Unfortunately Oscar has picked up a leg injury and was hobbling around looking very sorry for himself this morning, I can't think how he could have done that, I did have a chat with him, "let that be a lesson to you", but I just got the slightly quizzical look as much as to say, what's this muppet on about now! Anyway I thought it best to let him rest today, which with hindsight, was probably just as well as today's walk included a lot of road walking.
Monday started out overcast and humid, the cloud cover which lasted until about midday provided some welcome relief from the sun. Today's walk took me from from Bruton to Sandford Orcas, a total of 15 miles and this also meant that I crossed from Somerset into the final county of Dorset. By the end of today I will have completed 254 miles of the total 290.
It's noticeable how the landscape has changed over the time it has taken me to complete the walk, starting off in spring, with the golden fields of rapeseed, followed by wheat and barley, and now if the fields are not full of hay bails, then they are bulging with corn ....... and of course as I am in Somerset I also walked through several large Orchards, but no cider tasting on offer!
Today I walk through Castle Cary, a lovely market town and birthplace of Douglas Macmillan founder of Macmillan Cancer Support, the Macmillan Way is dedicated to his memory. According to my guidebook he used to go to school in Bruton which is a 3 mile walk up and down dale. That's some walk to get to school and 3 miles back as well.
I left Castle Cary up a steep path past where the castle used to stand and as I reached the top of Lodge Hill, there is a viewing platform, where on a fine day, there are views across to the Mendips, Glastonbury Tor, Somerset Levels and the Quantocks, unfortunately this morning was overcast but even so it was a lovely view.
The other noticeable point about the walk, is how rights of access are maintained as they cross farm land. The vast majority are fine, with good access and marked paths. However sometimes you come across a stretch of the walk, where it appears the farmer does everything possible to piss you off. As I walked up Lodge Hill and round the top, this was one of those farms. Electric fencing everywhere, blocking paths, gates shut and locked and just general inconvenience, without a doubt done intentionally.
Now, my wife will say I could get into an argument with someone in a locked room with only me present. But today's incident, involved a car, a youth and a very narrow Farm track. I was walking down a path called Solomon's Lane as I went round a corner, there was a car reversing towards me, it was so tight
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A Cloudy View over
Castle Cary |
you couldn't get a piece of newspaper down either side. So I stood behind the car, and eventually a youth's head popped out of the drivers side, and a 'conversation' ensued. It turns out he wanted somewhere to "sit", to which I replied "well you're not bloody sitting here". I'm really not sure where he thought he was reversing to, but at that point another couple and their dog appeared, and the youth clearly decided it wasn't worth pursuing, so with a wheel spin, and multiple branch scratches down the side of his car, off he went to find somewhere to sit. Ive no idea what that was all about, but as my wife said when i told her the story, there's only you, can go for a walk in the middle of deepest Somerset and get into an argument with someone!
The final part of my walk today was along a ridge overlooking the Yeo valley, the views were stunning, and the photo's don't do it justice, I'd say the best views of the walk so far. I gradully made my way down to Sandford Orcas, the end of another section, and desperate for that cup of tea!
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