Day 3 Sunday 28 July A new book and a hitch-hike

I had nearly finished packing up when today’s neighbours offered me some toast and coffee for breakfast, which I gratefully accepted. I had eaten my  muesli with water this morning, so I was grateful for any donations.

It was over an hour before I was on my but I had a full tummy and had learned that Sally and ?Jim had been coming here for over 20 years as had the other couple of visitors at the tent that morning. One of them had written a book about day walks that were accessible from London by train.

Sally and Jim would walk out to the low tide level  and timing it well, would swim in with the tide. That sounded fun.

Sally was reading a book about a woman who had run Te Araroa, and as I was just closing my pack, she came over and gave it to me to read. Good timing as I had finished my book that evening.

She also gave me a flat peach, nicely wrapped in a paper towel. So I left the campground in a really good mood, excited about having a good book, on my favourite topic, to start and a fresh fruit for my lunch.

I always feel  rejuvenating by the company of good people.  I really am an extrovert, and I get my energy from being with other people. Today was going to be good. I had a real spring I in my step.

Being holiday time there was lots of people about so the first part of the day was fun.

The trail went into the village of Cley next the Sea. I bought some more fruit and wandered about trying g to find a seat in the shade but had no luck. I popped into an antique fair, thinking they would have a seat and maybe a cheap cuppa on offer. But no luck, I just got told off for eating my juicy peaches around their piles of old junk.

One man saw my back pack and thought I would want to spend £3,000 on a diary of a man who had walked a long walk a couple of hundred  years ago. It wasn’t a walk I had done,  the diary was the size of a huge  old family Bible and the handwriting was illegible. I will stick with the book I was given this morning.

I left the little village after finding a seat and reading the first couple of chapters of my new book.

Then the trail went along a stoney beach for the next 6km. That sure took the spring out of my step. It was hard work, sinking ino the stones every step, and I was out of water. So after 3km I found a track out to a village so I took that.

I walked along a narrow winding road full of people heading home after their day out. My life was completely in their hands. I must say that these Brits are very patient and polite on the roads compared to New Zealanders.

When I came to a pub, I decided to try and get a hitch up the road a bit to where I knew there was a campsite.

A couple about my age came out of the pub, so I followed them to their car. Seeing they were heading in my direction, I asked for a ride. The man was really friendly, opening the back door for me to get in. The wife was stonefaced and didn’t say a word. I took the lead from the man and ignored her.

The man told me his daughter had spent a year in NZ hitchhiking around.

  The wife said, “No, she didn’t hitchhike.”

  “Yes, she did,” said the man. “Well, she didn’t tell me,” answered the wife. “

  “Are you surprised?”  I answered, just a wee bit  too quickly. The man smiled at me in the rear vision mirror.

I think that poor man was going to be getting an earfull from her all for the remainder of their journey and probably more.

I rang the campsite and was told off for not booking in advance, even though they had plenty of room. I read the reviews on the campground as I ate my hughe plate of veges and roast at the pub. They all said it was a very clean and tidy place, but no kids allowed, and the owners were very grumpy and sticklers for the rules. So I was not going to be making any noise after 8pm!

£11 and I had a nice Summer House to sit in and charge my phone, so I was happy.