I left Exmouth under sunny skies in a cloud of indecision but moving forward nonetheless. In order to continue along the South West Coast Path I needed to get across a large bay formed by a river estuary. There’s a ferry and water taxi services so I just hopped the ferry. Once on the other side I continued walking. I needed a few more miles under my feet to feel out the next move.
The first seaside village I came to was Dwalish Warren. I stopped at a local bakery for two meat pastys and a flapjack. Meat pastys are basically a breaded turnover type pastry with meat, potatoes, and veggies inside. They can be a great bargain when it comes to eating cheap in England. Usually you can get a decent one for just a little over a pound. For 2 or 3 pound you can get a large one that can fill you up. It equates to a decent meal for around two to four US Dollars. A flapjack makes a nice desert. It's a traditional gooey oatmeal bar full of butter and sugar. With a full belly I pressed on.
After Dwalish Warren, I continued through Dwalish proper, and finished the day walking atop a long seawall into the surprisingly quiet beachside community of Tiegnmouth where I found myself in a state of decisiveness. I surmised that Tiegnmouth would be the perfect place to come back to if I chose to continue further along the South West Coast path sometime in the future. For now, I had already spent eight nice days covering over 100 miles of splendid coastal hiking so it made sense to leave it at that. After all, there are so many things I want to do and it was a very nice walk.
I executed my most current plan by visiting the Tiegenmouth village tourist information office. The very friendly attendant quickly set me up with a cheap B&B that just happened to be right next to the railway station. B&B's are still a great value in the UK. I never spend more than 30 pounds and you can usually find a nice one for around 25.
With accommodation for the night taken care of I headed to a pub for internet and got to booking. Trailine.com for discounted train ticket to Swansea, Wales, booked. Irish Ferries website for a ticket to Cork, Ireland out of on Swansea at 9 am on Sunday morning, booked. Hostels.com for accommodation in Cork. Hmm, that hostel looks ok. 4 bed dorm, booked.
Ireland it is! Hard to believe with all of the traveling I’ve done in the UK I’ve never been to Ireland. I don’t know why? There are many reasons to like Ireland. To name a few, well, there’s the Guinness, traditional Irish Music, and people who have the reputation for being exceedingly friendly along with a countryside that’s renowned for its beauty. The only downside is that everyone tells me how expensive it is. Hostel dorms seem reasonable but eating out is apparently very costly. All the more reason to stay at hostels. There’s almost always a community kitchen. I'll figure it all out when I get there.
While in Ireland I intend to have a good look around and might even do another week long walk. I’ll have at least two weeks to check out the country then I’ll either head home or extend my time a little to take advantage of a bonus side trip. We'll see.....
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