Day 50: Okehampton to Lewdown

Distance: 14.6 miles
Time: 5 hrs 50 mins
Weather: Warm and sunny
Cumulative distance: 843.7 miles

A pleasant accompanied walk along the Two Castles Trail and an accommodation hiccup.

After a delicious breakfast with extensive choices and equally extensive conversation with my host Ali, I walked down to the Tourist Information Centre to meet my two walking partners for the day. Ian, my brother in law arrived first, shortly followed by Lucie, my key contact at Cancer Research UK.

Ian lives in Plymouth and had travelled by car and bus to join me for the day and would do the same tomorrow. Lucie lives in London, but was visiting her parents in North Somerset for the weekend. She was accompanied by Diddie, her very well behaved terrier (named after Didier Drogba!).

In perfect walking conditions, we followed the trail across rolling countryside and woodland until we reached Bridestowe, where we visited the local pub for refreshments. Later on the signposts went into hiding and we strayed slightly from the route, rejoining it after crossing several fields. As with many of the official trails, we didn't pass a soul for the entire day.

We reached Lewtrenchard, where Ian had parked his car, and where Lucie and Diddie left us to retrace their steps back to Okehampton. Ian and I drove a few miles to have a welcome beer (Timothy Taylor's Landlord), then he dropped me off at my farmhouse B&B.

I could tell immediately from the look on Sylvia the owner's face that there was a problem. She'd not entered my confirmation into the book and was double booked - she was embarrassed and hugely apologetic. However, in true British spirit, within five minutes she'd produced a Devon cream tea for me and was relocating her daughter so that I had a room for the night!