sheet sleeping bag to use at each hostel.
The path back up to the moor looked very different from the previous day, now with its covering of snow, newly born lambs stayed close to their mothers or found a patch of grass sheltered from the snow to sit down. The path higher up approaching Dunkery Beacon was very distinct and easy to follow, being the line where all the snow had drifted. The visibility was superb with awesome views across the snow clad moor.
Snow in Exford 
The lambs found some grass to sit on 
This lamb stayed close to its mother 
The path was clearly marked by the line of drifted snow 
Pack horse bridge leaving Dunster
Having crossed to the other side of the hill, there was a sudden change; no snow at all and the scenery returned to the more familiar browns and greens of the early spring season.
The temperature became much warmer than of late and soon I had even taken off my fleece jacket. I was navigating with the help of my Garmin GPS (except in “wild” country such as the Pennines I did not think I always needed paper maps to back this up; actually at that point having just come off the moor I did have a paper back-up in my rucksack). However, due to not concentrating fully, I missed a small path turning off the main track and so needed to retrace my steps. Unfortunately this was the point where I met an older man dressed in a thick waterproof jacket and carrying a map in a map case round his neck, as well as the obligatory Silva compass in full sight. Sadly he spotted my Garmin and was NOT AT ALL IMPRESSED. His wife, who caught up by using the opportunity offered by him stopping , was even less impressed.
I was keen to make a rapid getaway from this couple and shot up the previously missed turn. I don’t think they had a chance of keeping up with me, despite my heavier load, but just to make sure I walked as fast as I could nearly all the way to Dunster (apart from some momentary pauses to enjoy the excellent views over Minehead Bay).
On what had now turned into a sunny Maundy Thursday, Dunster was busy. The seventeenth century yarn market cross is a much photographed focal point. It took some effort to find a tea shop with a spare table but eventually I enjoyed a hearty and delicious cheese scone tea for what was by then a rather late lunch. It was surprisingly good value too in this tourist honey pot.
I left the village over an ancient packhorse bridge and then through some Crown Estate woodland. The way led uphill but once more I was rewarded with some stunning views.
I discovered a sheep with its head stuck through the fence mesh. I did not feel confident to extricate it. Hence I knocked on the door of the next farm house I passed. The elderly lady who answered the door was most impressed with my Garmin, particularly as I had marked the exact spot where the sheep was trapped. It wasn’t her land or sheep but she knew exactly whose it was and promised to contact the farmer – “the sheep make a hobby of trapping themselves like that” – so it was clearly not the first time it had happened. She went on (opportunistically) to ask my advice about buying a car GPS, but sadly I didn’t and still don’t know having never had one!
The mix of minor roads and pleasant footpaths continued all the way to Williton, where I arrived at my booked accommodation just before 6pm. My hostess was off to the theatre in Taunton that evening taking her neighbour (a wonderful 82 year old who had two knee replacements and was enjoying a new lease of life). My hostess was very worried about the size and weight of my rucksack – what would she have thought once I changed for the 60-75 litre version and carried my tent. However before leaving for the theatre, she had time to give me tea and cake in addition to suggestions as to where to go for dinner.
This was the first place since Bideford where I had phone reception in the evening. I struggled to book accommodation in the Cotswolds for the next sections of my journey. It was the week after Easter so a lot was fully booked and what was available was more expensive than my accommodation had been so far. I did manage to make three further bookings, but clearly I would need to try to book a bit further in advance.
Where's Kathryn? 