Tuesday 16th October 2018

Unfortunately Steve had been up most of the night with an upset tum (you know what I mean) and was feeling pretty washed out. So we skipped breakfast and took up post by the pool … with easy access to rest room facilities!! It was really hot this morning but the pool is a perfect temperature for cooling down and there’s shade under the trees. It’s lovely to watch the palm squirrels scurrying around and lots of different bird life. Not so much the cheeky monkeys who swing down from the palms and try to pinch anything going!… the pool staff are generally at hand to usher them away.

Steve decided to retire back to the room and I went to find some sustenance. Chanced upon Karen, George, Ciderman and Harry in the hotel bar (a lovely party of friends we had met in our Dambulla hotel) so stopped off and had some lunch in their company. They’d popped in for coffee and to view the hotel, which is a famous Kandy landmark, and had then planned to sightsee further. I left them to it and went back upstairs to nurse my poorly husband. Early evening I popped back down to find Steve some suitable food and, lo and behold, Karen, George, Ciderman and Harry were still in the bar, enjoying a sesh!! I was so chuffed when they invited me to join them so, after sorting Steve out, we all walked down the road to ‘The Pub’ where I modestly tucked into three large glasses of red wine and enjoyed a chat and many laughs. George, having finished his fish finger supper and with his rucksack securely attached to his back, gallantly escorted me back through the chaotic streets of Kandy (although I had to point him in the right direction!) to the safety of my hotel and back to the bedside of my still ailing husband. I’m sorry for Karen’s loss of a cultural afternoon, not having been able to extract ‘the lads’ from their beer and TV cricket, but her loss was my gain as I really enjoyed the company – thanks guys. 😊

Wednesday 17th October 2018

Steve felt a little improved but still delicate – we attempted some breakfast in the hotel’s fine dining room. A very grand setting – not such an inspiring breakfast buffet! Afterwards we took a walk around Kandy Lake which is just at the front of our hotel – an easygoing 3km walk. We saw lots of interesting ‘going to work’ life, vendors of course, a variety of birdlife and terrapins and … what we originally thought was a crocodile but in fact was a water monitor lizard! Huge! Apparently they are 2km on average- such a long tail. We passed the famous Tooth Temple which we intend to visit this week and spotted a group of Buddhist monks with their co-ordinated orange brollies!

 

Returned to the room so Steve could rest up before the afternoon’s cricket – there was no way he was going to miss that – no matter the state of his tummy!! Our driver, Sheik, turned up promptly and drove us the longish journey to Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, dodging as you do between the various types of transport, pedestrians, cows and dogs!! A great stadium … and they sold beer! It had been a sunny morning but as we entered it started to rain and it was announced that the start was delayed! This was at 2.30pm and at 6.30pm we were still sat (patiently/impatiently – delete as appropriate!) waiting for play to commence. Met up with Richard and Judy during this time and also with Karen, George, Ciderman and Harry – so time passed between chats and watching the covers go on and off. Nevertheless, it looked unlikely that there would be play so at 6.30pm we called for Sheik to pick us up (he had requested an hour’s notice). And you could write the script – within half an hour of us leaving, play started! All was not lost though … we got back to the hotel to watch it on a big screen in the bar … Steve was near to much needed hygienic toilets and I could enjoy a glass or two of wine!

A stressful night followed. About 11.00pm a loud mechanical noise started above us, probably coming from the roof. Steve called down to report it. An hour later we called down again and were told we didn’t need to worry about it! “I’m not worried about it, I can’t sleep” was Steve’s agitated but trying to be polite reply! This resulted in us temporarily changing to a different room about 1.00am + a night of frequent bathroom visits for both of us!!

Thursday 18th October 2018

We’d booked an early trip so were up at 6.30am, both feeling washed out now! Skipped breakfast – not taking any chances. Sheik had picked up Richard and Judy and got to us for 7.30am. Drove us to Kandy Railway Station in his boss’ luxury minibus – escorted us in, gave us our tickets and waited till we had safely secured our reserved seats. I managed to buy some dry (non-sweet) bread rolls to keep our tummies from rumbling. Also took full advantage of the “Foreigners Only” toilets on the platform.

