Day 15 - Priddy to Brean to Weston-super-Mare

The route (all links open in a new window)
Start point: Ebborways Farm
w3w: ///vast.club.loopholes
Accompanying video

There are mistakes, accidents and almighty cock-ups! Today was the latter! Of all the times I could have messed up I chose the last day and the last few miles of a cross-country walk when I was at my weakest both physically and mentally, but I’ll get to that shortly. 

Let’s start at the beginning of the day. It’s 04:20 and I hear activity in the farm house where I was staying. Someone had got up to walk the dog. This broke my sleep and, when they returned with the dog, the noise made sure I was fully awake. No problem though as I had slept incredibly soundly and felt ready to take the day on.

I got up and sorted my belongings, sorted me, and sorted the room out. I started to feel like I was killing time, time which I didn’t have a lot to spare today since I needed to catch a train (that old chestnut!) The earliest the landlady could do breakfast was 8am which is early enough for most people. Part of me wished she had said 7am or earlier but she didn’t and here we are, scoffing a sumptuous breakfast and quaffing coffee at 08:20. I had no tent to pack down and, after polishing off my breakfast and packing the last of my things, I was off!

I was in a strange place mentally. It felt like I had completed the walk already yet I still had 20 miles ahead of me. The day was due to be 24 miles but I changed my route last night after the crazy steep climb yesterday into Priddy told me I wouldn’t be able to complete 24 miles of hills that steep. Not if I wanted to catch my train anyway. Something had to give so I rerouted to use a flatter, more direct route. This decision to change the route last minute would be my undoing although I wouldn't find this out until just a few yards from the end of today's journey.

Before that, I had these 20 miles to cover. Making my way out of Priddy I found myself hiking across the top of hills with views of the Bristol Channel getting progressively closer. My immediate walk was about covering fields. As I did, I was mock-charged by a feisty young cow. I know young cows are called "calf" but that would give the impression this was a small beast. It wasn't. I was mock-charged by a physically full grown cow but its playful gambolling suggested it was still a juvenile. This was enough for me to quicken my step and move out of these fields.

The farmer had seen me and, after herding his cattle, he drove his quad bike over to meet me. He was an elderly farmer who just wanted a chat. We swapped stories and he wished me good luck. He was also glad the cows hadn't got too fiesty! Apparently the juveniles had been playing up recently (didn't I know it!)

The Bristol Channel was my end point not only for today, but for the entire walk. It was now disappearing out of sight as I dropped down off of the hills and onto roads. After todays end I will have walked a total of 285.62 miles since leaving Dover and it will have taken me 15 days to walk. I would say this is a good mid-distance walk but in reality it is a LONG way. If you were doing this walk, you could certainly take your time doing it and enjoy the various little towns and villages along the way. One of which I was now in... Axbridge, near Cheddar. The roads had been horrible getting to this point but the quaint village was worth it. A little gem!

The popular center of Axbridge. Worth a visit.

Popping out the other side of Axbridge the route took me along more roads but mercifully along a lot of footpaths. The day was heating up and I was tiring. I saw a sign which promised "Weston-super-Mare 6½ miles" which was welcome but oddly pointed in a direction I wasn't expecting. I dismissed this as I knew my route was a walking route which road signs would not appreciate. In my mind I was right. This sign was not for me. It was yet another literal sign I ignored which would have saved me a lot of trouble.

I carried on swapping roads and footpaths. Over the last hill and onto flatlands. I was now sweltering and I felt exposed. Luckily I found a pub where I could refill my water bottle. I guzzled down a full bottle and the pub obliged in refilling my bottle once again. Then I was back out into the heat, stomping my trail. I was now on a tarmac path that led through flat marsh land. The heat bouncing off the path and hammering me from above. I was thankful to see civilization in the form of a holiday campsite. It was PACKED! Holiday makers looked at me quizzically as I sweated and huffed my way through the camp loaded down with my backpack. This was fine because I knew I was tantalising close to the end of my 285.62 mile journey... although I wasn't.

I emerged from the campsite onto a road that was lined with holiday lets and houses. This was odd because I knew Weston-super-Mare had a clear line of sight from this road to the Bristol Channel. What were these houses doing here? My brain couldn't comprehend. After walking along this road bemused for a mile a dimly lit light-bulb flickered into life within my brain. THIS WASN'T WESTON-SUPER-MARE!!

I almost sank to my knees crying. In my sleepy delirium the night before I had rerouted my trail using an online tool called "onthegomaps". A simple tool. You tap your start point then tap your end point. Magically it delivers a route. I knew my end point was a road along the beach at Weston-super-Mare and I would need to finish at the north end of this road (this was nearest the train station). The only problem was... I'd tapped the wrong beach road in my sleepy state last night. As you can see by the image below, they look similar. I wasn't wearing my glasses so I didn't read the glaringly obvious name on the beach to the north of my new trail route.

Brean. Not Weston-super-Mare.

I was in Brean. For me to get to Weston-super-Mare I would need to walk 4.58 miles north and over back through that campsite. Back through the marshlands. I needed to cross a water inlet then cut cross-country to have any chance of catching my train. And I would have to do it all running.

So here I was. Sweating, fully covered in clothing not suited to running, on one of the hottest days of the year, carrying a full backpack, and running! I was still going to make it in time for my train AND I would have about 30 seconds to film me dipping my toe in The Bristol Channel. All was not lost! I then arrived at the south end of Weston-super-Mare beach. The tide was out. Below is what I saw.

You see? No sea!

I simply had no time to walk the mile out to the shore and back again. You'll have to accept that this was it. This was the end. I accepted it. I hope you do too. For this sacrifice, I managed to catch my train... which was delayed anyway.

Thanks for reading my tales of walking across the country. If you liked it please have a watch of the videos and maybe leave a comment. If you'd like to see me walking a specific trail, let me know and I'll put it on the list!