I got a bit of a late start because I missed the first train to exmouth from Exeter. So I didn't arrive in exmouth until 10:30. I walked along the seafront which was quite busy on a Sunday morning. I was sorry I couldn't stop at a jumble sale at the community center but since it was my first day I wanted to get on my way. After walking through town I finally met up with the coast path which traversed the face of a steep hill leading up to the top of the cliff which cuts off the exmouth beach.
The start of the day was gentle up and down over rises and falls of the hilly clifftop. Nothing was open when I left town, storewise, so I stopped at the store in a holiday park to buy my very first 'pasty', curry chicken, and an oat cookie bar called a flapjack. I don't know if it was my hunger but they were the best convenience store food I have ever had.
About half way I came to a town with a lively beach which had large stones instead of sand. After that the terrain was much more strenuous, the steepest climb being the final one before sidmouth. It was essentially stairs up to a wooded hilltop. The wood was beautiful and smelled amazing. Then a steep decent into the seaside town of sidmouth. 12 miles, and my feet were very tired.
Unfortunately, I had another 2 miles to go to get to my first night camping place, which turned out to be 2 miles up the steepest hill yet. I saw a woman at the top walking her dog who said, "you just walked up that hill. I saw you at the bottom" she seemed impressed.
The campground was quiet and had a wonderful hot shower. My first night in my new tent was great, well the tent was great, in that it was easy to put up and succeeded in being a tent. I think i didnt inflate my sleeping pad enough, or maybe my poor body was just too tired to sleep well. But either way, I'm ready for what my guidebook describes as "strenuous to severe" terrain.
The start of the day was gentle up and down over rises and falls of the hilly clifftop. Nothing was open when I left town, storewise, so I stopped at the store in a holiday park to buy my very first 'pasty', curry chicken, and an oat cookie bar called a flapjack. I don't know if it was my hunger but they were the best convenience store food I have ever had.
About half way I came to a town with a lively beach which had large stones instead of sand. After that the terrain was much more strenuous, the steepest climb being the final one before sidmouth. It was essentially stairs up to a wooded hilltop. The wood was beautiful and smelled amazing. Then a steep decent into the seaside town of sidmouth. 12 miles, and my feet were very tired.
Unfortunately, I had another 2 miles to go to get to my first night camping place, which turned out to be 2 miles up the steepest hill yet. I saw a woman at the top walking her dog who said, "you just walked up that hill. I saw you at the bottom" she seemed impressed.
The campground was quiet and had a wonderful hot shower. My first night in my new tent was great, well the tent was great, in that it was easy to put up and succeeded in being a tent. I think i didnt inflate my sleeping pad enough, or maybe my poor body was just too tired to sleep well. But either way, I'm ready for what my guidebook describes as "strenuous to severe" terrain.
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