Again we enjoyed good walking weather as we headed up into the hills of Exmoor. Once we had left the town behind it was pastoral scenery, through fields, lanes and footpaths. Although hilly, the gradients were gentle compared with the coastal ascents and descents of the past weeks.

The only village on our route is Bratton Fleming, where the pub is permanently closed but the village shop serves refreshments. We had been unable to reserve a table at the pub in Challacombe for our evening meal, so were delighted with the purchase of pasties and bananas with a large mug of tea which we enjoyed at a table on the village green.

When we arrived at the pretty village of Challacombe and found our way to the Longstone B & B we were greeted by Jess, our hostess, with an offer of tea with scones or tea cakes! A perfect end to a perfect day’s walk.

A Backward Glance:

Walking out of Barnstaple was like being a postman for a day, carrying heavy bags up and down roads and lanes, being harassed by dogs, with occasional off piste excursions into fields to avoid traffic. An elderly woman (a year or two older than us that is) stopped her car in the middle of a main road to point out the view behind us we’d just walked through, explained how beautiful it was and how she’d love to swap places with us on such a lovely day (whatever she was on, it was working!). The sounds of the countryside are getting predictable already, crows and magpies in open fields and chirping finches along paths through dense woods. Sea birds are more aloof, but smaller woodland tree dwellers sometimes follow us along the narrow paths hopping from tree branch to tree branch in front of us. We will take more time to be still on our walks if the weather gets sunnier.