Bunnies: hundreds
We had an early breakfast this morning, and just after eight o'clock we were underway. The walk was a mixture of footpaths and quiet lanes, through the Somerset levels. The levels are low lying flat land that has been drained.
The walking is pretty nice for the most part, though the foot paths are not that well used, so sometimes they're muddy, and sometimes hard to follow. The hedges we've gotten used to are replaced here by drainage ditches. Typically the footpaths follow the ditches. On the map, this is shown as two lines, one in blue, and one in green. It can be really difficult to tell on which side of the ditch the path runs. Our first footpath I guessed wrong. A quarter mile in we got to a deep, wide, water filled ditch, which the smaller ditch to our left flowed in to. And there, not ten feet away, across the small ditch, was our bridge. The small ditch wasn't too bad: maybe six feet down, with a stream of water in the bottom just a foot or so across. But unlike day three, there were no trees here. We back tracked a hundred feet and found a place where it seemed reasonable to try and cross. It wasn't too bad for me with my long legs, and with the help of Dawn's walking sticks. I schlepped our gear across, and then Dawn made another of her great efforts and got past the obstacle. She didn't complain at all. But she did make it clear that she is taking over map interpretation duties - at least in this ditch filled country, where map reading errors have consequences.
Behind the village of Greinton, we walked through a field of more sheep in one place than we've seen so far.
They grazed, baaed a little, and we walked, and all was well. By then something happened - I don't know what - and they all lifted their heads, stopped making noise and looked right at us. It was a bit disconcerting.
And then they started running - right at us. Sheep! I have no idea what got into them. Maybe they knew about how much I enjoy eating their young, or how Dawn likes to turn their fleece into sweaters. It freaked us out. Then, just as suddenly, they all at once turned tail and fled.
It was really weird. This happened maybe three or four more times before we were into the next field.
We had a nice lunch at the Ring O' Bells pub in Ashcott, and made it to Glastonbury just past three, giving us some time to see the sights. Gastonbury is a new age kind of place: the Eugene of England. We'd missed by two days the "Fairy Ball and Fayre", where apparently people paint their faces and do god knows what.
Back in the middle ages, Glastonbury was less about the hippies, crystals and incense, and more about the religious pilgrims. According to some, Joseph of Arimathea, the Virgin Mary's uncle, visited with Jesus in the first century and built the first church in England. Historians tell us that there has been an abbey at Glastonbury since at least 600 AD. Legend says that King Arthur and Guinevere were buried here in 1191, which is why you see references to Avalon all over town (and I thought Avalon was just a Roxy Music album).
In 1539 Glastonbury had the biggest, sweetest, abbey in the UK. But then Henry the eighth dissolved all the monasteries, took the place over and booted out the monks. The locals moved in and started taking the great church apart, using the fine stones to build their own houses, and the place became a ruin.
The scale is amazing. It feels like something out of Lord Of The Rings.
Tomorrow, we head north, to Cheddar. I'm going to have some cheese! Cheese, Grommit!
sweet. first comment of the day, i rule. if you guys can handle navigational mistakes you can survive anything. al, if dawn messes up on the map reading i would suggest not making any sarcastic comments.
ReplyDeletelike to hear about cheddar too. is it really about the cheese? i thought you were going to tell us about the boobery thing. i, of course, thing of women's breasts, but im sure its not that. i guess i will turn to the mighty internet to help.
bruce
I'm with Bruce, you need to tell us about the boobery thing. I also still want to know what that beasty was lying on its back in yesterdays picture.
ReplyDeleteI thought you were the best map reader ever Al. That's what Dad always told me. Are you loosing it or did he lie?
You think the smell might have turned the sheep around?
those pictures of sheep made me think of the movie, Black Sheep. It looks like a terrible movie, but it's also about killer sheep.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn! Hi Al!
ReplyDeleteKent and I have been living vicariously trough your blog and envying your adventures – although perhaps not the dip in poo, Dawn, and have been chuckling, giggling and gaffawing at your tales. I tried to post a comment last week (and thought I had ... but apparently not ... E R I N help me!!) Hopefully this one will make it. I'll cross my fingers and try to type the code in correctly ...
So Wow! Charging sheep - who knew! Sounds like you two are having a great time. We SO enjoy your stories. We try to read them every night but it's been hit and miss (we've been traveling and now Annette's home for a few days).
And Cheese Gromit!! he he! Let me know if you come across some Wensleydale! Have a great day tomorrow!
Julie (& Kent)
Enjoying checking in with you every couple of days. I am amazed at your commitment to consistently post your blog! I would be physically and mentally exhausted. You look like you are having a great time and making some new acquaintenances along the way. Take care!
DeleteKaren S.
snickering at mom V's comments about what might possibly have driven the sheep away! ok, snickering more to think about it again! hahahaha
ReplyDeletedawn is an awesome map-navigator. you're lucky to have her, al! she's kept me on the, well not on the straight and narrow, but at least on the sidewalk headed the right direction many a time.
that whole sheep thing is a little eerie. that's how i ended up never again eating sole. a sole in the tank at the Marine Science Center took it upon himself to send me psychic vibes of "let me out" and that was all she wrote. will you still eat their young after this experience, al? maybe it was a warning . . .
:-D julie