Judy soon sorted out some ladies who were trying to bag our seats and we settled in for the 4 hour train journey to Nuwera Eliya. A magnificent journey, once out of the city the views were breathtaking as we wound our way up through jade-green tea plantations with mountain backdrops. We had only managed to get tickets for 3rd class travel – 1st and 2nd class tickets generally get bought up by large tour companies and sold off at an inflated rate which seems scandalous. But 3rd class was great for us with its open windows and doors. There were vendors a-plenty … not quite 1st class buffet but you could get everything – every variety of local fruits, pastries, nuts, soft drinks, sandwiches … even Pringles!

 

Sheik met us on the platform in Nuwera Eliya and gathered us all safely back to the luxury of his mini bus – he was very proud of that! He then took us on a tour of this beautiful town set up high in the hills. It is often referred to as “Little England” and definitely has that feel to it – colonial-era bungalows and Tudor style hotels – famous particularly for its tea estates. I had visited here 35 years ago and stayed in the Hill Club hotel – I remember it being so beautiful and steeped in history so we stopped by for a peek. From there we headed to Damro Tea Plantation where we admired the estate and did a tour of the factory. Seems to me that it’s the ladies that do all the work around here – both picking the tea and working in the factory! The tour was polished off with a delicious cup of tea and a huge wedge of chocolate cake (I was better by this time but not poor Steve – just water for him)! We stopped off at a few more viewing points (not too heavy on the retail opportunities!) – saw some stunning waterfalls and then started out on the long journey back to Kandy.  As with the train journey, there were some incredibly steep drops to the side – breathtaking though, literally!   Sheik did us proud – it was a great day. Really enjoyed Richard and Judy’s company too – fitted in such a lot of conversation – feel like old friends already!

Back at the hotel we discovered that they’d been unable to repair the noise problem in our room so this necessitated packing up all our gear and shifting to a new room. Grumble grumble … Steve was pretty washed out after a busy day and not having eaten much for 3 days – so it was quite a chore.

Then it was dinner – what could be risked? Steve definitely not up to a spicy option so we settled for the hotel’s International Buffet. Pumpkin soup to start – fine. Only non-spicy main option was pork chop and boiled vegetables – OK but nothing to rave about. The most entertaining part of the evening was working to avoid the three wandering minstrels who were doing their rounds of the tables … as they neared us each time we got up to explore the buffet – we were just not in the right frame of mind to be serenaded, and certainly didn’t want to buy their CD!

So a new train adventure today, a new non-spicy diet, a new room and … hopefully tomorrow a newly restored hubbie, now that I’ve persuaded him to take medication. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!? 🤔

 

Saturday 13th October 2018

A fabulous day of cricket today (get me)!!  We sat ourselves in one of the lower stands amongst the local supporters – boy, they know how to have fun.   England batted first so it was great to see our boys perform against the eager Sri Lankan team.  Some great bowling from the home team, especially Malinga who the crowd seem to hero worship.  A sweltering day so the shade was appreciated – had a few ice-creams and, in the absence of alcohol, a few chilled lemonades!

With hot dogs for lunch our total spend for the day on food and drinks was the equivalent of £5 – scandalous!!  Just a little different to The Oval.

And, yes you guessed it, rain stopped play … we got to see the amazing performance of the ground staff pulling on the covers again – priceless.  My goodness did it rain – so no further play … and England were declared the winners on the Duckworth-Lewis method (I could probably tell you all about that … but I won’t)!!

The owner of the hotel kindly came to our rescue, did a few bus trips to bring all his ‘cricket fan’ guests back to the safety and comfort of the hotel.  They looked after us so well.

Chilled the rest of the day and had dinner at the hotel.  Made two new friends in Richard and Judy (not likely to forget those names)!  Planning to meet up again in Kandy.

Sunday 14th October 2018

Check-out day from Dambulla.  Sad to be leaving this lovely hotel – they’ve become like family – funny how we always seem to get so attached to staff.  It seems an age ago that we checked in and, to be honest, we weren’t sure at first  …  (1) it was pouring with rain and looked miserable  (2) we were the only guests at the hotel  (3) there was no wardrobe in the room and (4) Steve kept banging his head every time he walked through a door or down the stairs!!   But we grew to love the place and the people, and by day 3 all the other cricket enthusiasts arrived – it’s been great fun.  So we bid a fond farewell, promising to be back etc.

