Day 74: North Petherton to West Bagborough
📏 Distance: 11.83 miles (19.04 km)
☀️ Weather: Dry and warm all day
🕤 Start Time: 09:21 | Finish Time: 15:00
Today has been all about the Quantock Hills, and what a beautiful stretch it's been.
From the very beginning the walk was uphill, peppered with the occasional downhill section. The climb was worth it though. The views across the countryside were stunning, especially looking out towards the Bristol Channel and beyond to Wales. Hinkley Point power station stood out on the horizon, a stark contrast to the rolling natural beauty around it.
Most of the walking today was on roads, as many of the local footpaths have been impassable. That said, progress was steady. I did run into a couple of waterlogged challenges—flood water stretching across the roads. Thankfully, the camber of the roads meant the centre was slightly raised, so while I did have to wade through in places, the water never went completely over my boots.
Lunch was on the slopes of Cothelstone Hill, and not long after I came across a charming little café in the garden of the owner’s house so I stopped and treated myself to a coffee and chocolate brownie as lunch dessert..
We’re camped tonight in West Bagborough, and what a warm welcome we’ve had. Huge thanks to Jane, Terry, and their daughter Karen, who’ve gone above and beyond. Karen even contacted a friend at the BBC, which led to Adam getting to speak to Dan at the local newsdesk. Not only that, but they posted about us on their Facebook page, which brought Dr. Barbara Bond from the village out to meet us. She was incredibly kind and even offered to take us to the pub—though we soon discovered it was fully booked due to a gig. Still, the thought was very kind.
Such lovely people—thank you all so much.
Tomorrow is another shortish day of 13.6 miles, and with rain in the forecast, I’m just hoping the weather continues to be kind.
