• Karen Foster
  • John Foster
現在
  • Karen Foster
  • John Foster

The big trip

Karen & John もっと詳しく
  • 現在地
    🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Rhos-y-meirch, Wales

    Day 28 Kington to Knighton

    昨日, ウェールズ ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We had a lovely breakfast at our camp overlooking the stream. A very nice start to the day. Then it was off on our walk. Today we followed Offa’s Dyke up into the hills, through fields. A couple of stops to take in the views. We stopped for lunch at Dolley Green where there was a Baptist chapel with a bench where we could sit, very nice of them. Then it was on into Knighton where we are staying tonightもっと詳しく

  • Day 27 Hay on Wye to Kington

    6月15日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we had an early start from Hay on Wye. Just as we were packing the tent up there was a heavy rain shower. luckily we managed to run for shelter at the campsite and get everything packed away while we were sheltering from the rain so we were not too wet. That was the only rain we saw all day. As we left Hay on Wye the sun was shining again. We had an uphill climb and were rewarded with great views of the Brecon Beacons. We stopped for a break in Newchurch, there was a church there offering tea, coffee or squash for a small donation, so a good place to stop. We stopped for lunch in a small village, Gladesty. It was a pretty village and a much needed rest. The pub in the village unfortunately doesn’t open on Monday. We are now at our camp Fleece Meadows in Kington. it is lovely here, we are camped right by the river and there are 3 pubs just down the road 😀もっと詳しく

  • Day 26 rest day in Hay on Wye

    6月14日, ウェールズ ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we had a really slow start to the day. Leisurely breakfast, pastries and coffee. Then we needed to do some clothes washing, luckily it is dry and warm today and there is a place at the camp where we can hang our washing. We will have properly clean clothes again. Just before lunch we walked into Hay on Wye. Looked around some bookshops. The bookshops are so good, every type of book you can imagine. I can spend hours in each shop. Then we visited Hay Castle. That is a good place to visit, you can wander the gardens and go in the cafe as well as visit the castle itself. After that it was time for refreshments, we visited a couple of old pubs and tried their beer. Then a walk back to our camp for picnic dinner and a rest.
    PS Karen loved it, more book shops in Hay on Wye than in a big city.
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  • Day 25 Pandy to Hay on Wye

    6月13日, ウェールズ ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today we were on Offa’s Dyke path again. Great views. Today started with a big climb and then it was a walk along the ridge. It was quite windy on the ridge, but the weather was lovely and sunny. We found a sheltered spot for lunch and there were some sheltered spots along the way with great views where we took a break. Towards the end of the walk we had a stand of with a herd of cows, there was a small bridge across a stream that we needed to cross but the cows were guarding it at the other end and would not move. There was us and about 6 other hikers all debating how we could cross, in the end we climbed a gate into the neighbours field, ran round the edge of that and climbed another gate to get back on the track and avoid the cows. Luckily we all managed to get through. The cows won that battle. Then it was a nice stroll into Hay on Wye, which is a lovely town and especially in today’s sunshine. Then on to our camp for tonight, Radner’s End, just outside the town.
    PS We nearly got blown off the ridge. We were on top of the Brecon Beacons for about 12 miles. Has to shelter behind a wall for lunch.
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  • Day 24 Monmouth to Pandy

    6月12日, ウェールズ ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Today was a lovely day for walking, dry, bright and just the right temperature. we set of after a coffee and pastry for breakfast in our room. The pub didn’t start breakfast til 8:30am, which was too late for us. we set off walking just after 7am. we walked through forest, then open fields, with great views. we passed 2 villages that had churches that offered coffee, tea and juice, and a place to rest. we passed one in the morning and one in the afternoon which was perfect for our breaks. Thank you to those churches. At lunch time we stopped at the remains of The White Castle. We had a look around and then had lunch at their picnic tables. This is really nice walking. Tonight we are camping in Pandy at The River’s Edge, a pub with a camp site. They have a small area for backpacker tents, we are there with one other couple. Looking forward to beer and food in the pub tonight.もっと詳しく

