Street to Fiddington – via Bridgwater which I hereby declare uninhabitable by humans

Hello chums, wife, family, random internet trawlers and anyone else who doesn’t know me. Emotional day – waaaah! I’m leaving the Bavs’ house – waaaah! They dropped me off in Street and went away. Left me on my own. Waaaah! Thanks matey boy and girl. It’s been great. This is them, Linda cooking and Martin opening lager cans. Perfect hosts.

I had a Maccydee breakfast, double sausage and egg McMuffin in Street, and then set off west along the A39. This is Somerset levels country and was underwater 1500 years ago, so it’s flat. But I was aiming for a ridge that ran 8 miles towards Bridgwater. Glad I was too, as the A39 was deadly with no pedestrian walkway and steep banks, funnelling me into a rural death trap. I split off, heading south towards Taunton, and then cut up towards the ridge. 

This is the Spleen of rural England. Well… it’s not the heart, liver or owt like that. Kidney? Anyway it’s great country. And there’s a feeling that something is laying under this ridge, waiting to be reborn. For England and St George.

I came up to the Sedgemoor drain, and impressive it is too.

And further down the road the village of Chedzoy, with a thousand year old church and a great bus stop celebrating Her Majesty’s Coronation.

I’m not sure when Her Majesty occurred to me as someone who’s existence we should celebrate but, I’ll be a nice man and say no more.

The lane up and over to Bridgwater was a bit of a slog. So hot. Anyway, it wasn’t worth it. It is an awful town, filled with gangs from elsewhere, speaking in tongues and dumping tyres, wheels and Supermarket trolleys in the river Parrett. The Council, with no respect for the place whatsoever, doesn’t seem to salvage the river junk.

It’s centre is grim…

And its people are scum, dumping stuff like this.

 Another three hours and I reached a campsite at Fiddington. Tired and hot but cool enough to have a coupla beers, fish and chips and set up my tent. Exhausted!

19 miles today, 20 miles to go.

Night night.