in the shadow of angels and footsteps of legions!

Rested and feeling fed and able to continue the route north again, I head out of bath against the pedestrian flow as they go to town to work. 

Reasonable weather to start as my path takes me under the hill made famous by Peter Gabriels Solsbury hill iron age fort on top!, gentler scenery down here soft underfoot pastures leading to a nice chat with a lady called Charlotte, who mentioned Jane Seymour used to live in this area back in the 60's.

Onto a b road and a slow ascent uphill through woodland thick with wild garlic, and the occasional mediating local..... Nice place to find your zen! 

The road uphill naturally steepened onto a flat plain, here an RAF base with signs saying 'Prohibited place' due to the official secrets act high security fencing being only scrubby hawthorn bush hedges.... High security indeed! 

At this point I'm now walking in the footsteps of the Romans along Fosse way and I was to do that for the rest of the day! 

Largely flat and easy walking got me to the pub at a place called The Gibb.... Place of hangings presumably? 

Nice bar maid paid for my coke! 

And off I went on the Fosse again, unlike rather north the Fosse is quiet here alternating between B road and by way just easy walking! While I dodged the rain 😎

It's on one of the Byway sections that I'm now camped, some interesting comments from dog walkers but I doubt I'll upset any farmers just here! Night all!

Roman around Bath

Extra rest day .... Totally needed and deserved.. .. Being a tourist a massive bonus in Bath I finally get the chance to see the Roman baths! Not to mention the beautiful mix of Victorian and Georgian architecture! 

And to top it off today the sun was shining really bringing the local limestone of the buildings to life with a beautiful warm glow! 

The baths.... I can't go into enough detail on this short blog, but between the Roman title Aqua Sulis(Minerva was added later) meaning waters of the Celtic/Brittonic god Sulis this being the only hot spring in the UK it was deemed magical at least! 

 I have a bit of a link to this area, in my metal detecting, the first Celtic coin I found was a silver unit from Antedios of the Dobunni tribe who controlled this area and up into Warwickshire.... Nice to see a similar coin on display in the museum to! 

The hot springs are indeed nicely warm and ignoring the rules I did of course test the temperature! I wouldn't fancy a bath in the stagnant green waters tho!, gifts to the gods were made at the springs mostly coins but one stunning gold Penanular brooch has been found(pic!) jaw droppingly beautiful!

To any metal detectorist the small finds here are pretty familiar fibula of various types and even Roman curse tablets were deposited... Nice to know what one looks like.... It's going to save me unwrapping no end of lead trash now 😄

I don't want to go into great length because the Baths are well worth a visit and I encourage anyone to visit! 

A wander around town for provisions for the next few days and meths for my stove and I'm back to the hotel to rest .... By evening I'm feeling back to normal! 

Lots of eating going on will fatten me a little.... But I'll soon burn that off. Happily the roads ahead are much more civilised!

unexpected Thunderbolt!!

The chewton wood wild camp worked out well, only slightly damp this morning! 

As it's Saint George's day I've carried a small flag to wear in celebration!

Weather is starting dry but the air feels heavy with possible rain.... Glad to say it didn't arrive while I walked! 

Dry as it was I wandered through pleasant pasture and the usual sticky crop fields to Farington Gurney quick stop at the co-op for a second breakfast and through the village as the kids go to school, car dodging reaches a new skill level as I dodge the frantic mum's dropping the little ones off!..... Passing the church and into the fields gives respite before I again hit the B roads through Paulton and Radford to Camerton , hopping onto the limestone link long distance path here I meet a local walker who told me about the local mining history here ... I never expected to be walking through an abandoned coal field here!! The chap used to be a GP and told me of his predecessor "Berty Crook awful GP great surgeon went down mines to free people by amputation!!!" I love local stories!!!

Through the old mine workings now lush greenery, over the high waste piles and down rickety steps at crazy angles!

