Sunday 5 April

The day started off a little grey and cool. We had been told we could go into the dining room for coffee at 8, though breakfast was not until 8:15. In the event they did not unlock the door until 8:15! The coffee and tea were hot but the breakfast was not! My egg was only half cooked so wobbled like a jelly and the White leaked all over my plate, the mushrooms, although fresh, were cold, likewise the tomato. We asked for our flasks to be filled with tea and were told that could only be done at "the end" and we left without it. The sandwiches in the packed lunch were poor and the sealed bun was past its sell-by date! Despite this, the intrepid 3 (with Jan for the first 2 days this year instead of me) set off at 9am for a gruelling 15.5 miles, supposedly the most severe of the whole trek. The sun soon came out and it turned into fine walking weather. I supplied sun tan cream as Kevin caught the sun on Saturday. I met the walkers at 4 points on the route where the road and the coast oath met and we all had cream teas at the last one, by which time the walkers were wondering why they put themselves through this every year! They reported LOTS of steep hills and deep steps. Jan retired at the 12 point mark and by 13.5 Julia looked exhausted but, ever determined, battled on to the bitter end - more about bitter ends in a minute. Our B&B was a disappointment particularly to Kevin, as the wi-fi was not working. I think this mas more a temporary area problem as I had not been able to get on line since leaving the hotel in the morning. After showers and a very brief rest we went out for food at 6pm, deciding, as it was Easter Sunday and the fish and chip shops would be shut, to opt for the curry house 3 doors away from out B&B. Just as our food arrived Kevin got a phone call from the Swiss police to say they had found his VW Touran abandoned with the keys in the ignition. As the car had been in his garage with the keys in the house that could only mean his house had been burgled. Several phone calls later confirmed that to be the case. Thieves had got into the house through the cellar but as Julia had locked the cellar door, preventing access to the house that way, the thieves then climbed up onto the bedroom balcony and smashed the window to gain access that way. It appears they have only taken a few small portables, mobile phone, camera some foreign currency and some jewellery belonging to Granny Ashton and Julia's Mum Rose. they left the PC and large TVs. So a successful day's walk turned out to have a very bitter end.