8th June day 459

I had a relaxing morning charging batteries and drinking coffee whilst chatting with dave and helen. It was a lovely sunny day and only having a mere 10 miles to hike to Minehead i was in no real rush to set off.

From Watchet i could see the big marquee of butlins but it seem to matter how far i walked it never appeared to get an closer. Waiting for me in Minehead was sue, a long time trek supporter who'd regularly commented on my posts and offered encouragement. Keeping to the beach in front of the cliffs i stomped on listening to my mp3 player. It was a lovely warm and sunny day.

With the sand getting softer and getting closer to Minehead  i opted to hike the permissive footpath along the edge of the golf course. Pete, sues husband was waiting for me on the dunes. I didn't recognise him at first but ge got my attention and we continued on a little further ro where sue was waiting.

Sue, a spritely 80 yr young, climber and mountaineer had been following my progress for many months and had been looking forward to our meeting. Unable to walk great distances sue now relied on bettsy her off road mobility scooter to keep tge adventure alive. She also had been tackling her own challenge, wild swimming every month of the year.

Having met up we all went back to their mountaineering  friends home, mitch and rich. I had a bath and we headed out for a meal. That night i slept on the couch.

7th June day 458

It was a perfect sunny start to the day, clear blue skies and hardly a breeze in the air. It was a perfect day for a crossing saving me having to walk a long way along the river parrett to Bridgewater and then back again. I was picked up from the campsite by marc a member of Burnham lifeboat  and taken to meet the rest of crew as they kitted up for the mornings excercise.

At around 10:50am i was to launch hoolley for what i hoped would be an easy and uneventful paddle before heading on to hinckley power station and along to wachet to meet an old friend dave. The crossing was text book and i landed safely. Having packed my kit away i hiked along the beach towards hinckley power station. Due to building works the coastal path now turned inland but with the tide on its way out i headed down to the shore and hiked over the bedrock to Watchet where i met up with dave n helen.

I had known dave for a couple of years and had met him when i lived in chandlers ford. At the time i didn't know it but he was a heroin users. He was a good lad though and we quickly became friends. It was good to see him again and since moving away from the temptations if his passed life he was well on the way to recovery. He'd met helen during the early days of his recovery and they'd moved to Somerset where they began to make a new life together.  They were good for each other.

Arriving at the harbour i contacted dave and he came to get me and show me the flat he and helen had been living in. It was great hearing about their new life together and seeing the flat they had decorated putting their own personal signature on it. They also had a package for me, my ninth pair of boots.

That evening we all sat in the lounge and tucked into a delicious thai curry helen had made followed by strawberries and cream.

6th June day 457

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.

5th June day 456

Outside the tent i could hear the waves slapping hard against the rocks. Gradually i rose and made myself breakfast. Clevedon was a couple of miles along the cliffs and it didn't take long for me to reach it.

On the far side i put the town behind me and with my sights set on getting to western super mare i ventured along the sea wall knowing that I had now left the coastal path and would have to make up my own route which would involve negotiating a wide and muddy river. If the tide was in i was sure I'd be able to paddle across but if it was out then as long as the muddy banks were reasonably solid I'd take a chance and atrempt to wade through. I wouldn't know until i arrived.

At this point i couldn't see the river i was to tackle but i knew it was waiting for me. As i carried on following the seawall i began to feel anticipation as well as apprehension. It was quite normal whenever I entered or approached the unknown.

Soon arriving on the muddy banks i looked up and down along its length. The tide was well on its way out. What was left was a narrow and what appeared to be a shallow channel running down the middle. It was immediately obvious hoolley would be staying packed away in my backpack. The question was would i be able to simply walk across. The mud looked soft like a chocolate mouse. I needed to come up with a way of checking how solid it was before committing to a decision.

Putting my pack down i searched for a reasonable sized rock. Having found one weighing a couple of kilos i gingerly made my way towards the soft banks through the bog weed. With an underarm through i launched the rock about halfway between the water and myself. As the rock flew gracefully through the air it landed with precision and promptly disappeared silently  leaving nothing but a deep square shaped hole. The river banks had well and truly claimed my test apparatus. It didn't take long a mere few seconds to decide i had no other choice than to walk along the river until i could cross.

The weather was now beginning to change, the wind increased and clouds covered the sky. It was a fair hike but i did eventually find a sluece gate where i was able to cross. Heavy plant machinery were doing some heavy excavation nearby and i got the distinct impression i wasn't supposed to be there. Keeping a low profile I ducked down behind grass banks that ran the length of the river and headed back towards the coast.

Ahead of me was a headland which at one time had been used by the mod as a firing range. As i got closer i could see that it was no longer in use. The steel security fences were old and rusty and a hole had been cut allowing for easy access. Squeezing through the gap bur only just i entered the military range and hiked towards the far end of the compound finding another hole in the fence to make my exit.

