This would be only my second ever walk in the Blackdown Hills AoNB. Both walks have been events led and created by Brunel Walking Group, where I have simply followed along and observed… Even though I probably live closer to this portion of Somerset than ninety-nine per cent of our club’s membership!
A chance to bag a trig, reach the highest point and explore paths that I would otherwise ignore. I made the drive down solo, straight from my home in Weston-super-Mare.
Less than a year after my first visit to the Berwyn mountains with three friends, I’d decided to take the walking group with me on a return to the same area, as part of a Bank Holiday weekend camping trip in Snowdonia.
What I probably didn’t make very clear is that this meant leaving the National Park boundary to begin the walk… Hence why the area is known to be far less busy than the more recognised mountains of Mid and North Wales.
Somehow, I’d survived the night. With my shoes and waterproofs still damp from the previous afternoon, the morning of my final day had arrived. After an almost-sleepless night, in which I didn’t boil any water to prepare a meal. I endured. I’d survived. I’d made it this far and I was now around ten-miles away from Eastbourne, with the prospect of a stunning coastal walk to follow.
I woke up early at my chosen campsite in Westmeston. In fact, I was probably awake before this… Following a peaceful night’s sleep, undisturbed by the neighbouring horse and, thankfully, no midnight dash to the toilet and its bucket!
This would be my final full day along the South Downs Way, leading to my final and fifth consecutive night of camping.
Walks With Olly 