An alarm was going off on the reception building so I poked my head out of my tent to see what was going on. Selfishly I was wondering if it was on fire because my battery bank was in there and I didn’t want to lose it. Fortunately it was just a burglar alarm, probably set off by accident by the reception staff as they were returning to work for 9am.

While I was looking, a lady walked by my tent and called “wakey wakey” to me, which made me smile. She was on holiday with her husband and told me all about some of the trips she’d done when she was younger, including cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats. Although now she said she was happier in a mobile home rather than a tent, she liked the luxury.

No big breakfast

I was taking my time today. I’d had a long day previously so I felt I’d earned it. Besides, the tent had some condensation on it so it’d be sensible to let the sun dry it off. I was pleased because I’d had a good sleep.

I did walk down towards the beach at 9am where there is a cafe but unfortunately it wasn’t open yet, which was disappointing, so I decided it best to pack up my stuff and then try to get something in Mevagissey which was only a couple of miles away. The tent was now dry so I had no more excuses to be lazy.

I found the walk quite difficult almost straight away, which I thought was strange because I’d had a good nights sleep. I’d noticed that I wasn’t even half way get to Minehead and for some reason this bothered me. The day before I was upset that this experience was going to end too soon and now I was frustrated by progress. It really didn’t make any sense.

Time is very strange when I’m walking. At work (when I used to work a normal job), a shift would go very slowly, the week take ages, but when you look back, it will feel like the blink of an eye. Walking is the opposite. Each day goes quite quickly, but when you look back it feels like such a long time. If I think back to Poole, and the walk to the ferry, that feels like another lifetime. So it’s the opposite of your normal routine. So, and this is just a hunch, maybe the combination of struggling on the walk for the day, plus the feeling that I’ve been walking for so long and therefore have so long to go, added together to make the task seem insurmountable. It’s just a theory.

Take action

I made a mistake really, and it was an obvious mistake. Even though I was out of sorts, I was still hoping to get to a campsite 20 miles away. I knew I’d managed that in 2023 and the weather had been bad and my feet hurt. This time I had perfect weather and my feet are, so far, fine. So I didn’t see why I couldn’t just do that again.

The problem was I just wasn’t listening to myself. I was struggling a bit, my legs felt tired, I couldn’t quench my thirst. I was finding the walking difficult and I wasn’t enjoying myself. I really had to take action. But still I was thinking about the campsite.

I found a shop in Goran Haven and bought myself a lolly pop. I sat down against a wall and took my time to eat/drink it and I felt so much better. I thought the lolly pop had done the trick. It did make me feel less thirsty. So I went on my way.

More listening required

I was still thinking about the campsite. But it was a long way away. I kept on thinking about all the good parts of getting there but I wasn’t paying attention to what the Ben today needed.

I thought I just had to get past one headland and then it would be fairly flat to the campsite as the path goes around a kind of bay. However, as I got to Dodman Point I realised that it was much further than that. I still thought I could make it. I continued on for another mile. Then it’d be just 10 to go. It was already 4pm. I don’t know why I didn’t realise I was being stupid.

And then I stopped

I had just walked over a stile and saw a flat bit of ground. Some of the grass was flattened, I think by a tent. I had no plans to camp there but I had a massive desire to just stop. So I stopped. And I stayed there for ages. Well over an hour, maybe even two. It was so nice. I lied down, shut my eyes, and relaxed. Everything was ok again.

It had been a really hot day, I realised that now, so taking this time let everything cool down. I got some energy back. I was happy to be on the trail. Listening to the sea and the birds.

Now, it did occur to me that I could just spend the night here. But as it cooled down, I had calmed down, and I felt good, I decided I’d walk on into the evening for a few miles and then find somewhere to camp. I didn’t care about the originally planned campsite – that was in retrospect a stupid idea – and was happy to just make a bit of progress. The lower temperatures literally and metaphorically taking the heat out of the situation.

I like people

I walked through East Portholland and then West Portholland. In East a group of people were sat on benches, looking out to sea, with drinks in their hand. Enjoying the moment. It was about 8pm and I wondered what they must think about this scruffy guy walking through their village. They all smiled though and greeted me as I walked by. They seemed friendly.

There was a small toilet here as well so I stopped to use the tap to fill up my water. I was running low so it was a relief. And then quickly onto West Portholland.

I spoke to a couple who lived there who were so friendly and kind. I told them what I was doing and they said I’d easily find a spot to camp. Even offering to let me camp on their garden. So kind. But the main thing to me was that I was accepted and they were happy to share this amazing place with me.

I then climbed up a hill for a few hundred yards, found a spot, and ended my day. In the end, feeling pretty good about everything.