Safely through I met the local postman who once again was a natural story teller! Notably for me was that an old favourite 1950's movie "The Titfield Thunderbolt" was filmed along the dismantled railway track I was walking! , further along at Dunkerton one scene where a train v train tug of war was filmed for the movie was visible! .... A bit of nerd heaven! 😄

Here I leave the level trail and unsurprisingly find a hill to climb.... Yep another killer! But vastly nicer than the alternative of an A road, I'm feeling the preceding weeks of waking today! So as I'm heading into Bath I decide to take an extra day off, with a premier Inn booked for two nights in the middle of town this makes for a great place to visit the Roman baths and a gentle mooch around town!.... Plus food food food! 😁

Avalon in the mist

Yesterday's blue skies and sunshine have been replaced by good walking temperatures and very misty rain, no great need for waterproofs today, a need for a better sense of direction tho! Or more accurately more attention to the map when I plotted the route north months back! An extra kilometer or so finding a route through the local paths back to the road I'd followed back in 2010 when I first walked north and my way was sorted happily! 

Through the levels here I can see hundreds of Egret's! (Small White heron's for descriptions purposes!) at home your lucky to see one! 

The first hill of the day and the path leads to Yarley then into Wooky, and find an open cafe! Full English thank you!!!

I didn't realise how much I'd need this yet! 

On into Wooky hole and a nice reminder of the state of mind I'll need to complete this endeavour, talking with strangers can be enlightening..... I'll claim re enlightening!  

Onto the monarch way out of Wooky hole and the path is the sharpest longest ascent of the walk so far easily 60° up to 260 meters with the isle of Avalon (Glastonbury) disappearing into the mist behind me, what this view must be like on a clear day!!!

A memorial on a stile on the way up seemed rather apt for me... See pic!

The usual flat topped hills here, I'm at the top of the Mendips with a mixture of heathland, woods and farmland and a gentle descent to Litton for about 4pm and a pub bar snack and a tester of a cocktail! First and last of the walk I imagine! Free was a bonus!! 😁 

From here it was a short walk on level country lanes to the woods I'm currently wild camped in with birds singing away as I write this .... I think an owl at one point to! 

A pleasant way to drift off!

rest day 2

Spent the morning with Tracey and Darren wandering around  Glastonbury, ate a damn fine fry up bought shopping, went back to the campsite to chill out! 

Sunny and perfect rest day! 

To the pivot point!

Curry mallet, it was sad to leave this charming village this morning and it's oh so welcoming people! 

But no choice the trek continues, and today has one very sharp reminder for me....

After leaving the pub last night I took a doggy bag of food I couldn't eat, so cold chips and veg was my meagre breakfast thinking I'm passing a few villages and towns today I'll miss my porridge for once, lovely clear blue skies but still that chilly wind, and the winding roads and farm animals were my company . Up onto my first A road walking towards Curry Rivel, stopping here for a treat if bypassed twice so far on the trek... Milkshake from an automated Moors milk dispenser! Lovely!!

On again and feeling tired, (a sign I should have picked up on) into Langport sweating now (another sign) really not feeling good but then I realised what my body was telling me I needed something sweet and some food I was having a sugar low! 

Into a little cafe where a pretty waitress was constantly messing up orders and the till, funny to watch until my order came without the tea, one pot and and the sugar going in in heaps and I'm feeling better , it's easy to forget how food is just fuel on these expeditions miss it you grind to a halt... Lesson relearned!!!

Off to the till to pay and yes another problem for the waitress! 😁

Munching on jelly babies to reinforce the sweet tea I head off out of town over one hill and down into the Somerset levels, very pretty! Passing a pond with geese and about 20 gosling sunning themselves, the trail here is straight and the distant hills ahead pull me along over the rutted party still flooded from last week's rain , glad to have not been here last week! 

Sharply up the wooded hill from the levels over an A road and soft grassy fields are underfoot to Walton, A roads to Street and through to Glastonbury, taking the back roads to the campsite turned into a battered Victorian industrial site going under renovation, weirdly interesting tho passed a gypsy camp I chatted to one lad there were both travellers after-all! He seemed impressed and shouted 'Bridies blessing to you' as I walked off nice 🙂 (I'm assuming 😁)

Into the campsite and Tracey and Darren (her fella) were still in residence after a day enjoying Glasto.

Foot still not good so I'll be carrying on alone after my rest day.

