Nearly there!!!

Forgive me friends for I have sinned - it's been many days since my last blog.

I'm afraid it really couldn't be helped - we've had no power and no signal for days but we moved to a new campsite today where we have power but very little signal, so...I'm writing this on 'word' and then when I have some signal I shall post it on my blog.

Where to start? Well, some days ago we were looking for a campsite near Teignmouth and tried Coastal View Park. They had steep slopes and were impossible for Charlie so we set off, or at least we tried to. Gertie, our wonderful characterful vehicle no longer has reverse gear when her engine is hot. Charlie had parked facing downhill into the parking space and Gertie was full tyo the brim with all our stuff. Three very helpful young men came to our rescue with their tractor/mower and pulled while some of us pushed and eventually we were able to head off. Thank you Tom, Steve and Andy!!! We eventually found a campsite at Dawlish Warren, Peppermint Park. Massive place, all of us crammed in cheek by jowl but at least it was somewhere to pitch our little tent with (almost) level access for Charlie.Did the days walk and were just heading back to the campsite when the phone rang and it was Katie(KT) my cousin who lives nearby and who we'd emailed to see if we could meet up. We spent several hours in the garden drinking tea and catching up with several years worth of news - wonderful!

After Dawlish Warren we moved to a campsite that was prebooked - Kings Down Tail, and it was great. Very level, nice facilities,friendly people who gave us the pitch free and it was close to the Donkey Sanctuary so of course we went there for a visit with the donks.

We stayed at Kings Down Tail campsite for four nights and of course throughout this time I was walking along the south Devon coast - huge towering red cliffs, quite breathtaking, aesthetically and literally. Whilst in Sidmouth we had to take Milo to see a vet, Mr Ikin, because he had a very sore eye. Turned out to be a tiny seed stuck in the cornea. All ok now tho and the ointment worked a treat.

The next move was to be exciting as we were moving into our final county, Dorset. Would have been exciting except that we spent most of the day trawling from one site tlo another, looking at their im possibly steep slopes. The site we were booked into was not at all possible for Charlie but eventually we found a place that was ok and had space on a Bank Holiday weekend. One we tried wanted to charge us £271 for four nights - we said 'no thanks'.

So, now we're in Dorset at Bagwell Farm Campsite, just outside Weymouth. We.ve walked through the incredible Undercliff between Axmouth and Lyme regis, through Lyme regis and Charmouth and hunted for fossils, climbed up and over Golden Cap, the highest cliff on the south coast and now we're heading along the Chasil Beach to Portland. Today was day 89, so only TEN more to go!!!!! The total mileage walked so far is 562 miles and I feel really good psychologically if a little bent and buckled physically. Had to buy another kn ee brace today as the left one is complaining about the extra load cos I'm being nice to the right one!

Well, we're going to celebrate having electric hookup by watching a dvd on the laptop. Mac finds the people running about rather un-nerving especially the little ones on bikes and scooters so with the curtains closed on Gertie and a film playing he doesn't notice so much. He's really not a happy bunny now, really scared of all sorts of things and gets himself into quite a tizzy sometimes.

Thank you everyone who went to the bingo supper on wednesday - wish we could have been there, except that then we wouldn't have been here so then you wouldn't all have been there!

Take care all,

See you all really soon,

Love Susan x

PS That was all written on Sunday and now it's wednesday. Had to buy another dongle for the internet and I'm sitting outside Morrisons where I've found a bit of a signal.
Day 92 today, finishing at South Haven Point a week from today!!!!! It's all very exciting and feels great.
Met a man called Timothy yesterday with his sister. He is walking the whole path too only quicker than me and every time he speaks to his wife Jane on the phone she asks if he's caught me up yet. Well yesterday he did - on the causeway across to Portland. He bought me a cuppa and we all had a good natter.
Today we went to check out the next campsite and called in at Durlston Park to walk the dogs and cool down Gertie. They had a Tramper (off-road buggy for wheelchair users) for people to borrow and so Charlie was able to 'walk' part of the coast path with me and with all three dogs. Think I know what'll be at the top of her Christmas list this year.
Still a bit stunned that I've walked so many miles, can't quite believe that I've really done so much. We will be going to North devon to walk from Lynmouth to Combe Martin on the way home because I really don't think I'll be up to walking for some time after I stop and I have to know I've done it all.
That means we'll be home on Monday 14th and I'm really looking forward to getting home too.
My brother Colin is coming down on Sunday so he'll finish the walk to South Haven Point with me which will be great. At least it wont be just Charlie and I celebrating getting to the end on our own which might have felt a bit anticlimactic.

Gotta go now, time to cook supper.
Love Susan x