Day 42 Sharkham Point to Torquay

 I had a lovely evening with the Pullen’s and slept soundly  in their spare room. I was also treated to an egg & bacon butty for breakfast. Thank you both for your generosity and hospitality. It meant a lot. 

I set off from Sharkham Point and headed towards Berry Head. Firstly I had to walk around St Mary’s Bay which was very pretty. 

A nice walk along the headlands ensued. I bumped into a lady called Pauline, who immediately asked me if I was walking the coast path. I explained what I was doing and she kindly donated £10 towards my fundraiser. Thank you Pauline. 

I reached Berry Head, which is an old military fort. I didn’t venture around the whole place, but it was still very interesting. 

I then walked down into Brixham Harbour, which is England’s busiest fishing harbour. There were also a lot of sailing boats moored. 

However, as I walked around to Churston Cove, I discovered that some sailors prefer not to pay the harbour fees! 

There then followed a nice bit of woodland walking, beside a golf course. The tree cover came in handy, as we had a couple of sharp rain showers. I was able to avoid having to get togged up in waterproofs! 

I stopped off in Broadsands Beach for a coffee, which I was in desperate need of, because prior to drinking it, I felt jaded and tired! 

I then had to walk alongside the railway line for a while. I’d previously heard the whistle of a steam train, but had not caught sight of where it was. I was hoping to see the famous Dartmouth & Paignton Steam Railway, but none came along until I had dropped down below the track. I heard one approach and did my best impression of trying to run with a 16kg pack on, to catch a glimpse! 

I was well chuffed to see it for a second😜

After that, I began to enter the more ‘bucket & spade’ area of Paignton, but it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. 

After Paignton, there was a lot of walking alongside a busy main road, which was quite a shock to the system after so long. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. 

I reached Torquay by 2:45. I quickly checked into the Premier Inn, then headed out to explore Torquay Town Centre. I don’t know if they have a smart out of town shopping centre, but the main shopping street was an absolute dump. It was full of the toothless & tattooed, most of whom were inebriated. If it wasn’t them annoying you, it was massive seagulls fighting over scraps of food! 

Officially, I walked just over 11 miles today. I was expecting them to be dull and boring, but apart from the last couple of miles, that was not the case. It was mostly enjoyable.