As for the title of today's blog 'The pivot' Glastonbury is for me traditionally where I stop walking east and actually make progress north! 

Only a few days ago we were only 61 miles north of the latitude lands end is on! 

blown away.

The title of today's blog is not related to weather you'll see why tho...... 

Bit cloudy as I start from the eyri like wild camp of the night before and a chill is in the air, cold I wasn't tho the path was soon going uphill a long old drag from the village of Beacon, that certainly kept me toasty!

Hills in Devon couldn't be more different from their Cornish neighbours unlike Cornwalls sawblade hills and valleys these go just as high but once you're up it's a long long flat hilltop so progress can be really good! And good panoramic views pretty much wherever you look! 

An old abandoned second world war RAF base had been converted into a race track very reminiscent of the shale way on the old training walk in Northamptonshire.

A shop stop at Churchinford supplied me with coffee and snacks and a chin wag with the locals before heading on reaching the northern edge of these Black down hills I enter the woods of the Neroche estate(?) and skirt along east with views through the trees to Taunton and off to the distant Quantock hills, where I descended the view north is so flat after the preceding weeks of hills and Moors and valleys the going will be much easier now! 

After rerouting so I'm following a string of villages I pass through Staple Fitspaine with it's intricate church tower, Hatch Beauchamp and enter Curry Mallet a small village that's been around since the writing of the Magna carta!

This next part is what blew me away ....

The village pub The Bell Inn more importantly Sheree,Eloise and her team what incredibly nice people!! 

They bent over backwards to help, finding me a pitch for the night as well as offers from the locals of a flat and other lands to camp on!! 

Then they did a whip around for the charity!!!! Before giving me a sizable discount on my dinner and drinks!!!

This exceeds any of the kindness of strangers I've ever encountered on a trek!!! Just incredible!!!

You know where to come if you're in the area!! 

Above and beyond! 

🥰🥰🥰🥰

thurs18, A 30 flirty followed by a nice Fort'y

Leaving Tracey to begin her recovery, I leave the travel lodge, straight onto a roundabout and head off in the wrong direction..... Cracking start! 

Turned around back to the roundabout and under the M5 I'm quickly off into into a protected area .... Pretty country pretty villages nice people! 

Then the practicality of today kicks in, I'm flirting with the A30 all the way to Honiton!! Straight level road walking easy but boring! It does mean I can start to get the milage back that had been lost in navigating the moors, all good then! 

At one point a lady pulled over and asked if I wanted breakfast! That doesn't happen every day! 😁

The lady was a long distance walker and being exceptionally kind! Sadly I couldn't take her up on the offer with my zero vehicles while trekking policy.... It's a harsh approach but I'm a purist!

The A30 blur continued to a monument at an old junction comemerating the death of a Mr John Coleridge Pattison a missionary bishop who had been killed at Nukapu near Santa Cruz in the 1800's.. not your average monument! 

Apart from a pub stop at lunch time(exquisite timing!) the journey to Honiton was otherwise uneventful, into the town and good long break drinking tea at a cafe before heading off into the country pretty lanes led steeply up to Dumpdon hillfort spectacular views back to Honiton! 

Then on to settle for the night

Out of the moors.weds17

Waking amidst bluebells, orchids and ferns with trees catching a slight wind after a dry night... Sounds idyllic and other the last bit of sharp ascent from the valley lustleigh was situated in it was! 

It continued through gently rolling hills to our first inland reservoirs Trenchford then Tottiford, the water was undulating slowly and smoothly... Fishermen dipping their rods and birdsong from the surrounding woodland, a calm start 🙂

Small b roads again start to take us down the long descent from the moor tops through more wooded valleys, before we start to enter more agricultural land amidst alpacas chickens donkeys and of course young lambs! busier B roads and

traffic dodging begins again in Ernest! 

Tracey is struggling badly with her foot and decides to leapfrog from Longdown to Exeter and an early rest for that foot!

I push on and down down and under the A30 before I discover that although Exeter is right on the edge of flatter land it's far from flat itself!

