Preparation for the Cotswolds

Well its only a few weeks now till I head off to Bath to start the next stage of my "Long Walk" journey from Bath to Worcester. This is approximately 100 miles and will mean that when this is finished I will have walked from Land's End to Worcester a journey of about 330 miles.In preparation and to get my feet used to the average daily mileage of 15 miles a day, I set out this morning for my 10 mile training walk along the coast to Sidmouth. The morning was beautiful and the sea sparkled in the bright sunshine. As I descended the hill into the village of Beer  holiday makers were already up and about waiting for the bus to Sidmouth. Walking out of Beer I passed Pecorama gardens and model railway centre, where the first visitors of the day were just arriving. Out through the quiet lanes and down through the steep woodland paths I travelled, finally arriving in Branscombe. A bench outside the local church provided my drinks stop as I headed to the donkey sanctuary. From here

I followed a path through the woods to the coast. The views of the coast above Sidmouth are splendid along with the final descent  into Sidmouth through fields and houses down to the river Sid.