And so the hotel driver drove us, and another guest Paul, to our next stop in Kandy.  An interesting journey, lots to see … and this driver was good, felt safe in his hands.  We dropped Paul off first at his hotel and then we drove on and on and up and up and even further up till we got to our place – The Eagle Regency Boutique Hotel.  It was on the steepest slope I think I have ever been driven on – how the brakes held the vehicle I don’t know!  Such an amazing spot, nestled into a forest area – completely remote and almost in the clouds!   Once again the staff were so welcoming … there were views to die for and the bedroom was fabulous … but, clearly these buildings are not designed for western heights, well particularly not Steve’s height – it was back to head-banging!

There really wasn’t a whole load to do locally – nothing in fact.  We had a little chill time by the pool and then went down for dinner.  The big question was – would they serve alcohol – ‘cus it was helluva trip down the hill to get a beer!  We had a lovely young waiter who found the whole alcohol thing enlightening.  We asked for a bottle of red wine and got a glass of wine.  When I’d finished that we asked again for a bottle … “a bottle!!?” he questionably exclaimed “I will have to talk to the manager.”  He shortly returned with a bottle of red Cinzano!  So having educated him on the difference I asked for another glass of red wine … “another glass!!?”  And when I asked for a third it nearly blew his mind.  He didn’t bat an eyelid at Steve’s beer consumption however!

Dinner was delicious  – once again we were the sole diners.  The rain was lashing down by this point but it was all very atmospheric amongst the trees.  The waiter kindly informed us that there are cheetahs and wild pigs in the surrounding forest.  We were also joined by a jolly large spider … not my favourite but I was so brave!

We knew pretty soon though that we’d made a mistake – we were so incredibly far away from everything – as breathtaking as it was it just wasn’t going to be practical.  So we secured another booking in the city and then explained to the Eagle hotel that we would have to check out tomorrow.  They tried to talk us round offering us a tuk tuk to take us everywhere, even if Steve wanted to drive it himself!  Now I like tuk tuks but I was not trundling up and down that mountain in one – whoever was driving!!  They also offered us free wine tomorrow – clearly recognising that I was a lush!   They were so lovely about it though – we felt terrible and made it clear that we were to blame.

Monday 15th October 2018

More farewells today … and even after only one night (and the fact that we were checking out early) the staff all gathered to help and say goodbyes.  And so we left our second head-banging hotel.

The driver the hotel had arranged was a good man, a careful driver plus his English was pretty good.  Looks like we may well have teamed up for the week (as you do)!  On the way to the hotel he explained many of the sights (he is studying tourism) – we stopped off at the Kandy War Cemetery, a British military cemetery for soldiers of the British Empire who were killed during World War II.  The age of some of these young men was so poignant.

Before driving us to the hotel, we stopped off at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium to pick up our tickets for later in the week.  And what excitement, not only did we pass Malinga walking down the road, but we also got to watch our English lads training at the stadium – I’m becoming quite the groupie!

And after a few more viewing spots the driver took us to our hotel – The Queens Hotel, located in the centre of the city, overlooking Kandy Lake.  It is a British Colonial 3 star hotel, one of the oldest hotels in the city with over 160 years of history.  It has a great feel, SO grand yet so tired at the same time … but we love it.  And get this … the doors are plenty tall enough for my giant of a husband!  I think we’re going to love Kandy.

Finished off the day with a wander round the sites of Kandy and then walked by the lake till we found the ‘Slightly Chilled Lounge’ for something to eat. And who should we bump in to but a crowd of new friends from our previous hotel in Dambulla. Had a few drinks and catch up, exchanging our stories from the last couple of days. Hoping to meet up again.

Kandy is going to be a spectacular place to explore – really beautiful at night too when all lit up.

Thursday 11th October 2018

We took full advantage of this morning’s sunshine to swim and enjoy some poolside lounging.  Then late morning we headed off to explore the local delights of Dambulla.  There’s nothing fancy about this town – you just get a feel for the true Sri Lankan way of life.  We had a good mooch around the local shops, selling just about everything – washing machines, brightly coloured and patterned clothes, toys and homeware, endless flip flop shops +  fruit and vegetable stalls galore.

