The start.
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Day 1 - Minehead - Porlock
Author: Dave
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In the beginning......
Castle Cary, Platform 2.
After months of meticulous planning and despite 'Red' Bob Crow threatening rail strikes, we were off with high expectations. Train, tube, train and bus. We got as far as train No.2 when the brakes locked on and we were stranded on Castle Carey Platform 2 for a couple of hours. While people were ranting and raving and shouting at the conductor, I did the only thing I could do in this kind of crisis - I sat down and ate my packed lunch that I had the forethought to bring. As train stations go, this wasn't too bad a place to be stuck for a couple of hours on a sunny day in April. Train No.3 came along and we all piled on.....no free seats so we sat on our packs in the corridor for twenty minutes. No real problem - we were on holiday after all and as it turned out it was a good result as we had most of our fare refunded with the final cost of a return trip at £10 each.
After an interesting bus ride for the last stretch to Minehead full of single mothers going to Butlins for an 'adult' weekend while half their kids were in care (I don't like to stereotype but if you could have heard the conversations on the bus.....), we arrived at Minehead. After the mandatory photo of us both together in front of the start sculpture taken by an old bloke with an even older Alsation, we found another responsible adult to take it again - this time with us both in the picture rather than just our knees.
And we were off......and up - and gratefully leaving Minehead behind ! The pull up the first hill of the whole path was steep and long and we were both puffing like asthmatic donkeys after five minutes; little did we know this would be the format for the next few days. We got to the top and the path then split into the standard route and the 'rugged' path (or sheep track would have been a better description). It was worth doing, with panoramic views across to Wales and to the hills on the other side of Porlock.
After an interesting bus ride for the last stretch to Minehead full of single mothers going to Butlins for an 'adult' weekend while half their kids were in care (I don't like to stereotype but if you could have heard the conversations on the bus.....), we arrived at Minehead. After the mandatory photo of us both together in front of the start sculpture taken by an old bloke with an even older Alsation, we found another responsible adult to take it again - this time with us both in the picture rather than just our knees.
And we were off......and up - and gratefully leaving Minehead behind ! The pull up the first hill of the whole path was steep and long and we were both puffing like asthmatic donkeys after five minutes; little did we know this would be the format for the next few days. We got to the top and the path then split into the standard route and the 'rugged' path (or sheep track would have been a better description). It was worth doing, with panoramic views across to Wales and to the hills on the other side of Porlock.
The slog out of Minehead.
One other notable feature was the rather large piles of poo along the route. Either they were keeping elephants on this section or a truly enormous 'beast' of Porlock was roaming the hills by night picking off stray SWCP walkers. Stay off the moor, beware of the moon and don't stray off the path !
This was only a short day as we hadn't started until mid afternoon and we were soon back down off the hill via an extremely steep and slippery scree slope into Porlock and our first b&b of the walk. It set the standardfor b&b's - a very high standard ! A fine meal a few doors down and then a couple of jars in the pub over the road while listening to the locals discuss the advantages of string bailers over wire bailers and watching the biggest rotweiler you've ever seen lick it's knackers...was this indeed the 'beast' of Porlock ?
This was only a short day as we hadn't started until mid afternoon and we were soon back down off the hill via an extremely steep and slippery scree slope into Porlock and our first b&b of the walk. It set the standardfor b&b's - a very high standard ! A fine meal a few doors down and then a couple of jars in the pub over the road while listening to the locals discuss the advantages of string bailers over wire bailers and watching the biggest rotweiler you've ever seen lick it's knackers...was this indeed the 'beast' of Porlock ?
