Day 16: Instow to Brightlycott Farm Campsite (11.9 miles)

I left the wayfarer Inn at 10:15. I was worried that an unsettled stomach was what impacted yesterday and wanted to allow time to recover. I hoped it really would be a shorter and flat day today apart from the pull up to the campsite. This is where not having rest days takes its toll.

As it happens, that is how the day panned out - a respite from some of the heavy going of the last few days and as I write I am sitting in a well pitched tent on a beautiful sunny evening with the longer evening ahead of me now that the clocks have gone forward an hour. That will make things so much easier. I’m at a well organised campsite although there’s only two caravans and me here! The luxury of course is having all facilities - toilet, wash basins, showers and charging points. And a beautiful view over the north Devon hills. I feel very relaxed and looking forward to the next few days now.

So how did today proceed? This morning I was alert and taking in my surroundings unlike last night. I enjoyed looking across and up the estuary to where I had come. I went past Instow cycle hire - it was closed. But it reminded me of some of the source of Maria’s and mine amusement on the last day she accompanied me on my SWCP walk - our temptation to hijack bikes going past, to ease the pain of walking on that long cycle path when the bridge NEVER seemed to get closer.

I’ve always relished the potential of estuarine walks for birdlife, and today was no exception, so forgive me for indulging in what I saw. There were oystercatchers feeding on the edge of the outgoing tide around the nature reserve and a very smart looking shelduck. And then a sound my mother used to love - aside from skylarks ….. a curlew. I hadn’t taken in before that this is the site of a derelict power station, and the wildlife seems to be thriving, with otters occurring on the lagoon although I regret I didn’t see one. As I walked I could hear go kart racing across estuary - someone was having fun!

The Tarka trail cycle path is popular with cyclists as well as runners, some with music blaring and too puffed out to share a good morning. I’ve never been a runner and in awe of those who do. I’ll stick to my long distance walking.

I’ve kept my boot lacing a bit looser today; perhaps I was over-zealous tightening them yesterday hence the sore feet last night. At the same time with these new boots, I’m trying to prevent movement around my right ankle and heel - my feet are narrow so this tends to be an issue. But so far - fingers crossed - no blisters. I’m using Gwel foot salve to help prevent chaffing and blisters.

I spied a chiffchaff in the willows making an interesting low chirrup as well as it’s classic chiffchaff call - this helped solve a problem for me what had been making that call previously. What I love about these walks is learning more and more about the birds, their habits and their calls. And why I don’t really like listening to music and podcasts as a general rule. A heron flew up from the lagoon, which made me think that a later sighting from its comparative was a greater egret rather than a little egret. I’ll have to check that later. I concluded later it was more likely a little egret.

At 11:45 I was relieved and a little surprised to discover I’d covered 4 out of the 7 miles to Barnstaple. So I stopped at Fremington Quay for a hot chocolate and date slice.

I spotted the white egret as I turned a corner and the Barnstaple bridge came into view. But to break up any possible monotony, I then realised that a group of geese were actually Barnacle geese - 40 approximately - and ones I have always particularly admired. Shelduck were grazing on the grass and a pair of curlew feeding on the estuarine sand bank close to a group of some 20 shelduck rather than the individuals or pairs that I’d seen so far.

I took a closer look at the gulls, which have suffered dreadfully from the avian flu of the past few years. I spotted the first black headed gull in summer plumage of the trek. It was flying back and forth whilst greater black backed and herring gulls remained on the ground. And then I heard the whistle of the curlew feeding near by with its pronounced down turned bill, and nearby by a green shank - with its hint of a short straight, orange brown beak, and dark legs.

What I thought was a black headed gull seemed to me to be behaving more like a tern, so again I’ll check that later - it had a defined black head and beak with very lightly tipped black wings and would swoop down like a swallow to feed from the water. Having checked I’m sure it was a black headed gull but fascinated to see how it was feeding.

Finally I arrived at Barnstaple and spent nearly 2 hours in the large Asda supermarket right by the path, sorting supplies, getting some reading glasses (I’d managed to break my prescription ones when the backpack rolled on top of them!) and then some lunch from the cafe.

Walking through Barnstaple my eye was caught by the St Anne’s chapel and The impressive market, before following the A39 past the hospital and then up a reasonable hill to Brightlycott Farm campsite. A very satisfying day all in all which I hadn’t really expected. Time now to start pulling into the tent as the evening chill is setting in. I hope to have a reasonably early start tomorrow but I’ll see how I sleep tonight.