24th of May

Up early and off again out of the village and straight up (or so it seemed). The path didn't go to the top of the river valley instead was just below the ridge and was the size of a sheep track. The views were great. Looking back.

Looking forward.

Now I know I haven't got much of a head for heights but this track was something else. It may have been alright if we were not carrying large heavy packs but with them on your back you are a bit unstable at the best of times and this wasn't the best of times. That track you can see on the first photo is a lot steeper than it looks and there is nothing between you and one of those great big drops over the white cliffs. I was just kept plodding along behind Annette at a "grab her if she goes over" distance trying not to look anywhere except down at the track desperately trying to pretend that there really was something solid on my left. Guess what she does. Keeps stopping to point something out, like a STUPID flower, STUPID view, you know anything at this stage was just plain STUPID. OK, I think maybe that's her way of coping cause I sure wasn't and you couldn't consider turning around where we were, so on we go, surely it can only get better. Wrong, so wrong. Then I noticed that maybe she is not doing any better than me. Tell tale sign, her left foot is facing into the hill at a 45 degree angle. I quickly check mine. No way is it that bad. Finally get to a spot where we can stop and rest. Have a quick scout ahead and it is no better around the corner so back and a quick check of the map gives us an out up over the ridge onto farm land just a short distance back. A quick suggestion to Annette that it might be easier on her to take this track and she agrees. I'm a good bloke. Out onto farm land then into forest until we came upon a large wash area.

A bit of boring road work. Still no fences so all cropping country.

Time for a bit of a break at this old place.

Annette was just a tad tired. It had been a hard start and a long morning. I said she was just a bit prickly like these. She didn't appreciate it, I was right.

This area is both sides of the front gate and would have been a large deep pit and the fancy iron works was to keep the unwanted (and in this case the unwashed) from getting around the gate.

Further on we came to an old church that had this old house beside it. You just can't imagine how old they look.

Further along in the forest these were just growing on the road side with Lily of the valley. (We want some Melita).

Annette hugging a beech tree. Just one of a few thousand. we passed.

Finally the track crossed the river and we pitched the tent at a caravan park for the night. Not long to go and looking like rain.