  • Day 23 Chepstow to Monmouth

    6月11日, ウェールズ ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Today we walked the Offas Dyke path. The path was great, well way marked, easy to follow, really nice path. The weather was awful. It rained and rained and rained. The path turned into a mud bath. The views were still lovely but it made the walking harder than it should have been. When we got to Redbrook we stopped for hot chocolate and a rest. This was a lovely little village and after than it was only a couple of hours further to Monmouth. We got to our accommodation The Punch House and cleaned up and have now had a nice walk around Monmouth. It’s a nice town, we’ve seen the remains of the castle and the fortified bridge and had some nice food and a glass of wine and it has stopped raining, so we are happy now 😀
    PS John says The trail shoes did not cope with the mud, spent more time on my ass today than on my feet. 😂
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  • Day 22 Avonmouth the Chepstow

    6月10日, ウェールズ ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Today our walk started on the King Charles 3rd Coast Path out of Avonmouth. It wasn’t the most picturesque start. The path goes through a very industrial area and is actually just a pavement on a very busy road, then when the path comes off the pavement it is overgrown and full of rubbish. But we persevered and it did get better as we got towards Severn Beach. We also found a nice little cafe there for coffee and cake, so that lifted my spirits considerably. Then we crossed the Severn Bridge. That was hair raising! It was very windy and took my breath away. Once over the Severn Bridge we were soon into Chepstow. It has some nice old parts. We visited Chepstow Castle, which was interesting and we are staying at Castle View hotel, which is interesting and a very old inn.
    PS Found a Wetherspoons in Chepstow so taking Karen on the town for a big night out tonight 😂
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  • Day 21 Walnut Tree Farm to Avonmouth

    6月9日, イングランド ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we managed to pack up the tent before the rain came. It was wet however as it had rained during the night, but everything in it was dry. However the rain then came and it was very heavy. It made the first part of the walk challenging. Finally after about 3 hours we came across a cafe in Long Ashton and went in for a reprieve from the rain. We tried to clean ourselves up a bit before we went in, we took off our wet and muddy rain coat and trousers and I took my boots off, luckily they had a clock area so we could just leave our stuff there. It was so nice to sit out of the rain for a while. By the time we left the rain had stopped and the sun came out, in time for us to go over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It was interesting to go into the museum to learn about it before crossing and we are our lunch on the other side, with great views. We then walked on along the Severn way to our stop tonight in Avonmouth. The Severn way was quite a nice walk. Where we are staying at the Miles Arms Hotel is OK, room is clean. Maybe we haven’t seen the best of Avonmouth yet.もっと詳しく

  • Day 20 Cheddar to Walnut Tree Farm

    6月8日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    This morning it was very rainy. The forecast said showers, but they were very heavy showers. Luckily we had a short days walking today (about 10 miles) and we didn’t have to check out of the pod until 11am. So we had a slow start to the day and waited for the ‘showers’ (deluge of rain) to stop. Which they did at about 10am. We walked through Cheddar Gorge, amazing views. Then on through paths through what had been old Lead mines. The only clue to that past being how undulating the land was. We passed through some farm fields on paths and some nice villages on lanes. The walking was really good, and the sun came out. We arrived at Walnut Tree Farm where we are camping tonight around 4:30pm. It is great here, the sun is shining we have loads of space, there are barrels to sit on and a fire pit right next to us.
    PS And there is a pub a mile away and I am off to it 🍺
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  • Day 19 rest day in Cheddar

    6月7日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today we are stopping in Cheddar but we decided to visit Wells. I’m very glad we did. It is a beautiful little city. We explored the Bishop’s palace and the cathedral and Vicar’s Close, the oldest remaining medieval street in Britain. We really enjoyed our day in Wells and now we are resting back in our pod again.もっと詳しく

  • Day 18 Street to Cheddar

    6月6日, イングランド ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Today started well. We had a very nice breakfast at Hygge Somerset. Toast, eggs, coffee, set us up for our days walking. We set off just after 7am and first headed for Glastonbury. The weather was really clear and we got great views from Glastonbury Tor. It was quite windy and I nearly got blown away. But we made it down back into Glastonbury and had a coffee and a walk round the shops. It was very nice. Then we set off for Cheddar. It was easy walking as this area is quite flat, but the rain started and it went on and on and on. When we reached Wedmore ( a couple of hours walk from our camp) we saw a pub and decided it was a great place for a break. It was so nice to get out of the rain. Then we were off again ( in the rain) to Cheddar. We got to the site just after 5pm, luckily tonight we are in a pod, so no trying to pitch the tent in the rain.
    PS John says it was tough today, second day on the run over 30km. It is flattish, but rainy conditions, country lanes, poorly maintained, overgrown and blocked paths. Views from Glastonbury were great though.
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  • Day 17 Cannington to Street

