Distance: 20.4 miles
Time: 8 hrs 10 mins
Weather: Warm with sunny intervals
Cumulative distance: 749.9 miles
Cloud cover, the Strawberry line, company and warm hospitality.
As a development of the ice cube idea, I left my water bottles in the freezer overnight, courtesy of the guest kitchen at the B&B.
After checking out, I joined a footpath right outside and climbed up through fields and woods to reach a quiet country lane, which eventually brought me out on an A road. Before long, the clear sky had become cloudy and, coupled with a breeze, walking became comfortable once more.
At Congresbury another of my planned short cuts materialised, enabling me to join the Strawberry line footpath. This was once part of the Great Western Railway and was so called because it was used to transport Cheddar strawberries to London and beyond. Like similar lines, it became one of Dr Beeching's casualties.
I'd planned to visit the Thatcher's cider farm shop highlighted on my map, but it had clearly closed or relocated, so I stopped at the Railway Arms instead. The landlady poured three different ciders for me to sample, then I opted for a pint of the traditional.
I'd arranged to meet my sister Wendy and her husband Chris further down the line and we duly located each other. After a lunch stop in Winscombe, Chris had to return home, so Wendy and I followed the path to Axbridge, then plotted a route across the rhynes (drainage canals) to their house.
My hosts provided a very warm welcome. We relaxed in the garden then had a delicious barbeque dinner, rounded off inevitably by local strawberries and clotted cream. Chris had taken up my challenge of trying to locate local beers with obscure names, some of which we sampled. From Cheddar Ales came Potholer and Gorge Best and from Badger Ales we tried Hopping Hare.
Tomorrow is my final rest day, but in keeping with two of the earlier ones, I plan to cover some of Monday's mileage in a family walk.
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