Hopefully this will be a short post, as I’m camping all week and will need to eek out my precious battery reserves. Today was my first Advanced Split Single rail ticket, so I needed to catch specific trains (£43.55 Burgess Hill to Totnes – with railcard, I use this link as it helps fund the rail forum which I find quiet useful). My first train left Burgess Hill, but by the time it reached London Bridge it was 20 minutes late, my itinerary was to stay on to Farringdon, but I think I would have missed the connection, so I jumped on two tubes and made it to Paddington with 10 minutes to spare.

The Plymouth train was jammed, and I only had a seat reservation after Tiverton. I managed to secure a spot in a door way (on the non opening side, except for at Paddington) and spent the next three hours standing, sitting on my rucksack and sitting on the floor. I got a seat after Exeter. Although enroute, I did see a White Horse, that must have been on the Ridgeway (which we walked a few years ago) and Glastonbury Tor. The train was over 30 minutes late at Totnes, and I just missed a bus, and had to wait almost an hour. At this point, I’m not sure I would recommend walking the coast path using public transport, but I guess this is why I’m doing it.

Dartmouth was looking good when I eventually reached it, and after a quick shop I was walking by 4.15 pm. The Ordnance Survey app says my route is 16 km in 5 hours, I hope it is wrong.

The first few kilometres felt hard, so I stopped for a coffee, and fill my water bottles, at Dartmouth Castle which gave me a boost. I am carrying full camping and cooking (well, boiling) gear, although I have taken a risk without a sleeping bag, so its no wonder I’m finding it harder.

I won’t say too much about the route, except it was beautiful with quite a lot of ups and downs (see the profile at the end of this post), but nothing as big as the last few legs.

I made one inadvertent error as I was walking into Stoke Fleming, I missed a turn off which must have saved me a few minutes (and I suspect some more ups and downs). It did lead to quite a narrow dangerous road through the village, and I nearly rejoined the coast path heading back the way I had come. So I’m not sure how much I gained, and I lost some credibility (as I had to retrace my steps in front of an audience).

The long flat beach of Slapton Sands soon came into sight, and the path dropped to sea level. I was aiming for a Camping & Caravan Club Site, which I have just joined, but I had no idea what hours they kept. I turned away from the coast, and up a rather unexpected hill, to the site. I arrived just after 7:40 and reception was closed, but a quick call and I was cheerfully greeted, then checked in. Backpacker rate a pleasant £9.85. There was one other backpacker, a young woman who was walking the South West Coast Path, and is on day 60 (continous) from Minehead (the opposite direction to me) – very impressive.

I quickly pitched the tent, and headed off towards the pub. I thought I would be unlikely to get food, but anything would be better than the Pot Noodle I had bought in Dartmouth. The Tower Inn (Slapton) is an amazing pub, tucked away beneath a ruin of an old tower. Its really atmospheric, and does excellent pizzas that are much better than Pot Noodles.

It was definitely a day of two halves, and the second half plunged me straight back into holiday mode (with plenty of suffering, obviously).

I’ll tidy these next posts up later, time, power and data are all conspiring against me :)