We stopped off for some lunch at Mango Mango … and for the equivalent of £4.00 ate like kings!  Food is amazing but service leaves a lot to be desired.

Walked back to the hotel in the now baking heat – stopped off at the local market for a nosey –  even more fruit and vegetables plus a whole selection of interesting items, including goldfish in plastic bags!  I’ve not seen this since my teenage outings to Portland Fair!

 

Friday 12th October 2018

And today was all about the BIG climb.  We’d been here for 5 days and couldn’t put it off any longer – I’d been using my cold as an excuse but now the excuses had run out.  So at 8.00am we set off in the hotel bus to Sigiriya Rock – also known as Lion Rock … and said to be the 8th Wonder of the World.  This rocky outcrop has near vertical walls and a flat-topped summit – it contains the ruins of an ancient stronghold.  So it was a piece of history not to be  missed.

It was baking hot even at 9.00am when we started to walk up … and boy those 1200 steps are definitely a challenge.  I kept being approached by ‘helpers’ but I kept saying “I’m OK” and they would leave me alone.

The rock steps are narrow so you have to constantly watch your footing and try not to look back down.  Nearer the top the steps turn into metal stairs but with rails they were more manageable, except for being able to see the drop more clearly.  We both put our brave heads on though and kept going … to the very top.  Unfortunately just short of the top I started to struggle badly with the heat and had to sit down with dizziness – Steve had to keep going because of his fear of heights.  And so it was that a ‘helper’ came to my rescue and, after I’d revived myself with some water, he took my hand and guided me up the last flight of stairs.   At this point he refused a tip saying he officially worked here … and we thought “how kind.”  Then he insisted on escorting me around the ruins of the King’s palace on the summit, not letting go of my hand, taking our photos, giving us a guide to the area etc. – and we still thought “how kind.”  But very soon he started to tell us about the family he had to support and practically dived into Steve’s wallet – insisting that R5,000 was the going rate!

It was a fairly hairy walk down too.  On the way up they advised you not to look down, but when you were going down there was no choice!  To celebrate being back at ground level we treated ourselves to an ice-cream and attempted to sit on a bench to recover our shaky legs … only to be pestered by monkeys … well, makes a change from seagulls I guess!

 

By remarkable coincidence we appear to have rocked up in Sri Lanka at just the same time as the England cricket team, what a result, oh and it also appears to be the rainy season!  I know, I know don’t ask me I just book the holidays.

Anyways, no problem as the English cricket authorities obviously know their stuff and will have not hesitated with planning the first One Day International as a day / night game starting at 2.30pm.  Now anyone who has travelled these parts will know that you can have a scorching hot day then all of a sudden about tea time from no-where an enormous storm breaks out.  Hope I’m not giving away the plot here?

Having secured the priceless tickets, well 15 quid actually for the best seats in the house, locals have a terrace where tickets are £1.00, amazing value and they love their cricket here, it’s the national sport with very little of that Premiership football stuff.  I’m sure you know the excitement of looking forward to that concert or sports event, well I can assure you this was no different and we spent ages planning how and what time to leave for the ground even though it’s only two miles away.  Actually we were sat around by the pool until 12.30 in the scorching sunshine..remember that bit?

So  with the weather set fine for the day off we went to the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla, there really is nothing like away games.  I’ve also been to Accrington Stanley several times so maybe you can understand the excitement.  Seriously though the England cricket team are currently No 1 in the world with the Cricket World Cup approaching next year. My last two games attended have seen England beat Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and The Oval, so yes looking forward to this one.

The Rangiri International Stadium is still in reasonable shape, maybe not quite to the standards of English grounds but all ready to welcome the 1000+ Barmy Army supporters to this very quiet northern town.

Without boring you too much with the cricket Jason Roy and Johnny Bairstow gave England a good start before both were dismissed with Joe Root and Eoin Morgan taking over, lifting the score to 92 and all going well.  However our grandstand seats had given us a birdseye view of the clouds building up in the distance and even before the rain arrived the umpires had call for the ground to be covered.

There followed a precise operation by dozens of groundstaff dragging out plastic covers and old tyres to cover the entire playing surface in probably less than 10 minutes, quite a sight to behold, a military exercise!