And not designed for walkers.... More traffic dodging, another long descent through the suburbs and over the river Exe , round another busy roundabout I enter old Exeter via the remains of the old Exe bridge ruins! Health and safety thankfully hasn't shut these off from the public!.... Continuing the idea of entering the city via the old ways I ascend Stepcote hill a narrow cobbled and worn stepped steep (seriously!) route into the centre. Passing a small church for Saint Olave (a Viking king converted to Christianity) I find tea and another pastie I sit and watch the world scurry around! 

Rucksack out with our hiviz sign visible I receive another donation from a passerby! Wasn't expecting that! Nice! 😊

On through the city I find the cathedral, incredible statury at the entrance! I don't enter as time is pushing on, but in leaving the cathedral surroundings I pass a beautiful ancient door.... Must be medieval!.... Then on through a grand and very wealthy Georgian street now accountants..... What else! 

Heading out through the college zone and more suburbs and finally to the ringroad I

meet Tracey at the Travelodge where she's resting. 

Seems her foot is worse than I expected the wound is deep. 

She's made the toughest choice to pull out of the walk for now and get it seen too!

One of the hardest choices when you're committed to this sort of challenge. 🫡

The trail will continue tomorrow just me now until Tracey chooses to return.

Tuesday , lazy start to the best day so far!

Leaving pub accommodation is never a quick thing in the morning, today we excelled at slow! Between enjoying our fried breakfasts and talking to Karen owner of the East Dart inn lovely lady with history of rubbing shoulders with royals! We didn't leave until 10am two hours late really! 

But it set the theme for the day kick back enjoy and plod on!

To start the weather was awful battering wind and rain as we headed north a few miles to join the path east, as soon as we'd left the road the weather turned for the better and it just improved as we went through the day!, for now the improving weather saw us head over moorland trails to an abandoned settlement probably 3-400 years old nice spot! Over the next hill and a farm is set in a similar location and appeared to have evolved from a preceding settlement, sunny now! We head upwards to the late bronze age settlement of Grimspound an impressive size for it's time with 24 homes! 

Before reaching Grimspound we'd been lucky to see a Dartmoor pony with a very young fole close to the path! Stopping to watch, the mare brought the fole over in apparent motherly pride! A privilege indeed! 

Over the moor and down the other side passing multiple other paths not marked on the maps, this time ours still existed! 

Into heathercoomb a pretty hamlet and uphill following walls where the trees growing from them were so moss covered as to make them indistinguishable from the walls! 

Pleasingly level road walking to Manaton where an honesty box cake stand supplied chocolate brownies😋

On to Freeland passing fields of new lambs our way descends upon twisting stoney paths that bare greater resemblance to shallow streams and on into Lustleigh cleave, the decent through the woods here was bliss! Birdsong, wind in the trees the flow of the river and springs new offerings of wild flowers including the first orchids I've seen on the walk created an almost magical feel very soporific! 

Into Lustleigh itself this idyllic village is without doubt home to an exceptionally rich group of people... You can smell the money, but it doesn't take away the beauty of the place! 

Mum you may remember the primrose cafe from the 80's!!

A quick pint and on through damp fields with more lambing in progress our path started a steep ascent into a wooded hillside where we've found our wildcamp for the night. 

Food cooked and heads down for night of content sleep😊.

The path of the dead!

Out of Harford Bridge we followed the road to the village Peter Davy and up an old cart track high onto Dartmoor and the first real wilderness of the trail, post Boulters torr we could look back as far as Minions! 

A strong cold wind that stayed with us all day pushed us past many ancient stones and sites that were largely unobvious until we reached white barrow that if identified correctly was a row of barrows! ↑↑↑ 

The Lich way (the way of the dead)we are following hence the title of the blog was in distant times the route for settlements around Dartmoor to bring their dead for burial! 

To us the lich way just died out! This was largely obscure at best to just not there! The recent rain had still to soak away and the ground was boggy and streams were in spate, which made crossing an experience, either leaping rock to rock or giving in and wading in knee deep torrents!

Over the last stream the path was gone and nothing ahead was going in our direction so compass being taken we headed over the last hills and down to the village of Post bridge... Stunning 13/14th century clapper bridge here! 

And The east dart inn.... Yeah a room was had for the night! 

Deserved!