My energy did feel low, i was drained the wind can often have that effect. I continued on though and if you were to ask me where or how i found the energy i simply wouldn't be able to answer you. I simply focussed on the horizon and kept putting one foot in front of the other. I was heading to sandy point. The tip of a headland, a turning point, it was sandy point.

Reaching the tip i could see out to the horizon and the next stage of the days hike. From sandy point I'd have to hike a long sandy beach then head up into a woodland and on to western super mare. Having crossed the beach but before entering the woods i took my pack off to give my shoulders a rest.

The woodland walk was pleasant and a well maintained footpath made the rest of the hike easy going. Great efforts had been taken to look after the woods with thinning projects to allow light to penetrate the deepest recesses abd allow a diverse range of natural plant life and wildlife to flourish.

Leaving the woodland i entered the concrete habitation of western super mare and made my way to the lifeboat station where i met the crew. They'd just been out on a shout less than half hour earlier. After a quick break i continued along the promenade the wind was still high with wind surfers and kite boarders enjoying the thrill and power of the waves.

The path now seemed to disappear among the sand dunes but with the tide out i decided to continue along the beach. Reaching the end i turned inland and headed through a nature reserve. I was looking now to find somewhere away from civilisation to camp. The evening was drawing in so i took a moment to take a look at the local satellite images to attempt to identify somewhere quite. Seeing what looked like a water treatment plant near to a sluece gate i had been made aware of whilst visiting the lifeboat station in western.

Deciding it was within walking distance and would allow me to start the following day in a good position to cross the river i set off. I didn't walk far before i met a man carrying a large rucksack, his tent was scrunched up and hanging off the back. His shoes were old and worn and the bottoms of his trousers and cuffs of his jacket torn. He was stood in front of a gate unable to pass through having a small hurd of young cows blocking his passage.

I went over "they can be a right bugger can't they, you camping?" I said tying to strike up a conversation. He turned to me slowly, he was young but his face weathered. It was apparent he'd fallen on bad times. I wondered if he was travelling around or if he stayed in town during the day but headed out into the wild at night seeking safety from solitude. "You can never be sure of them" he said. "Where you headed?" I asked. "To the water treatment works" he replied. "Sounds lovely, lets see if i can get them to move" i nodded at the cows and went over to the gate. Pushing it open against one of the young heifers. At first it didn't budge it just looked at me. I pushed harder to let it know who was boss. In a raised voice i told it to move. Sure enough it worked the cows bunched and let me passed. As i strode off and made my way through  i glanced back and called back "thats how you do it. You just got to ve assertive". I expected the man to follow but he simply stood there in what i imagined was disbelief as the cows returned to there original position.

After walking for a few miles and with night beginning to fall i came to the treatment works but kept going determined to pitch up next to the sluece gates. Thankfully i didn't have much further to go before i arrived at the river. i could see the sluece gates were fenced off which meant I'd have a little challenge the following morning.

3rd June day 455

It was a hot sunny morning and a complete contrast to the previous few days. I was camped on a small piece of grass next to the coastal path. My goal for the day was to get as close to the Severn estuary as possible ready to cross over the border to England the following day.

Once again i found myself following the seawall towards Caldicot where the famous Severn bridge straddles the Severn estuary which not only has the second highest tide in the world but also the second highest tidal bore. A surfers dream. I surfed the bore back around 2010 when a record height was achieved an experience i will never forget.

It took a couple of hours hiking along the seawalls following the estuary back to the old Severn bridge (wye bridge) built in 1966. Before crossing i sat for a moment to reflect on my time in wales. It had passed surprisingly quickly and now i was to cross back into England for the last time. An estimated 817 miles remained.

It was a fantastic feeling crossing the bridge  although somewhat disappointing not seeing a welcome to England sign. It didn't matter though I had managed to walk the entire coastline of wales in a little over a month and a half which was really quite surprising. As i carried on i noticed that the road signs no longer had welsh translations and that house names were now easy to pronounce. Quite frankly i was buzzing.

Then I realised, there was something important about Chepstow. Yes it was officially the end of the welsh coastal path even though it  wasn't actually on the coast but there was something else. Then i remembered, joanne had sent me another box of supplies and she'd sent it to Chepstow which was now on the wrong side of the river Severn. I stopped. I had two choices either turn around and go back to wales and wait overnight somewhere near Chepstow or hope that somehow the box would magically find me somewhere on the English coast. It would mean at least an 8 or 9 mile return hike. My belief in magic grew so i decided to continue.

The sun was now setting and  the birds were chirping quietly. I was following a track that ran alongside the Severn estuary with a line of trees to my left. Behind them i could see a huge field with very long grass and although there was a fence between us someone had very kindly made a hole just large enough for me to throw my pack through. I obviously followed it.

2nd June day 454

2nd June day 454

The weather forecasts had been right. It was an extremely damp and windy morning. Charlie dropped me off  back at the doctor who are exhibition where we'd met a couple of days earlier.