This then led to the ‘hanging around to see what is going to happen’ phase of the afternoon.  Generally if this happens at game in England you just go to the bar and drown your sorrows, did I mention that this ground is dry… well of alcohol at least!

Loads of chat and stories then ensued over the next couple of hours with fellow ‘Barmies’ who were generally with organised tour companies and big business it seems.  All this time we were looking for signs of improvement in the weather, the English certainly know how to do this.  But at 7.00pm and with it still raining we decided to set off back to our hotel, in t-shirts and flip flops, of course we didn’t know it was going to rain. By good luck we managed to get a Tuk Tuk just outside the ground costing the outrageous £2.50 to take us back to the hotel.

There was no further play that day but are we disappointed, of course not, because we have tickets for the next game tomorrow…and I need to go now as we’re busy planning what time to leave and how to travel and is my England shirt clean, oh the pressure!!

Tuesday 9th October 2018

Woke up bleary-eyed to a full on rainstorm. ☔️

It had been an interesting night!! Although we were the ‘only’ guests staying in the hotel, they had catered for a large non-resident dinner party which later in the evening moved from the restaurant to the garden area literally below our first floor bedroom. Although it would seem no alcohol was involved, the party did consist of gigantic speakers with loud dance music and lots of chattering and raucous laughing till the early hours of the morning! Grumble grumble!! Oh well, I’m sure we’ve been the guilty party many a time in the past!

Luckily by late morning the rain eased off – just as well as we had booked a safari trip from lunchtime. So, at 12.30pm we climbed (literally) into our jeep and headed out on the 40 minute journey to Minneriya National Park. We had a super friendly driver who secured himself in with his seatbelt – then turned round to apologise that there were no seatbelts in the back …. we also had no view out of the front (just a board and a low down window between us and the driver) and open sides … so hurtling along the crazy Sri Lankan roads at 50mph was interesting to say the least.

We nevertheless arrived at the National Park in one piece and, after a short rest break, commenced the safari. We discovered pretty soon that we were in for a bumpy ride … starting off through some fairly narrow rainforest paths – spotting local bird life, monkeys and deer. And then we hit the open plains and very soon were whizzed off for amazing viewings of large herds of Sri Lankan elephants, eating, playing and bathing in their natural environment. Such beautiful animals – dusty brown in colour, all shapes and sizes and ages, so peaceful to watch. They apparently eat for 20 hours a day and there certainly seemed little let up in their munching. They elegantly twirl the end of their trunk around in the grass until they’ve gathered a sufficient trunkful, then they swing their trunk backwards and forwards as though drying the grass out … finally placing their pickings into their mouths. I could watch them all day.

There were plenty of other jeeps out and about on the safari and the afternoon was spent in rally style manoeuvring through muddy terrain and deep puddles to spot the various herds gathered. And we were given plenty of time to just watch – it was not just being zoomed from one place to another for photo opportunities.

Apart from the elephants, it was mostly a bird-spotting activity but that was magnificent in itself. We saw varying types of eagles, cranes, pelicans, egrets, peacocks and pretty bee-eaters. Oh and we did see one crocodile – apparently they hide away during the rainy season – suited me!

Although very much a bone-shaker and probably not for the faint hearted, it was a helluva ride! Fabulous experience to see these majestic animals in their natural environment and not chained up or being used for rides.

And so we made our way home, back on the tuk tuk/bus/lorry and car filled roads … only to come across one of our Nellie friends walking along the road!! …trump trump trump!

6th – 7th October 2018

Apart from a bout of food poisoning I received from Prezzo earlier in the year, Steve and I have avoided any lurgies since we started our travelling adventures last summer.  So it was annoying to say the least that I picked up a pretty gruesome cold the day before we flew to Sri Lanka.  We flew Saturday evening by which time I was bouncing between bouts of shivering and hot sweats – so I dosed myself up and hoped for the best.  It was an 11 hour night flight on Sri Lankan Airlines.  Ear plugs and eye mask in place, swaddled in blankets and pillows, we both managed to have quite a restful night, woken up two hours before landing by a stewardess dishing out hot flannels and the offer of ‘Ceylon tea.’

We were met at the airport by our hotel driver and had a pleasant, though wet, drive to our hotel in Dambulla, in the Ancient Cities area of Sri Lanka.

