It’s always a bit sad as you approach the end of a long distance walk. We began the day 100 miles in, with only 17 to go.. This penultimate day was a short one, only six miles long and entirely on Exmoor (and in Somerset).
We’d stayed overnight at some lovely lodgings, in a scenic spot high up overlooking the moor. It felt a long way from anywhere, in a good way. Leaving our accommodation we climbed yet further and soon we were on the top of the moor, with a clear path, good signs, and expansive views all around.
Exmoor seemed less bleak than Dartmoor, certainly on this stretch of the route. Instead of rocky tors, non existent signs, and (some) unclear and boggy trails, Exmoor was a little more tamed, with its rounded hills, little bunches of trees and gargling rivers.
We saw a few more people, and were able to follow the path clearly all the way, with fewer of the long uphill gradients of the last few days.
Dotted around were sheep, but there were no cattle or horses this time. The day was another hot one. In fact we have been incredibly lucky with the weather so far.
There were no villages, churches or thatched cottages between our start at Withypool and the end at Simonsbath- just the river Barle for company once again for much of the way.
We passed the remains of an iron age fort, Cow Castle, and of a copper mine, Wheal Eliza. To be honest neither was especially much of landmark. Instead we just soaked up the beauty of the countryside and the riverbank.
Finally we emerged at the road at our rendezvous with our taxi, the Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath, where we were a little early. The pub was shut at lunchtimes between Monday and Wednesday, much to the disappointment of some young cyclists who appeared to have been aiming for it for a lunchtime pint. Instead they pedalled on, up the hill, before we boarded our taxi to our accommodation in Lynton, to which we will be walking the final stage of the route tomorrow.
Across the Alps to the Adriatic 