I now had less than 730 miles to go. I'd slept well and having packed up camp headed over to the sluece gates. On the far side of the river was a caravan park but between me and it were two sets of very high security fencing. As i approached the first fence i could see that i hadn't been the first person to face this obstacle. The barbed wire that would have run the length of the fence had been cut and removed. I grabbed hold of the chain link fence and hauled myself up. I swung my legs over the top and dropped in ontop of the sluece gates. Turning i could now clearly see the far side was the same. Again i pulled myself up the fence and hopped over the top dropping down into the caravan park.
As i walked away feeling quite pleased with my efforts it began to lightly shower. I was a little disoriented as i walked on through the camp grounds but finding the exit i continued to follow the road back to the coast.
I dropped down to the sandy beach and began the long hike following the shore. Again the wind was strong and kite surfers were taking full benefit of the conditions playing in the surf and getting up quite a speed. The showers had now passed and the sun had come out.
The beach took me all the way to Burnham on sea and it didn't take me long to reach the iconic stilted lighthouse which marked the beginning of the Burnham promenade and from there only a few minutes further and i was stood outside BARB the hovercraft rescue station. Checking the messages on my phone i received a text from alison informing me that my estimated eta would be 9pm that evening. I was 9 hours early.
Nobody was expecting me. I also received a message from Haydn of SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association). Haydn and his wife had kindly picked up the ration box I'd forgotten to collect from Chepstow a few days before. Texting him back i let them know i had arrived and within minutes he pulled up in front of the station. No sooner had Haydn arrived as Graham from BARB passed by. He'd only nipped to the shop and was not only surprised to see me there but also Haydn and his wife. At that alison called it was chaos. Mark and budgie then turned up and i just went with the flow.
Once everything calmed down i was invited to join Haydn and his family for lunch and an ice cream at the cafe next door. On returning from lunch we could see a scurry of activity at the station. Hovercrafts were being hooked up to 4x4s and sirens rang out. Budgie had used the Q word when he was showing me around. "Its been really Quiet recently" he said. Now three children were stuck in the mud at bream (pronounced 'bree-am' by the locals or 'breem' by the tourists I'd been informed).
With everyone out on a shout i decided to see helen at the Burnham rnli station, which was literally 200 yrds away tucked up behind morrisons, and shown around her station and the kit they had including a newly developed haglund tracked tractor ideal for launching either of their inshore boats. The d class for shore rescues or the b class for larger recoveries.
With all the introductions done i was given a lift to home farm caravan and camping site, which mark from barb had organised, by Haydn. Although it had been an easy days hike the rest of the day was really quite packed.
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