South West Coastal Path 2015 Day 1

Tuesday 25^th August 2015

I had arrived in Minehead the afternoon previous, having caught 2 full trains, and 1 extremely full bus (and the bus before that being too full for me to even get on board) up from Church Stretton.

The beginning of the South West Coastal Path was also my first time booking more than one night’s accommodation but walking more than one day of a LDW.  The hosts at the B&B had suggested I stay 2 night with a “pick-up” and “drop-off” arrangement from Porlock Weir either side of the second night’s accommodation.  I modified that a bit, by having me dropped off there both times.  Today they dropped me off so I could walk back to Minehead, essentially doing the first day’s stage backward.

After checking out Porlock Weir, I began my journey.  As I was going up the onto the headland, I met a couple walking the opposite direction who were walking the first 3 stages (I never saw them again).

Across the top I was looking for the alternate path, but I missed it.  When I got to the other end where it rejoined the path I was on, I decided to walk back along the alternate path and then return, just to see the difference.  Part way along, however, some pain in my foot caused me to stop and remove my boots.  I had a blister forming, so pulled out a blister plaster and changed my socks.  Heading once again to Minehead, I took another short detour to go and look at some chapel ruins, but there was little to see.

Back in Minehead I ended at the start of the SWCP, where there was an impressive monument.  It was a little odd that I walked the first day backward, but it was still over the same ground.

I went to a pub I had stopped at last night.  The previous evening, I was there just for a pint and a pudding and was served lager instead of cider (they didn’t believe me at first).  Tonight, they got the drink right, and I had it with a whitebait salad and chips followed by a bread and butter pudding.  Yum.

Day 2