Everyone rose late today on purpose.
Apart from Angus, Mr Moore, Tom and his mate Matt. Those guys are machines and want to walk and climb everything. The climb and walking yesterday had been tough on my knees, so today Laura took us to a spot nearby with a cool dark waterfall and little river to relax beside.
We had planned to up and out early so as to avoid the heat of the day. We had gotten up at a reasonable time, watered and breakfasted ourselves, made lunch for the day, packed climbing and walking kit, sun-creamed up, tidied up and still people weren’t awake….
Perched high up on the cliff tops overlooking South Stack, the sun was brilliant in the morning. It was completely clear but very windy so we decided to find a more calm place to cook up breakfast. I was really looking forward to some legitimate free range eggs!
The morning sun doesn’t penetrate the van. Afterall, a skin of solid metal is pretty opaque and once the windows are covered up with bits and pieces of material and foil (I’ve not yet sorted proper curtains) it stay dark for a long time into the day. The heat however, that, picks up fairly quickly once it lands on the van. Even as insulated as I could make it, once the sun is up, you are sleeping in an oven and have limited time before it becomes unbearable and you have to open a door. Best make sure you’re dressed when this happens…
Seems like recently I’ve been running around at 1000mph. Obviously not literally, that would be pretty incredible but you know that feeling when your brain is just full and buzzing with the days events? It feels like a tin of bees left on a portch on a sunny day. I’m fine if you leave me alone to deal with it, but open me up and it will be loud, messy and someone will get hurt.
After last nights crazy shenanigans we rose a little late and a little sore. Gay bars are amazingly fun places to go out. There isn’t any judgement, no matter how crazily you dance, which plays right into my hands! Unfortunately no one was sober enough to engage in any Ceroc, but that’s fine, I just wiggled away on my own. Dancing till about 3 am meant that my legs were knackered this morning and ached all day long.
Greggs must be doing good trade out of us. Maybe that’s why they tolerate us being the first people there in the morning and brushing our teeth in the bathroom. After another bacon bap we got a local bus along the coast to do some touristy sight-seeing.
I awoke with the rising sun, slowly dawning. Dawning comprehension that my bladder was full. I peeked my head out of the tent slowly and quietly. We had slept in a hedge in a public park so i was careful not to raise attention. The bright blue tent didn’t help this, but we had covered it with Phil’s camouflage bivvy bag to hide it as best as possible. We were fairly well hidden and it was early enough people were not present to see us rise and shine.
So… Large hostel dorms suck leprechaun balls…
Yesterday was a really long day, bouncing across countries takes it out of you! I could really have done with a good nights sleep, in a proper bed, with a mug of coco, and a warm lady beside me, while we are making a wish-list. Instead I got a rickety bunk bed that wasn’t long enough [ SOMEONE FOR FUDGE SAKE MAKE LONGER BEDS ] nowhere to charge my phone and a scratchy blanket. You know, the brown ones with extra added scratchiness from the 1900’s that must be made out of hay rather than cotton. And on top of all this luxury, some drunk irish prick wandered in at god knows what hour. He helpfully went to sleep right in the middle of the floor (presumably because he was too drunk to find his bed) and started snoring like a lethargic pneumatic drill…. Needless to say it was not my best nights sleep, and the Irishman was lucky to survive the night…
Today was all about travelling. Not the enjoyment of, or spiritual journey surrounding, or even exploring a new… just the physical act of getting my body from one place to another – well, several others in fact. And they all had to be in a specific order and on time!
