Day 7

August 15^th Depart Clovelly

Arrive Hartland Quay Accommodation: The Hartland Quay Hotel

Distance 16.6 KM | Cumulative Distance: 166.93 KM | Grade – Severe

Ascent 2,323 FT | Cumulative Ascent: 20,160 FT

Woke at 6-10 am to go to the bathroom and climbed back into bed as there was no reason to get up early. I pulled the quilt up and before I knew it the time had ebbed away and it was 7-25 am. The bed was about the same size as the one in Ilfracombe, however, for some strange reason, I seemed to sleep a lot better and can only put it down to the rhythm that might body finds itself in. I awoke several times during the night but had no trouble owing back to sleep.

I jumped into the shower and changed into my hiking gear and packed my bag, and found I still had 30 minutes to kill before breakfast, so I accessed my work email and was pleasantly surprised to find several donations to the walk, which gets us closer to the goal of $50,000.00 that was set by O.i.'s Doris Olafson. We are now very close to achieving this goal, and I will provide an update as soon as I have it.

At 8-30 am I went down for breakfast, and met up with the lady I'd met at breakfast a day earlier in Westward Ho! Katherine and I had decided to walk today's leg to Hartland Quay together, as it's both a lot more enjoyable to hike with someone but more importantly a lot safer. So, at 9 - 30 am we left The New Inn for the short stiff climb out of the Village.

Clovelly is such a neat little place and well worth checking out on the internet. If you are a holiday maker, and staying in the Village, your luggage is transferred down to your accommodation on the back of the sturdy donkeys, as the path is cobblestones and very steep!

Upon reaching the top we had to turn right, travel through a small wood to where we entered the fields and a trail that undulated up and down before a series of steep climbs. Eventually we reached a beautiful track that gave us spectacular views back from where we had been 3-4 days ago. I just wish I had a camera that could capture the image it was that good. We also had a fabulous view of Lundy Island, which is a famous Island in Britain as it is home to a colony of Puffins, a colourful seabird.

After walking for 90 minutes we took a 10 minute break to refuel with a snack and water, however in my water I had added a couple of Nunn tablets, which are an additive that dissolves in water and replaces the lost electrolytes, and the tablets were proving very successful.

The path now was a lovely track along the top of the cliffs and the weather was perfect, with lots of warm sunshine and it was idyllic.

Shortly before lunch we met 3 elderly people who were out for a walk, they must have been in their 80's and they told us they had walked the trail in its entirety and that we would have a great time. They were lovely people and it's uplifting to hear their stories. We pushed on and eventually found a great spot for lunch, with a bench perfectly positioned to look out over a viewpoint and so, with the sun on our backs, we opened the lunch that we had ordered from our B and B. I had tuna on brown bread which was very tasty, plus a Kit-Kat and an apple. Halfway through lunch we were interrupted by a young fellow with a saw in his hand, and it turns out he was working on trimming back the bushes and ferns that tend to overgrow onto the trail. Then, no sooner had he left than the 3 elderly walkers turned up and they planned on having lunch on our bench! As we were almost done we handed over the bench to the 2 ladies, while the gentleman had returned to the car to pick up their Seven Up or Sprite and lunch.

It was time to move on and we were soon on our way and shortly we came to the Lighthouse which was no longer manned, due to budget cuts and so it was now all computerized. There is still occasion however, when the weather is so bad that human eyes are required, but I have no idea when or where the individual is for this task.

At the lighthouse was a sign that said Hartland Quay - 3 miles, and so there was a push to get to the goal - line. The first mile was pretty straight forward and in this short distance we met 3 different groups of Germans, and it seems the British Tourist Board has been very busy with their marketing to the German people!

The last two miles consisted of some steep ups and downs, which is obviously a portend for tomorrow, which promises to be the toughest day of the entire SW Coast Path, as according to the official book as we will have to cross 10 river valleys all of them steep and deep!

After checking in Katherine and I shared a well deserved pot of tea to celebrate and will be walking on together tomorrow where Katherine will meet her husband and family for a well deserved vacation. Unfortunately I'm still a week away from meeting Liz and my sister!

Now for some pictures.