Billy Bunter and the Hottest Day

I had a good sleep last night. Woke quite a few times but got back to sleep reasonably quickly. If you move in a thin sleeping bag on hard ground that’s not been softened by rain for a few weeks then you’re going to wake up aren’t you. It’s the ground that hasn’t been softened by rain not the sleeping bag. It stinks though. The sleeping bag not the ground. Stains of slugs and rabbit droppings as well as me smelling like a skunk on those nights that I don’t get a shower. I’ll wash it tomorrow. I’m staying in a B&B in Plymouth tomorrow night. My third night in a bed out of the five weeks I’ve been walking (leaving out the break with Maggie in Looe). I’ll go to the launderette and do my stinky clothes, sleeping bag and trainers. Jesus, the trainers smell like a dog’s died in them. Well half a dog in each or two dogs died in them, one in each. Half a dog in each would already be dead at the point of insertion wunnit?

I walked down to Looe this morning, a couple of miles, and got a nice breakfast. There’s a music festival on and they’re expecting 5,000 people over the next three days. Tents and marquees everywhere. A couple of locals were talking and one said “we only started this to put one over on Polperro and now it’s got out of hand”.

Looking back to West Looe and St George’s Island. Did I mention that Joseph of Arimathea landed there with the child Christ? That’s the legend. Who knows?

The route to Rame’s Head, being the southernmost point of Plymouth’s natural harbour, runs up hill and down dale (again), along cliff tops and through some woodland. Tree tunnels like this.

I got tired today but my shoulder wasn’t too painful. Every other part of me was painless too. It was really hot, the hottest day so far. The sweat pours out when you’ve got a heavy rucksack. Going uphill in this heat and humidity sucks the liquid out of your body.
There’s quite a bit of MOD land on this stretch and a massive fort at Tregantle built in the 1860s to blast the French if they tried to invade. Sorry my French colleagues but we’ve had a few wars over the last millennium and most of them have been your fault so we need to defend ourselves. Francis, when we were in Looe in May I knew you were a spy but I decided not to hand you over to the military police. (Joke Franny).

There are lots of butterflies again on this stretch. Look at this lovely little specimen that I managed to get the iPad down to without spooking it.

Just at the side of Tregantle Fort is a catering van – Billy Bunter. A character and a great cook. His sausage sandwich with hot chilli sauce was an absolute treat. Matty – his chilli sauce is hotter than yours!

Finally pitching up at Whitsands Bay as the sun was sinking. Some beautiful empty beaches here too.

I put Wilson up attached to a picnic table.

Back in a city tomorrow. It might feel odd but I don’t think so. 400 miles done!!! A good 14 mile stretch today. All is going pretty good at the moment.

Anyway more importantly Jet goes to Uni on Saturday. Love you little sweetheart. She should be offered modelling work you know. She’s a peach. Here she is on the catwalk doing her heroin chic stroll. Absolute knockout.

Any modelling agencies in Sheffield? If you don’t sign up this youth then you’re off your heads.
Night Night.