Day 107 - Watershed confusion in Chard

It took us under 2 hours to get into Chard (the highest town in Somerset), from where we caught a bus into Taunton for the train home.

There were a couple of mini-dramas this morning. Peter lost his blood-sugar tester (just as well it was the last day, as this was important for him), and I found something like a tick on my eyelid. I was referred by the surgery to the hospital, but on my way there the thing fell off.

We discovered that Chard is one of the few towns which has water channels at the side of the streets. (Cambridge is another). Fore Street is reckoned to be exactly on the Watershed, with its little streams parting company to the north and the south. Tricky to spot on the map! [Chard is fascinating for several other reasons, which I'll describe in the book.] We left the Watershed at 322086.

The stats for Section 11 were 159km with 1,049m of ascent.

Day 106 - animal/vegetable/mineral

We set off at 8:30am up a footpath I'd noticed on the map. It turned out to be completely overgrown with brambles and nettles, and at one point was blocked by a thick hedge. I stubbornly insisted on my rambling rights, but came off worse than the vegetation. Shortly afterwards we reached the lovely village of Evershot, and watched a thatcher at work (see photo).

There was the usual mixture of roads and paths today - mostly pleasant, but we did have to cope with 4km on the A356 before lunching at Winyard's Gap and another 4km on the A30 at the end of the day. The pub lunch at Winyard's Gap was a long, lazy and somewhat liquid affair. We spent some time there playing 20 Questions - I noted in my journal that the most esoteric item on the card was "Gordon Brown's 2005 Budget Speech"! At WG, there was a plaque describing "the Channel Link" - an LDP connecting the English and Bristol Channels.

Onto map 193, the afternoon's walk afforded good views north and south as the Watershed runs parallel to the River Axe. When we got to Windwhistle, farmers Derek and Jean kindly agreed for us to camp on their land (at 388094).

We dined at the Windwhistle Inn with Jan, and afterwards Keith and Jan left for home.

Day 105 - Sherborne and Telegraph Hill

Today, it was just Peter, Keith and me walking. Helen once again found a camping place ahead on the Watershed. We made an early start as I knew this would be Peter's longest day.

The morning was a good mixture of largely traffic-free roads and footpaths, with a couple of minor trespasses thrown in - one of which was mildly challenged on exit (Frith House). The other was through a wood above Sherborne (see photo).

After lunch with Helen and Thomas near St Antony's Leweston School (map 194), we had a less interesting walk, nearly all on roads. The monotony was broken by the Holm Bushes, a path up Telegraph Hill, and seeing some unexpected llamas peeking over a wall at us.

We camped on a hillside at Woolcombe Farm (595055), and then drove into Evershot for  a rather splendid meal at the Acorn, which had been recommended by Keith (who lives reasonably close, in Dorchester). After supper Helen and Thomas returned home.

Day 104 - a gentle day

Some of us went to the Baptist church in Wincanton for morning worship, and Helen drove the heavy stuff to Milborne Port with a remit to find another camping place. Once again she came up trumps (see photo).

After church we were met by Helen, who'd got a taxi back from MP, ready to walk with us for the day. We met Thomas on his bike outside the village at Jack White's Gibbet, where we picnicked.

The afternoon's walk was pretty slow, but good fun - a gentle Sunday afternoon stroll without much weight and on a reasonable mixture of country roads and paths. Peter was shocked at one of my "rhubarbs", when we crossed a trickle  - my excuse was that the thin blue line wasn't continuous on the map.

The family at Spurles Farm were delightful, and gave us access to water, toilets, table-tennis, croquet and boules as well as the space for our 4 tents (at 687199).

Day 103 - rellies galore....

In the morning I climbed nearby Cley Hill with its fort and tumuli, but because Peter had been flagging yesterday he went more directly into the forest road above Longleat. When I joined him later he told me that he'd had to jump into a hedge to avoid the traffic on the A362!

Heaven's Gate was marked on the map as having a good view over Longleat House and Park, so we took the short detour. It certainly was a great view, and embellished with some fascinating sculptures - see photo.

We took roads to Maiden Bradley, and met my brother-in-law Keith and his wife Jan at the Somerset Arms as arranged. After lunch, Keith, Peter and I took the most direct route to a very fine stretch of woodland, and we followed the Macmillan way through it for several km.

Peter's mother Helen and brother Thomas met us at Stoney Stoke and relieved us of our packs. She was surprised that I asked her to drive on ahead and beg/blag a camping place for us near the Watershed, but she did a great job, and we all camped on a farm near Wincanton at 698303. One of Wincanton's claims to fame is that it is twinned with Ankh-Morpok, a fictional city in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

Day 102 - Westbury and Warminster

We were driven back to Gore Cross in the morning, and walked about 14km along the Imber Range Perimeter Path as far as Westbury Hill.

This was an unremitting slog mostly on tarmac, but the weather was fine and the views to the NW over the patchwork plain held some charm. We lunched in a Long Barrow, and then found the Westbury White Horse (see photo). It looked quite odd from ground level.

Onto map 183, we continued on the MOD perimeter, and then dropped down into Upton Scudamore. We decided it would be good to get a decent meal in Warminster, so we camped in a field (without permission but with an explanatory note left at the farmhouse) at 855452.

Supper at the Farmers' Arms was excellent, and Peter won the torch-lit Scrabble.

Day 101 - avoiding military confrontation

I met up with Peter at Swindon station, and we took the coach to Devizes. After a pub lunch, during which I learned a good deal about Peter's musical tastes and my ignorance of modern music, we took the canal tow path to our starting point (013617 on map 173).

Harvest was in full operation as we followed good paths (but overgrown stiles) south to the village of Urchfont. Thereafter there was a satisfying pull up to Salisbury Plain's perimeter road; the MOD site was clearly marked (see photo).

Onto map 184, we met up with my sister Rowan and her friend Phil, and we walked together to Gore Cross (009509).

They then drove us into Tilshead and we had an entertaining evening together. During the night the military reminded us of their presence nearby by keeping up a constant barrage of artillery!

SECTION 11 - Devizes to Chard

I was joined by several relations during this Section. My 15-year-old nephew Peter was with me for the whole trip (photographed as we set out from the canal in Devizes), and then my brother-in-law Keith walked 3 days with us. We met up with several others along the way, who gave support in various ways.

The Watershed route took us through some pleasant countryside. There wasn't much in the way of hills until we reached Exmoor near the end.

Since the previous Section had been walked out of sequence, it was a good feeling to be back onto the original schedule.