Day 16 - Monday September 14th

This morning I saw GP who said I had not been given the correct antibiotics for my leg. He gave me some others for the next week which should sort the problem and the swelling should reduce in the next few days as it did on the previous occasion that I had a problem with cellulitis in June. Walking helped to reduce the swelling. I also have a reserve supply of antibiotic so I can take a course if I get a recurrence of the cellulitis - Dr Oliver was very sympathetic that some areas of Devon and Cornwall along the coast are very isolated and do not have a doctors surgery - they have to go to another village some miles away. Also out of hours GP's are often in local hospitals and can be many miles away. So I feel reassured in having a supply.

I also went shopping as I needed some more blister packs. I also had to replace my trekking poles as the rubber on the handles have been rotting and bits of rubber have been coming off the handles - acidity in perspiration has been rotting the rubber! I also discovered last week that my boots were significantly worn. Stones had penetrated the heel of the boots and the main sole was so badly worn that walking over shingle had become very uncomfortable and made my blisters worse. So I have bought some new boots which are very comfortable and will need only minimal wearing in, which is good.

Day 14 - Sunday September 12th

Today was a day at home, with oportunity to go to church. Also to put my left leg up and to rest. I will have to see GP tomorrow as it has not responded to the antibiotics as it should.

Distances walked in first section of walk

Aug 30 12
Aug 31 24
Sep 1 28.4
Sep 2 20.67
Sep 3 17.25
Sep 4 20
Sep 5 Day off
Sep 6 19
Sep 7 26
Sep 8 25
Sep 9 29
Sep 10 25
Sep 11 24
Sep 12 Rest Day

Total distance walked is 270 miles in two weeks.
Walking is due to restart on Friday September 17th.

Day 13 - Saturday September

Having discovered the changes to the buses and understood why people were complaining - some villages now have no bus service and this is a problem especially or the elderly. I asked my ladlady for a "full English" butty to be left in the fridge so that I could catch the 7.39am bus into Newport to enable me to get the first no.12 at 8.40, which I did. I alighted from the bus at Freshwater Bay at 9.20, which is the latest start for any days walking since I started apart from the first day which included a drive to Dover in the morning.
Today I made good progress arriving at the Tennyson memorial at 9.50 - not bad as it is a steady uphill into quite a fierce gale. I arrived at the needles at 10.30 and after pasing over Headdon Down and through Totland arrived at Yarmouth at 12.45pm. The boat departed at 1.15 and docked in Lymington at 2.00pm. It took me half an hour to walk into Lymington and along to the lifeboat station. From there at 2.30 it took me only 2 hours to arrive in Milford-on-Sea - taking me to 4.30p.m. I set off again after a pot of tea and a cream tea at 4.55pm and arrived at Barton-on-Sea at the bus stop to find a bus waiting as it had arrived early. By now it was 5.55 so I decided that I had been up since 6.00a.m. and it would take me another two hours at least to get home it was wiser to get the bus and on Tuesday plan to get the bus back and complete the last little bit. I'm trying to be sensible about my left leg as it is still somewhat swollen although the cellulitis has cleared and the pain gone. I also have some blisters to sort out.
Last night the weather forecast was for a lot of rain. In fact it was drizzly when I was on the bus in the morning but it came to nothing. There was shower when I was between Totland and Yarmouth for about twenty minutes and some spots in Lymington which came to nothing and the rest of the day was fine and sunny - so I've only had rain twice in two weeks which is encouraging. Distances today were about 10miles on the Isle of Wight and a further 14 on ther mainland - about 24 miles in total.
Another incidental is that this year is a fabulous year f0r blackberries and nobody seems interesting in picking them. On the Isle of Wight at Whitecliff Bay with a caravan park right by the path there were racemes of fruit overhanging the path and they had not been touched! I can offer advice on the best places for blackberries From Dover to Christchurch!

Day 12 Friday September 10th

Set out from Sandown at 8.10 a.m. and walked along the prom to Shanklin, arrived 9.15. Left Shanklin at 9.30 having made some phonecalls, walked through Luccombe and the landslip and arrived at Ventnor 10.45 , where I met up with Alan who was just getting off the bus. We walked through Niton and arrived at Chale at 2 p.m., where Alan left me and I pressed on to Freshwater Bay. I stopped off for coffee at Isle of Wight Pearl where I met 2 Christian ladies. I had a long chat with them and they are going to sponsor me. Arrived at Freshwater Bay at 5.40 to find I was stranded as they've changed the bus timetable. Had great difficulty getting a taxi because of the festival, but got one from Freshwater Bay to Yarmouth where I caught the bus to Newport and then back to Sandown.

Distance walked 25 miles

Day 11 Thursday September 9th

Andrew, with Alan, picked me up at Newport bus station at 8.30 a.m. and took us to Shalfleet. We started walking at 8.45 and arrived in West Cowes at 11.45. There is a very nice cake shop/coffee shop there so we stopped for cake. We then caught the ferry - floating bridge - across to East Cowes and walked to Whippingham Church (designed by Prince Albert), through Wootton and on to Ryde. From Ryde we walked to Seaview and Bembridge, then along the cliff path and over Culver Down and down into Sandown. Arrived 8.10 p.m. 26 - 28 miles. The blackberries along the way have been wonderful!

Day 10 Wednesday September 8th

Caught the 7.30 a.m. ferry to Hythe and when I started walking at 8.00 it was raining. Walked to Beaulieu, Bucklers Hard and then along the Solent Way to Lymington. Caught the ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, where I met up with Alan Croft (from Stoke Gifford). We then set off to walk to Shalfleet, via Hamstead Farm. We arrived at the bus stop at Shalfleet at 5.10, but the bus didn't turn up so Alan phoned his son Andrew, who is a doctor at St. Mary's hospital, and he came and picked us up. He dropped me off at Newport bus station, where I had another problem - a crowd waiting for the Sandown bus to get to a music festival. I managed to get on the bus, but the journey was much slower than usual. Eventually arrived in Sandown, which will be my base as Alan and I walk round the island.

Distance walked 25 miles