I didn't realise at the time but i should have known better. I would soon be lost heading away from the coast following roads meeting "no pedestrian" signs having to turn back heading into business parks and along walkways blindly. My efforts were fruitless. A yearning to escape was building deep inside. The city had been designed around a commuter generation.

As time passed by i became more and more disoriented having to refer more and more to the satellite images I cached whilst staying with Charlie. I was clocking up the miles but i wasn't sure if i was actually  making any progress. I did however pick up the coast path again and eventually found myself walking along sea defences reminding me of the mind numbing hikes around Kents coastline. With very little to see other than miles of salt marshed and mud it was all i could do trying to keep my mind occupied.

It was a long and laborious hike but i did eventually reach the transporter bridge at newport. A superb example of 20th century engineering but unfortunately no longer in service. Which was a shame because I'd have loved to go across the river usk on it. The more modern usk road bridge wasn't too far away though and unlike Cardiff i didn't get lost. Having walked across the bridge i had then to make my way back to the coast following the estuary as best as I could. It was getting late as i eventually reached the ses wall and with the light fading and wind picking up to over 30mph i sought a reasonably sheltered junction on what i assume was a bridal way and settled in for the night. The following day i was hoping to reach the mouth of the river Severn, the river that forms a natural boundary between wales and England.

31st may - 1st June

31st may day 451

It had rained most of the night and in the morning i still felt tired. My legs and knees were aching. I simply didn't want to get up. What was worse was the fact that the tent was covered in bird shit. I didn't like barry one bit. With the tent cleaned i set off to  negotiate the maze of roads following the signs for the coastal path out of barry. Reaching sully i was able to rejoin the coast. I'd been told that somewhere along the shore at sully i would potentially find more dinosaur footprints but the chances with such a vast expanse of rock would in fact be slim and as it turns out although i thought i may have stumbled on one or two i really wasn't sure. I wished i had more time to spend seeking but the pure fact was that i needed to keep going and my own personal desires would have to be put aside in favour of making progress.

The rock bed i had chosen to walk over was like crazy paving which over several if not hundreds of years would eventually break up forming stones and pebbles  that would one day be taken by the sea and eventually wash up on shorelines around the world.

Still with no sign of footprints in the rock i took solace in finding  plenty of fossilised shells and ammonites. I continued along shore eventually leaving the bedrock and on to loose stones. As i hiked the beach i could hear the cliffs slowly crumbling away to my left. I didn't really want to get too close as with all unstable cliffs and especially in this area i was sure it would possibly collapse at any time.

Penarth was not much further ahead and home to the last welsh lifeboat station of my journey. As i approached the promenade i was met by james the mechanic "when i was told you were walking the coastline i didn't think you were literally walking the coastline ". For some reason I'd had this alot. I guess most normal coastal walkers stuck to footpaths and roads but for me the challenge was staying as close to the coast as i could possibly get.

Being shown in to station i was immediately offered a coffee and a couple of kitkats. It seemed that for most stations this was still the polite way of greeting their visitors. Barry station i assume was simply the odd one out and i had been told that they were less hospitable than the others. Taking a short break and with plenty of time to spare we stood on the boathouse balcony and watched a yacht race in front. James pointed out one of the yachts in the race heading in the wrong direction. Something was wrong and it was feared the lifeboat was potentially going to have to launch to provide assistance. The crew were struggling to get the spinnaker down and every time they turned the boat tilted alarmingly to obe side. Was it going to capsize, we simply couldn't tell. Thankfully the crew appeared to be reasonably competent and eventually wrestled the sail down returning to the race in last place.

Being handed 21 kitkats i said goodbye to james and James and left Penarth towards Cardiff along shore in front of the cliffs . I'd only been a couple of miles from the city and the barrage. It was extremely exposed on the barrage and the wind whipped across it.

I was to be met by Charlie one of the save the children supervisors for their FAST programme all i had to do was head to the doctor who experience and locate the norwegean church.

1st June day 453

Having stayed with Charlie and James i slep extremely well. After getting breakfast Charlie and I headed into Cardiff to spend the day at the Cardiff save the children offices. It was an ideal chance for me to meet the workers managing various uk based projects and to better understand what the charity is doing and planning to do. It was fascinating hearing about charlies project working with families and schools to bring them closer together.

I was also introduced to the humanitarian research team who had been looking into communications in remote areas of devastation and the use of 3d printing. It was fascinating. That afternoon charlie summonsed me and the girls together. They'd gone and bought me some rations to see me through the next few days while i waited for the next delivery a few days further along the coast. Among the packages was of course a packet of custard.

That evening i was allowed to take over the kitchen and prepared a pasta dish for jamie and Charlie. It was lovely almost therapeutic mixing the ingredients together making the tomato based sauce and warming the bread in the oven.