    6月5日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today was a long days walk (over 19 miles) so we set off early. There was a lot of lane walking today. A couple of hours after we set off we were in Bridgwater. We were just walking through industrial estates, shopping centres and housing. But we did manage to get breakfast in subway and I go myself an inflatable pillow from mountain warehouse, as I have been missing a pillow when camping. We left Bridgwater going over the M5. The walk then became far more rural, passing through some very nice villages. We arrived in Street earlier than we thought we would, there were only a couple of climbs in today’s walk (giving us good views of Glastonbury Tor) otherwise it was very flat easy walking. We had a walk along Street High St, which is very nice. Tonight we are staying at Hygge Somerset, this is a great place. We can use the kitchen, so we bought ourselves some meals from Sainsbury’s. Our host is really nice and the place is so comfortable.
    PS John Says 17 days is as far as we have ever walked in days before. 265 miles is 65 more than we have walked before.
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  • Day 16 Washford to Cannington

    6月4日, イングランド ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Today we walked up and over the Quantock Hills. We set off early as we had a long walk today. Our first stop was Williton to get food for lunch. We have to plan our food stops carefully as there are no other options along this route. We picked up lunch and as there was a coffee shop too we stopped for coffee. Then it was off on our walk. Quite easy walking at first then we hit a navigational issue, our map said we had to walk straight through a farm and I mean straight through, I didn’t like that idea, especially as the farmers dogs didn’t seem to like the idea either. So I decided that we should cross a railway line (there was a pedestrian crossing) and dash along an A road ( it was very busy and there was no pavement), John was not happy with that idea, but we did it and we survived. After that we were back to nice country walking again we did pass a few farms but no angry dogs. Then we passed through a forest area, which was very nice and had a picnic area where we stopped for lunch. We had just settled down to eat our lunch when a heavy rain shower came over, but we had our waterproofs on and the shower didn’t last long so it was fine. Sandwiches were a bit soggy though. Then we needed to navigate to our accommodation for tonight across more farmland. This time we had to navigate round cattle, then when we finally made it out of the field we found a sign that said the farm had redirected the path to avoid the cattle field, but the same sign wasn’t at the other end of the field when we entered, or it might have been blown away. It is rather windy. Anyway we have made it to the Malt Shovel Inn in Cannington and to my great joy the room has a bath. The first thing I did was take a nice soak in the bath. Now we will seek some refreshments at the Innもっと詳しく

  • Day 15 Luccombe to Washford

    6月3日, イングランド ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    We packed up early today as rain was forecast at 7am and I didn’t want to be packing up a wet tent. We had coffee and fruit for breakfast and then set off. We did get a lot of rain showers today but interspersed with some lovely sunshine. We followed the Macmillan way most of today, starting off through forest until we arrived at Dunster, which is a lovely medieval village. The high street was very pretty, we stopped for a coffee as it was raining and we wanted to wait out the shower. Then we had a walk around the village before going to Dunster castle. Well worth a visit, we spent a couple of hours there, luckily today is a short mileage day (only about 14 miles). We then set off again on the Macmillan way to Washford. It started off as a fairly well defined path through forest and then started to go through farmland, we needed to take a few detours as fields had been planted so we had to go around the edges, but we got there in the end. We are now enjoying a pint at the White Horse Inn where we are staying tonight.
    PS funny bit was Karen making friends with the local hunting pack and then the horses They really took a liking to Karen. 👏
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  • Day 14 Simonsbath to Luccombe

    6月2日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Today we had a late start. Breakfast at 9am then off to the cafe in Simonsbath to stock up on food for today, as we will not pass anywhere to get food today. The weather was much better than yesterday. We got a few rain showers in the morning, some of them heavy, but then by the afternoon they had cleared. Today was real moor walking. Through bog and across marsh. We had to test the ground with our walking sticks to ensure we didn’t end up neck deep in the bog. The views though were well worth it. When we reached Dunkery beacon we had views out to Wales across the Bristol Channel. We also got a clear view of Western-Super-Mare. Combined with the views across Exmoor it was pretty amazing and worth the climb up there. Tonight we are camping at Porlock Vale camp a real off grid campsite, so quiet and lovely and the sun is currently shining. What more could we want.
    PS John says, What more could you want? All i got was moor, moors, and more moors today John says a proper bed and a beer would do.
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  • Day 13 Barnstaple to Simonsbath (Exmoor)