Oh yes, we have discovered that this is well and truly the rainy season!  We are still trying to fathom out why the England Cricket Team would arrange a tour at this time of year … it’s going to be interesting to see if any cricket is played!!

We arrived at Hotel Freedom Village after a 3 hour drive, to be met by lots of smiley and welcoming staff.  A lovely secluded hotel – just the job.  Several of the staff showed us to our room, carrying the baggage, telling us all about the hotel and room options, restaurant choices, holding umbrellas over us etc.  We soon found out that we were the only guests staying here for the next couple of nights so they were tripping over themselves to settle us in.

It’s a relatively new hotel but the rooms are colonial styled with dark woods, ornate furniture and ceiling fans, very authentic.  By the time we’d unpacked and rested a little it was time to explore the restaurant for our evening meal.  I was still feeling rotten with my cold so not up to venturing far or for too long.  So a simple dinner in the hotel was perfect …. cooked by three chefs and with two waiters to serve us … it felt like ‘the days of the Raj.’

Although beautifully warm, the rain was still persisting … beginning to think there may be no let up.  After a couple of beers we decided to retire to bed early … on enquiring about mosquitos we had a team of staff accompany us to our room armed with sprays and fluorescent pink mosquito zapping bats to clear anything that may be lurking!!  I am happy to report a mosquito-free experience so far.

Monday 8th October 2018

We awoke to sunshine – still cloudy but the sun was definitely peeking through and it was warm.  A fabulous breakfast – all sorts of delicious fresh fruits, eggs and toast … and of course ‘English Breakfast Tea’ (but the label clarified that it is pure Ceylon tea).  This reminded me of when we were here earlier this year, the hotel waiter enquired about the tea we grew in Yorkshire!!  Suffice to say we enjoyed the tea black rather than sample the warm condensed milk provided.

These lovely little palm squirrels entertain us while we’re eating breakfast.

We decided to enjoy some leisure time at the hotel pool while it was not raining – it’s actually a perfect temperature – in true Goldilocks style … “not too hot and not too cold!”  Managed 20 laps of the pool and then just chilled – still trying to shake off this lingering cold bug.  Some beautiful mountain views in the distance.

Later in the morning the Hotel Manager offered to drive us around the local area and to take in one popular local attraction – the Dambulla Cave Temples.  We had explained that I was still feeling under the weather so didn’t want anything too strenuous.  Caves sounded pretty manageable.

First stop was the Cricket Stadium to ask about tickets – as they do not return monies if ‘rain stops play’ we decided to wait till nearer the time.  Sampath showed us around the local high streets and then we drove out to the Cave Temples.  I had been informed that I would need a sarong to cover my legs and longer sleeves so had come equipped.  What we hadn’t come prepared for was the 300 odd steps up to the Caves … and with extra layers of clothes and still sporting a temperature I was well and truly overheating!!  Naturally there were a few retail opportunities on the climb up … and one very persistent stall-keeper ensured us that Steve would need a skirt to cover his knees!

It was so worth the climb though – five separate caves with buddha statutes and paintings, first created over 2000 years ago.  Absolutely stunning and a very peaceful and meditative place.

Then back to the hotel for more relax time … and afternoon Ceylon tea for two!

 

29th September 2018

Steve was up and out early to get to the Seaton Parkrun – I declined the offer when I heard you had to run a section of it on shingle! I enjoyed a little ‘me time’ – finishing my book, finishing my blog and doing a little yoga – simple pleasures.

So, today’s walk was from Seatown to Burton Bradstock. We hopped on the X53 Jurassic Coaster to take us to our start point. We were excited to find two upstairs front seats empty – great views as we coasted along, spotting hills walked in previous days. It was a bit of a rollercoaster at times as we zoomed up and down narrow winding country lanes – oh the thrill 🤣

The bus dropped us in Chideock and we then had a short walk to Seatown. There’s two things you should know about Seatown – (1) it’s by the sea and (2) it’s not a town! I guess ‘Seacoastalhamlet’ doesn’t have the same ring to it! Pretty little hamlet though and a fair few people milling around on this beautiful weekend morning.

