My first walk alone was on January 2nd 2014. I thought "just do it". Stop thinking that everyone else is having a happy family/relationship time at weekends and you are missing out. Stop thinking that you are the only person alone out there and get on with your life! So off I trundled to Budleigh Salterton in East Devon....
"That's not very wild" you might say but, with no instructions, I walked down the path (ok so not very wild but it was a step in the right direction) and arrived at Otterton via the white bridge (not sure why it is called white!). I passed all the bird spotting hides along the way and, wanting to be adventurous, I went the"raised path" route over the boggy area...this was a mistake as I ended up having to cross the "boggy area" to get back to the path I should have stayed on - very wild eh?!! Well I was trying to avoid following people all the way and it did the trick.....for a few hundred yards!
So that only took half an hour! Otterton is a fab little village, very scenic and has great Mill Cafe and shop. Bearing in mind it was only 10am, as I had set off early to catch the fantastic morning winter sun, I decided to continue on through the village and see if I could find the coast path.
Off I strode through random roads, in the general direction of the coast, uphill so that I could see the view from the top (which I hoped would include some sea!). Checked with a couple of friendly ladies that I was indeed heading towards the coast - phew! And when I hit the coast path, what a view! Ladram Bay has great red rocks usually home to many seagulls and probably other birds too (need to improve my bird knowledge!)
From there I felt free - easy walk along the coast but a lot longer than the inland route I had taken. With no map I was just keeping going and finally reached Budleigh again. Successful walk with no fear, just freedom and invigorating fresh air putting a spring in my step and a smile on my face - my walking weekends had started! Where next?
So that only took half an hour! Otterton is a fab little village, very scenic and has great Mill Cafe and shop. Bearing in mind it was only 10am, as I had set off early to catch the fantastic morning winter sun, I decided to continue on through the village and see if I could find the coast path.
Off I strode through random roads, in the general direction of the coast, uphill so that I could see the view from the top (which I hoped would include some sea!). Checked with a couple of friendly ladies that I was indeed heading towards the coast - phew! And when I hit the coast path, what a view! Ladram Bay has great red rocks usually home to many seagulls and probably other birds too (need to improve my bird knowledge!)
From there I felt free - easy walk along the coast but a lot longer than the inland route I had taken. With no map I was just keeping going and finally reached Budleigh again. Successful walk with no fear, just freedom and invigorating fresh air putting a spring in my step and a smile on my face - my walking weekends had started! Where next?
More walks to follow.......