    6月1日, イングランド ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Well we had some weather today. It started off ok dry but overcast as we left Barnstaple. We had had breakfast with Emma, Elsie and Danny and bid them goodbye and then we were off walking. The walk was straight forward at first through fields and quiet country lanes. We stopped in Brayford to eat our lunch. A very small village but it had some picnic tables by a small stream so we sat there for a rest. That is when the rain started. At first it was only light rain, nothing to worry about. We carried on through country lanes out of Brayford until we had to start making our way up onto Exmoor. Then the rain got heavier. The walking was also harder, through fields of long grass with very little sign of any actual path. We only knew we were going the right way because we were following the OS map. Climbing over a few stiles, through a few gates until we reached a better path. It was very misty by this point. The final couple of miles to the Exmoor Forest Inn where we are staying were along a country lane and the rain was really heavy by this point. It was such a relief when we arrived at the Inn. I had initially booked camping in their garden but I asked if they had a room available instead and they did. I am so glad because I really was not looking forward to putting the tent up in that weather! We are now in a lovely warm, dry room and very happy.
    PS Must be mad to do this on a day like this 😂
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  • Day 12 Bideford to Barnstaple

    5月31日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We set off early today from our camp, after a nice breakfast and coffee in their great utility room. It had rained during the night, we were nice and dry inside the tent but it was still wet when I packed it up, so that added some weight to my pack today. Luckily it was a fairly easy walk. Started with some hill climbing and scrambling through fields. We passed through Bideford, which has some urban areas on the outskirts but has a historical centre as you get towards the river. Soon we were on the very well defined Tarka Trail (which also crosses with the South West Coast Path at various points). It was easy flat walking and we passed through some lovely little villages. Instow was very pretty with views to Appledore across the estuary. We stopped for lunch at the old Fremington station, which was very nice. Then on in to Barnstaple where we met up with Emma (our daughter), Danny (her husband) and Elsie (our granddaughter). We’ve spent a lovely couple of hours with them at Westwood Ho and we will all have dinner together tonight. Great end to the day.もっと詳しく

  • Day 11 Hartland to Bideford

    5月30日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we woke up to a rather soggy morning. It hadn’t rained but it had been cold during the night so there was a very heavy dew. I was lovely and warm inside my sleeping bag with my thermals on so didn’t realise how cold it had been until I got up in the morning. Our walk today started through fields and quiet lanes again, then we got back on to the SWCP. We passed through Clovelly which was definitely not to be missed, even though the steep cobbled streets were challenging to walk. It is a beautiful place and half way back up the hill we stopped off for a coffee and a chat with some of the locals. Then we were off again along the path. We then stopped at Bucks Mill for lunch, we found a nice bench overlooking the beach and stayed there for a while. Then we walked through some little country lanes to our camp for tonight. It is a very nice place, very quiet.
    PS John says: That’s the last of the cliff walking for a while. Glad to see the back of it. Now we have a few days of rain and Exmoor to look forward to. 😂👍
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  • Day 10 Bude to Hartland

    5月29日, イングランド ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we detoured off the SWCP a bit. My left knee isn’t liking all the steep ups and downs on that path so for the first half of today we took an inland route across fields and through country lanes, it was much easier walking. Still some hills but not as sharp up and down as on the SWCP. For the second half we did rejoin the path as the scenery is stunning and worth risking my knee for. We passed Hartland Quay and then Hartland Abbey ( but it was closed) on the way up to Hartland village, our camp site for tonight is just outside the village. A very nice days walking and my knee held up fine.
    PS We left Cornwall today, no more black and white Cornish flags. Now in Devon. Is that a good excuse to stop? 😂😂
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  • Day 9 rest day in Bude

    5月28日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today was a lovely rest day in Bude. We got up late 6:30am and washed all our clothes as there is a laundry at our accommodation. Such luxury having properly clean clothes. Then we had a walk to the Castle and sat for a while reading. This afternoon I had a lovely massage at a place called Restore, hot and cold stones massage. It was great and really released the tension in my back, after carrying the backpack for 8 days. Then me and John went to a beach sauna. A little mobile sauna on the beach with a cold plunge bath set up next to it. It was great and the view was amazing. Now we’ll have an early night before setting off walking again tomorrowもっと詳しく