It was another day of hills today but I think you could describe this part of Dorset as rolling hills, in that they didn’t always take you down to sea level – so much kinder. They did in places though such as Eypemouth and West Bay – so we were able to fit in a grumble or two! All the Broadchurch fans were out in force, lots of photo opportunities by the big cliff!

We had a short ‘toilet break’ stop in busy weekend West Bay and then it was upwards and upwards onto the final destination. The climb out of West Bay was practically vertical – had to take it slowly and lean forward as it felt like you could tip backwards at any time. I felt humbled however by a large Asian group – children, parents and Grandparents who seemed to gaily skip up in flip flops!!

From here on in it was a pleasant walk. Steve enjoyed seeing the golf course that he has played on in the past, especially the hole near the cliff edge.

And we found ourselves in the ‘chocolate box’ village of Burton Bradstock in ample time for a beer and sandwich before our 3.30pm bus back to Lyme Regis. I hadn’t been to this village since I was a child (I always think of the name spoken in true Dorset country tones … Bur’on Braaaaa’stock)!! Can highly recommend the village pub – The Three Horseshoes.

And this was our last walk for now. We’ve covered 60 miles in the last week and a half … 72 miles remaining on our South West coastal path walk … so we’ll be back! In total we have walked nearly 700 miles of the UK coastal path … just 5,800 to go!!

We’re heading down to Weymouth (by car) for a couple of days to catch up with family and friends … fitting in a couple of birthday celebrations.

Then on Saturday we’re flying off to Sri Lanka for 5 weeks. We’ll be moving around the country fitting in some essential sightseeing as well as some England v Sri Lanka cricket. Hope to also squeeze in some lazing around the pool and yoga (my newfound love). Will keep on blogging ….

28th September 2018

A much cooler morning for our walk from Lyme Regis to Seatown, probably more comfortable for walking though.  Parked up in Lyme and set off to face that big hill out of town!

Due to recent landslips in this part of the magnificent Jurassic coastline there was a coastal path diversion that took us through steep hilly woodland (slippy underfoot) and a fair amount of road walking too.  The diversion signs weren’t always great and caused some ‘discussion’ at times …. but we made it through to Charmouth where the diversion ended.  

We stopped for some refreshments in Charmouth and looked out over the beach where many fossil hunters were head down, busy in their search.  I hope they were successful – I have since been informed by our fossil expert Airbnb host, Paddy, that this long hot summer has seen many visiting hunters and a depletion of fossils + this spell of mild weather again is not causing the erosion required to unearth a new supply.  Paddy says that most people go home with something though.  

The weather started to improve, the sun particularly shining in full force every time we were dragging ourselves up a hill – and we faced a few of these again today.   Quite a momentous climb out of Charmouth and the path was pretty close to the cliff edge, the nearest we’ve been on this section – stunning views as always.  

 

And then with 6 miles under our belt we came across the spectacle of ‘Golden Cap’ – at least it gave us an honest view of what we were about to face … and we knew that we had only a few miles left.  So up we went … and up and up … stopping for a couple of bench and jelly baby breaks on the way.  And then we had the pleasurable long stroll down into the coastal hamlet of Seatown – our destination for today.  

We still then however had to walk a mile up the road to Chideock to catch a bus back to Lyme Regis.  Great bus though – The Jurassic Coaster – the X53 – plush seating with tables and even mobile and laptop charging points!!  

And we’ve now checked into a fabulous Airbnb in Silver Street, a cosy self-contained room, with cooking facilities and en-suite – just the job.  The only drawback is iffy wifi connection … so it might take a little while before I get this published!  

Thursday 27th September 2018

We set out from our Airbnb in Seaton having received some local advice from our lovely host Anna.  Today’s walk was from Seaton to Lyme Regis and Anna had advised us that there was an initial climb but from thereon an enjoyable walk.  The Coastal Path guide had indicated a moderate walk so our screaming muscles from yesterday breathed a sigh of relief.  It was half the distance too.  Luxury.

And the advice we had received turned out to be fairly accurate.  Still enough hills, steps and uneven terrain to make it interesting but, particularly in contrast to yesterday, it felt manageable.  Due to coastal landslides in this area, the path actually took us through woodland for most of the day, with occasional glimpses of the sea.  Following yesterday’s clonk on the head, an alteration to our observation techniques were required.  We now have learnt to apply up and down scanning simultaneously – looking out for protruding tree roots as well as those low hanging ‘out to get you’ branches!  No further head grazes today!  It was a pretty walk through rich vegetation, quite wet underfoot at times but we did miss having the sea views.

