Day 48 – Weston Super Mare to Lympsham

Distance:14,9

Steps: 16,949

What an exciting day we’ve had today.

Up at 08:00 and our breakfasts for free . The manager gave Jezabel a complimentary voucher on account of the drinking glasses being dirty. We robbed the breakfast bar and took a couple of bags of cakes over to the homeless people living in tents across the way

The Met Office forecast for Weston Super Mare was grim, 80% chance of heavy rain all day. In dry conditions we set out for the railway station

We rode the rails just one stop to Milton, then a ten minute dash to the (awesome) Helicopter Museum. I could have stayed all day and will definitely return with Paul

Our route to Lympsham was pretty well a straight line 180 degrees south. We reached Oldmixon just as dusk began to fall and our planed route took us over Hay Wood Hill and I could see no reason to vary from the plan

Bat calamity struck. About 100m from the top, the path became very muddy and steep. Jezabel was in 4×4 mode using her poles but I was still on my back legs and very soon on my backside. I also otcovered in mud. It took me over an hour to travel 5 metres during which time l repeatedly slid backwards down the slimy mud slope.

We stuck to footways thereafter and arrived at the Hobb’s Boat Premier Inn in good time for supper

The kill

Weston Super Mare

Saturday 11th November 2023

Distance: 9.4km

Steps: 16,248

Today has been a deliberately lazy day, grockling about WSM and we met with cousin Penny and husband Patrick.

A planned day of rest, I was glad to have a lie-in this morning. Jezabel and I walked north from the pier to ’Knightstone’ where we visited the tearooms, in the footsteps of the Queen, who re-opened Knightstone after its refurbishment in 2017.

A good ‘people watching’ place, the staff had entered into the fun of it by putting out four tables of four but only 14 chairs. On a busy ‘fully booked’ afternoon, you had to move fast to get your seating combination established before somebody else had relocated one of your empty chairs.

We went for a stroll along the prom and had a fish & chips lunch in the cafe on the pier.

It has been really nice to discover that I have a cousin so close. We’ll be sure to keep in touch.

Another walking day tomorrow, so Jezabel and I have had a quiet night in. Tomorrow the forecast is for rain all day. We have 10km to walk to Lympsham, possibly via the helicopter museum

Day 47 – Clevedon to Weston Super Mare

Distance: 19.5 km

Steps: 30,795

Clevedon is a lovely old town. Lots of interesting, independent shops, no chains or big brands. There is a nice rocky beach that turns to sand once the tide is halfway out and it has a quirky pier of an unusual design

We saw two bob-tailed deer playing in the recreation ground by the beach.

There has been flooding in these parts.

Whilst the roads are not too bad, the fields are a different matter. Following a well used footpath, we encountered mud and standing water up to half a metre deep. This called for diversionary tactics and back tracking. Which cost us precious time on an already busy day.

Our venue for lunch was the Tiffen Cafe at Bullock Farm following which we headed straight for Weston Super Mare.

On arrival we couldn’t yet get into our room. Weston was mobbed: crowds of people in the streets, men selling light sabres and loud music booming everywhere. We had inadvertently arrived on the day of Weston Super Mare’s carnival.

The carnival parade was scheduled to commence at 7:00pm and the revellers were six deep on the pavement, but only the light sabre vendors came along. By 8:00pm the emergency services arrived, soon to be followed by dozens of floats. Brightly illuminated, packed with dancers and thumping sound systems.

We watched the spectacle for an hour in the good company of the Saron Cabs family (thanks for the donation) from outside the Winter Gardens Pavilion. Then the cold got the better of us and we retired to our accommodation

Day 45 – Aust to Portishead

Distance: 23.8km

Steps: 28,801

I had the best night’s sleep that I’ve had in a long time. Severn View Moto Services is one of the smaller service areas on the UK motorway network. It used to be busier but the building of the new Severn bridge a few miles further down stream has relegated it to the eastbound M48.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather. Only unsuitable clothing” said Ken, who I worked with at B&Q

We had a little breakfast and set out at 8:00am in a light, not unpleasant rain. First stop, the former observation deck, part of the original (now abandoned) service area

Jezabel bravely strode out across the pedestrian footbridge over the M48, then we doubled back round to visit the estuarine beach under the (first) Severn Bridge. This has exposed strata of: shale, strontium, red mud rock and green mud rock. A Mecca for geologists, the beach also gives up many fossils

We continued westward but the footpath we had planned to use was dug up and closed to enable contractors to work on the flood defences. So we had to walk beside a fast A road in pouring rain. Not nice!

