Day 36: The English Riviera

Start: Dartmouth

End: Paigton

Miles: 16

Total miles: 490

After I arrived to camp yesterday I headed to a nearby cafe for a drink where I met Chris. An eccentric man in his 60's, wearing colourful cord trousers, a stripy linen blazer and a straw hat. He looked like a man who owned a boat or two. He seemed to know everyone that passed by. He saw my big pack, instantly knowing what I was doing and said, "You must have some stories madame", then shook my hand and introduced himself. We chatted about the places I'd been and he seemed to own properties in the majority of locations I mentioned. He bought me another tea, calling over to the waitress, "another tea for this young madame, put it on my tab". I enjoyed chatting with him and learning more about Dartmouth. I spent the rest of the evening with Cathy and Kev, a couple camped next to me who are completing a 5 day stretch of the path. They picked my brains about some of the previous sections of the route they hadn't visited.

I didn't get much sleep. A nearby church chimed a bell every hour, making me aware of how long I lay awake for. I was ready for a proper night's rest. The next stretch beyond Brixham is heavily urban, the only campsites are far inland. I found a cheap last minute hotel room in Paignton where I would head for the night and attempt to get some better quality sleep. This would mean two consecutive nights in a bed, which is what my body needs to recover from this cold.

The River Dart runs between the towns of Dartmouth and Kingswear. The towns are positioned on hills with colourful buildings cascading down the slopes to the river. I took the ferry across, it was a grey morning with refreshing light rain. I knew the stretch to Brixham would be a challenge, having seen the hills in the distance from my walk yesterday. But the thought of sleeping in a bed would pull me through. The path climbed out of Kingswear and followed a series of headlands, with intermittent steep ascents. The path was quiet, most likely people would be congregated in the towns, not out here on the cliffs. The views were stunning and the cool breeze with gentle rain made the hills a little easier. As I approached Brixham the route became more forgiving and I began to see more people. The sprawling coastal towns of Brixham, Paigton and Torquay encompass the bay and collectively are known as the English Riviera. I passed quickly through Brixham, keen to push on to my hotel. Paignton's highstreet was lined with betting shops, amusements and pound shops. A stark contrast to Dartmouth and Kingswear, but it offered me everything I needed. Food, a bed and a shower.

My aim of writing this has always been to paint an honest, realistic portrait of a long distance hike. There are days where the miles seem easy, your pack appears lighter and you maintain a positive outlook. But there are also days when you don’t want to get out of your sleeping bag. You don’t want to walk up another hill. You certainly don’t want to walk another 15 or so miles. Today was one of those days. But my success depends on my ability to get up and complete those miles regardless. For me, the sheer contrast of the days, the highs and the lows is what makes these adventures so memorable and unique. Overcoming tough days when motivation wavers and has to be substituted with discipline is truly rewarding. So here I am, with achey feet, wild hair and tired legs - 16 miles further than this morning. I feel mildly triumphant that I’ve overcome my own perceived limitations and completed the miles today. But mostly I feel tired. My eyes feel heavy and I hope sleep will come quickly tonight. Tomorrow will be easier as I pass through Paignton and Torquay towards Teignmouth. It will most likely not be the most enjoyable stretch as it's almost entirely urban and will be busy. But I know shortly beyond there lies the Jurassic Coast. A 95 mile expanse of spectacular cliffs and interesting geology guiding me back eastwards towards Dorset. Towards home.