He said:
The heat is taking its toll.
We have had unusually hot weather, and this makes walking difficult, especially when these are also the longest segments in the hike; up to 14 miles per day.
The Wessex Ridgeway is not a path so much as an intended route, the open fields often have no well defined path to follow, and most of the surface is uneven and rutted or rocky. We probably need to go through a boot camp to better prepare for this.
So, we have felt like we were on a death march.
No, really, we are fine and fully recovered in our room. Many places in England do not have AC, so, for another day in a row, it's 9PM and the temp is in the 80's in our room.
116 miles walked in 11 days now, 2 more days to go....
We have been without a network connection for 3 days now, having been out in quite rural areas, I'd call it "extreme rurality" if I could legally do so in English. Now that we have a connection in Beaminster, we can get the blog and photos up to date.
She said:
Yes, the big news is the weather - Hot, Hot, Hot.
Now, I'm a great walker. I can walk in rain or cold or dark. I can walk in city or in country. I can walk for miles and miles and miles. Actually, the only thing I hate when I walk is...heat.
Needless to say, these last few days have been a challenge for me (hence the photo at the lead of this post.)
Lots of interesting sights and experiences, though, along the way:
We walked by tended water fields where watercress is being farmed.
Wild garlic abounds in the woods - so intoxicatingly fragrant.
The bluebells are in full bloom now, and they also carpet the forest floors - when we walk through the woods it is very magical.
Along the path towards Tolland Royal we met three woman walking. They've been friends since fourth grade and continue to make time to travel together. They are originally from Alamo, CA (wait, the world gets even smaller.) One lives now in Palo Alto (we'll meet at Whole Foods for coffee when we both return.) They were great fun to talk with and walk with for a while.
One day. as we finished our packed lunch on a country lane, we heard a low, loud hum coming towards us. We watched in amazement as a (big) swarm of bees passed by us, not ten feet away.
When we passed from Wiltshire into Dorset, the waymarks became much nicer - beautifully carved wooden arrows on frequent signposts.
Pheasant abound - the male has a shrill, harsh hiccup of a call and he lets loose whenever anything comes within about 25 feet of him. Lots of shrill, harsh hiccuping going on.
One day, we had a very posh packed lunch - smoked salmon tea sandwiches!
We saw a small snake sunning him(her?)self right across the path. He(she?) had to be prodded to move along.
At Foxhangers B+B we were treated to the real B+B experience. Jane, our hostess, had one, small room to let. She is an elderly widow who was so thrilled for our company and who had just recently begun to have travelers in again. She was excellent company and we had a wonderful visit with her.
Hot, Hot, Hot and Up, Up, Up. The Death March began.
On Sunday, the Wessex Ridgeway was being used for both a runners' relay race and a horse cross country event. After having the trail virtually to ourselves for five days, it was weird to have such traffic. Interesting, though, to talk with race coordinators and event organizers.
We stayed one night at The Dairy House Farm, a working farm in an idyllic setting. They had many new calves (some young as one week) in the field just below our window - a real treat to see. We also chose to have a fully cooked English Breakfast there which was a great decision as everything was farm fresh and delicious.
More Hot and more Up.
We passed a Caravan Park and were surprised to see caravan-ers sitting full on in the sun. Seemed to us like a crazy thing to be doing in 80 degree weather but I guess they don't see those temps too often and probably couldn't believe their good fortune. (Meanwhile, I was ready to pass out or crack up.)
We took a detour from the path to see The Giant, a huge , male figure carved into the chalk hillside by the Romans sometime around 100 A.D. He is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He carries a big club. He is naked. He has a giant erection. I wonder what message the Romans were sending to their conquered people with The Giant?
We met two woman on the path who were amazed by our trip, even though I was a blubbering idiot by then from the heat. I characterized us as "crazy" but they thought I should use the word "intrepid" instead. So, from now on, we are intrepid. I like that.
At the end of our walk one day, we walked to the pub where a taxi was prearranged to pick us up to bring us to our lodging for the night. They were closed for their afternoon break, but after hearing that we'd just walked 12 miles, the innkeeper promptly poured us pints.
This morning, we started our walk by poking around in the village church (built 1150) and walking along the "infant" River Frome, where we watched flying insects dance an elaborate, circular dance at what looked like break-neck speed. We watched a hawk hunting for breakfast. These simple things seemed wondrous. Vacations are the best.
Still Hot and still Up, but today we had our first glimpse of the sea in the distance.
Two more walking days.
Feet are sore.
Soul is soaring.
EB
May 21 Photos
May 22 Photos
May 23 Photos
May 24 Photos
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