This path was always going to be a challenge, but today it threw the lot at me. Horizontal rain at the start, then a 40 mile an hour wind blowing at me all the way with stronger gusts, taking me off balance a couple of times. Still a lovely experience, maybe pushing the miles at the last 2 into Woolacombe were tough going, but the wind did not help. I left a great B & B (Newberry Beach Lodge) owned by Chris and his family, could not have been treated better, another Essex family who have moved to Devon, but so welcoming. At breafast a couple were chatting and he worked at Broadmoor, apparently I do not fit the criteria, despite taking on this challenge. Another clmb ot of the village, and I bump into a lovely couple, one adjusting his sock in a bus shelter, and his wife checking the bus times, so I told her I hope you are not cheating. We meet again an hour later on the path, and it turns out they are from South Carolina, and he says I am now called two poles. In the states when you “walk the trail” you give people names, and mine derives from the fact that when they were following me, they could see my two walking poles sticking out of my back pack, So here starts a great game for the rest of the trip. I retorted to him that he is now bus shelter socks, and his wife Timetable, which they found amusing. Lovely people. The first section to Ilfracombe involved a bit of road sideand is OK. THen you leave Ilfracombe with long sections of cliftop, and up and down into bays, until you reach Morte Point, From here the vast expanse of sand at Woolacombe comes into view, the first sandy beach to date. The destination always appears to be a lot closer than it ever is, but a lovely welcome at The Imperial guset house awaited. A new walking buddy arriving tonight so the company of Dave Mellish for the next four days.