  • Day 8 Boscastle to Bude

    5月27日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today was an early start as it was going to be hot again. Thankfully there was a breeze blowing when we started and it made the walking feel so much easier. There was still a lot of up and down cliffs but up to about lunchtime at least it felt cooler. We stopped at Tremounth Haven for coffee and cake and later we had lunch sat high on the cliffs above the bay (because I refused to walk any further without food). The cliffs were very dramatic by the time we got to Widemouth beach I was exhausted from all the walking up and down the cliff path. We stopped at a cafe for drinks and ice cream and then slowly made our way on to Bude, our stop for 2 nights, we have a rest day tomorrow and I am looking forward to that 😀
    PS I’m shattered. Glad for a rest day tomorrow. 👏👏
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  • Day 7 Port Gaverne to Boscastle

    5月26日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    What a tough day. It started really well with a lovely breakfast at our hotel. Then the walking began, it started with a great steep uphill, then a terrifying downhill, then another scramble up hill and that was how it went for about 8 miles, before we ended up on a cliff top with a path that was just about wide enough to put one foot in front of the other without going over the edge. We did stop at a lovely little cove for lunch, we couldn’t swim as the sea was coming in and it was crashing over the rocks, but we did find a shady spot to sit. We walked through Tintagel and saw King Arthur’s castle. We then passed King Arthur’s Inn and thought it would be rude not to call in for a Cider. After that the cliff walking to Boscastle seemed slightly easier. Our campsite is on the top of a big hill, it is a lovely spot and very peaceful. So we are now settling down for picnic tea, with G&T in a can to celebrate surviving today.
    PS We passed no one doing a long hike today. I said to karen at one point that the South West Coast path was really tough, she replied if it was easy everybody would be doing it, not just a pair of idiots like us. I thought that summed things up well 😂😂
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  • Day 6 Trevone to Port Gaverne

    5月25日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Oh boy, today was a hot one, anything from 27 degrees to 500 degrees depending on who you speak to. In reality I think it was around 29 degrees, now for the UK that it hot and when you are walking up and down enormous cliff paths it’s even hotter. The scenery was still amazing and we just took lots of breaks, Coffee in Padstow, then we took the Padstow ferry across the estuary. The other option would have been to swim and it is a long way across that estuary. We stopped for a swim in Daymer Bay, well John swam and I paddled (I don’t like the big waves). We stopped for lunch at Pentireglaze, a national trust property with picnic tables and we could pick up extra drinking water ( we needed it). We passed through Port Quin, where we stopped to sit in the shade by the harbour, and Port Isaac (Doc Martin country). It was then a short ( up a very steep hill) walk to our accommodation for tonight, Port Gaverne hotel. It’s a great place right across the road from the harbour, where we went for a swim, and there is a bath ( that was so welcome tonight).
    PS John says it is too hot to hike. Everyone else is on the beach or in the sea.
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  • Day 5 Newquay to Trevone

    5月24日, イングランド ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today we set off later than usual as breakfast in the hotel was 8:30am and we couldn’t set off without breakfast. So we set off around 9:30am. It was an easy walk across Newquay beaches. We saw an aircraft carrier going across the bay, now there’s something you don’t see every day. It was getting plenty of attention. We passed so many beaches and coves today and they were all beautiful. We stopped at Morgan Porth for ice cream. Then later we stopped at Porthcothan beach for a swim, lunch and to rest for a while. That was really nice. Then we had a further 5 or so miles to walk to our camp, perched high above the bay, with great views. It also has a cocktail bar and a pizza oven, this is a great campsite.
    PS Karen said let’s go for a swim. I go in knee deep, get knocked over by a wave, absolutely freezing water was 14 degrees but felt colder. Karen dips her toe and. gets out. 😂 I think she’s taking the michael out of me.
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  • Day 4 St Agnes to Newquay

    5月23日, イングランド ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We woke up to a rather damp camp this morning. It had rained during the night and was a very misty morning. Still it was nice enough for us to sit outside the tent and have coffee and porridge. We started walking early about 7:30am. Today was not as long a walk so we were able to take it nice and easy, stopping to sit on the beaches and admire the views. Today had everything, some hills, plenty of flat top of cliffs walking, beach walking, dunes and moorland type walking. We passed more relics of Cornwalls mining past and military relics from WW2, including walking past a WW2 airfield. We had a great break when we got to Fistral beach, the weather was lovely and we enjoyed a rest there. Then it was a walk through the streets of Newquay, very busy with holidaymakers enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend, to our accommodation for the night at the Griffin Inn.
    PS walked through some great little Cornish seaside towns and beaches. Could have spent longer in each one.
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