Lunch was at a fabulous little cafè next door to the now defunct White Horse in Pilning. The excellent food from this cafe more than justifies the search for the elusive establishment

My knowledge of Portishead was until today no more than a place name on an M5 motorway sign. It’s a highly industrialised and commercial shipping port. Once much busier than it is now, for sure. Cutting right across the town is a massive high level bridge, carrying the busy A000 over the Avonmouth ship canal. This gargantuan structure stands almost 100 metres tall and is more than 2 km end to end. We too needed to be on the far side of the bridge so staked a claim on the cycle path and set out for the other side

Jezabel, I have to say, was incredibly brave to do this, she being uncomfortable even on pedestrian bridges

We spied at least a million unregistered Renault Trafik vans. Not sure if they are built here or just here for storage

We reached out Premier Inn accommodation just as the afternoon turned into evening and I beat Jezabel at dominoes.

Short day tomorrow

Day 46 – Portishead to Clevedon

Distance: 6.8km

Steps:1,58

I’m having trouble pasting images to this blog. Script is all settled and the images are ready but the blog page drops out when the images are added?

Note. It’s actually more like 12 km from Portishead to Clevedon but we were lucky enough to get a lift part way there from a nice lady belonging to the URC church in Redcliffe Bay

We were lethargic getting going today. Perhaps due to the continuous rain storms outside but also I think that I over did it a bit yesterday ☹️

We set out from Portishead, gone 10:00am, heading west, uphill toward the sea! I trusted my bearing (300) and Jezabel took over navigation, using her IPhone but the uphill component was counter intuitive for me.

But we stuck with it and soon reached the Windmill pub, by the Fishermen’s Steps on Mariner’s Path. The England Coast Path follows the Mariner’s Path here and we found ourselves sliding sideways and skating about on this winding muddy path .Jezabel commented “storms a brewing” as we approached a sailing club and within a couple of minutes we were inadequately sheltering from a downpour with only a 6” door lintel between us and heavy rain. It was’t making the path any easier so we set out for the main road and potentially a bus 🚍 but thre was no timetable, only a poster offing an out-of-date phone number. We walked on and decided to stop for a cuppa the URC church cafe. From where we got a lift for the last 5 km to the Walton Park hotel, our accommodation for tonight.

Sofa Sogood

Distance (2023): 0

Steps (2023) 0

We got the local train from Bexley to Abbeywood.

From where we caught the lovely Elizabeth Line train, which in not much more than twenty minutes, delivered us to Paddington.

From where we boarded the GWR train to Bristol Parkway, to be met by cousin Penny and husband Patrick. We stopped for a cup of tea and a chat. Now here I sit updating the blog and preparing the map for tomorrow.

Jezabel has gone to recce the Boar’s Head for supper

We’ve just returned from the Boar’s Head, complete with roaring open fire and super friendly staff.. A nicer pub you couldn’t hope to find. But…

It is now raining

There are no streetlights

It’s not a “5 minute walk” (20 minutes each way)

But the pub makes it all worthwhile!

Remember, this is all in aid of Parkinson’s

Here’s the link

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sebastians-swagger

Incredible …

Distance (2033): 0

Steps (2023): 0

This has been the most turbulent of years.

At the worst of it, I could barely hobble 2 metres. Certainly, 3 metres was beyond me. Often, Jezabel would have to get my wheelchair to walk me into the house from the car, on our drive (less than 3 metres). At times, I resorted to crawling on hands and knees, being

the only way I could independently mobilise. I remember crawling from the car park into A&E at Dartford one time. The man on the door reacted as if this kind of thing happened every day. Perhaps it does.

And so, tomorrow, if all goes to plan, I embark on a gentle 60km coastal stroll, down Somerset way. This progress has been made possible by the wonderful staff of the Guy’s & St Thomas’s Spinal Team. They put a Cortisone injection in my spine and the miracle cure was instantaneous. Magic!

My heartfelt thanks go to Jezabel, who has supported everything I’ve done. I wold not be here but for her constant help. I also have to say thank you to the entire team at the Queen Mary’s Bexley Neuro Rehab Unit. Thoroughly professional, they are all highly motivated and have done so much to support my independence.

Cousin Penny and husband Patrick will be kindly giving me a lift to Aust, from where this little adventure begins 😜

Oh, and of course. It’s all for charity mate!

Here’s the link:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sebastians-swagger