A Good Walk

Excellent walk today.  We set off from Bude along the Bude Canal, a restored piece of unique waterway which starts at the sea. There is a sea lock. The canal was used to transport sand for use in fertiliser. Bird of the day on the walk was a sedge warbler, because it was new to me. We were looking out for Peter’s bench. Peter was a friend who came from Bude who loved canals, and there is a bench inscribed in his memory on the canal. I am ashamed to say I disturbed a few people relaxing in the sunshine by asking them to move slightly so I could read the inscription. One of these was a mother bottle feeding a child. Shameful but it had to be done. Finally after a couple of miles I found it. The couple eating their sandwiches insisted on giving up the seat so I could have a few minutes with my friend. What a peaceful place. See extra. At the weir there is a lovely  cafe so we stopped for coffee, before heading to the coast across fields,  beneath a sky filled with ‘larks ascending’. We then headed along the South West Coast Path to Bude. The sun was out and the views were fantastic. At the trig point at Efford we saw a wheatear, and a Painted Lady. Jacqui casually said, ‘ did you know the first trig point was 86 years old in April. ‘ Just past here at the Storm Tower something surreal happened. A man was taking his tortoise for a walk, something he has done every day for 20 years. He made a beeline for us. I think it was a conversation opener. He was a nice man. The tortoise is called Zola. See eXtra.
After a drink in Bude we went to see ‘ an audience with Raynor Winn, who talked  about her books the Salt Path, and the Wild Silence, and Landlines, a new book out in September.There was a full house of 200 fans.