A mile or so outside of Lyme Regis, a local person had very kindly left a basket of home-grown apples hanging from the Coast Path sign.  So, naturally we helped ourselves to one and they were delicious.  Just a little way on I noticed a old lady in a long skirt lurking in the woods above us – I began to imagine a Snow White scenario … but I kept on munching and lived to tell the tale!

There were a fair few people out on the path again today, all enjoying the sunshine I guess.  We had a bit of a Tortoise and the Hare situation with a group of 3 young Eastern European chaps – they overtook us when we’d stopped for a rest and then we caught them up but stopped so they could carry on ahead.  Then we caught them up again and overtook them this time, while they were resting ….  and we didn’t see them again.  They were however carrying quite sizeable rucksacks but nevertheless it was still a clear win for the ‘oldies.’

So we completed the walk in 3 and a half hours and were able to enjoy some time in Lyme Regis – love this town …. and of course this is where the path enters my home county of Dorset.  Known as the Pearl of Dorset, Lyme Regis is famous for its Cobb and harbour as well as the literary connections – French Lieutenant’s Woman and Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion.’

So spent a relaxing couple of hours lounging on the beach – tried to picnic on sandwiches but were swooped on from all sides by pesky seagulls – Steve won the battle but I gave up on mine!  Had a lovely paddle and would loved to have swum, maybe tomorrow.

Finished the afternoon with a scrumptious ice-cream (shielded from the ever-hungry seagulls) before a climb up an incredibly steep hill to the bus stop – beautiful ride back to Seaton.

A great day.  Planning a visit to a micro-pub now to round things off!

As coastal path walks go, today was TOUGH.  We walked from Sidmouth to Seaton – about 12 miles in total … but what a 12 miles!!  When we had finished I looked at the guide and it said challenging /severe – strenuous – that was pretty accurate.  But we had another glorious day weather-wise and were truly rewarded with the scenery on this magnificent stretch of coastline.  The colours were so vivid against the backdrops of the pretty seaside towns that it felt like being on the continent – we have been incredibly lucky.

 

 

But seriously the hills today were something else – huge climbs and hundreds of steps going up and going down – sometimes it takes all your will to carry on.  I wish they could be kinder in their step design too – sometimes there’s such a drop that I fear my knee won’t take the impact on landing!

Today’s funny incident:  we came to the rescue of some nervous walkers who had ground to a halt as there were cows on the path.  They had heard stories of people being killed by cows, especially when there were calves amongst them, which there were.  Steve stepped up the mark and shooed the cows off the path and so clearing the way – I was so proud of him, even though I was cowering (do you get that?) at his side.

After 3 hours of torturous walking we managed to stop for a bite to eat at ‘The Sea Shanty Cafe’ in Branscombe – overlooking the beautiful beach.  Only a quick stop though as we had to get on, not quite knowing how long today’s trek was going to take.  While we ate lunch we couldn’t help but glance up at the monumental hill in front of us.

So replenished, we made our way up and up once again, facing some tricky paths through woodland.  I heard a cry out from up ahead as Steve managed to walk into an overhanging tree branch – both head and pride wounded …. there had been no warning that a low hanging branch would be there!!

We soldiered on and next found ourselves walking into the historical fishing village of Beer.  Now, there is some history here for me …. the last time I was here was many moons ago.  I had been at a Girl Guide Camp in Dartmoor and the day we were leaving I was taken ill – we were never quite sure whether it was the mouldy jam sandwiches or overdoing the roundabout and swing activities in the park (maybe a combination of both!) – but I was not fit to travel on the coach home with the others.  So I was taken to the Mum’s house of our Guide Captain who lived in Beer – a name I never forgot.  Funny that, how my past should be connected to an alcoholic beverage!

Then after more hills and the final stretch of walking on pebbles we arrived in Sunny Seaton, where we rewarded ourselves with lashings of tea.

So one of the harder days today – but hard to resist more when you see such beauty.  Now recovering with tea and chocolate – this is the life!!