A rest day

Now, it really begins. The acorn is the symbol of Britain's National Trails and is on all the sign posts for the South West Coast Path. This scuplture is on the promenade at Minehead is the official beginning of the path.

After an all day train journey from Edinburgh to Taunton in the west of England where we stayed one night, then a 1 hr 30 min bus trip to Minehead for two nights. There is one of those awful Butlins holiday camps at the other end of the beach but the town itself is quite nice.

Sheryl's relative? A shop in the main street.

A day exploring the medieval village and castle of Dunster. The castle dates back to 1066 with more recent additions, the hexagonal yarn market building is from 1609.

This village just kept on giving. So much history and so much quaintness! The postie crossing the ancient and rare pack horse bridge.

An old trade - roof thatchers at work.

Possibly one of the most beautiful old churches I have been in - St Georges

Not just old, spiritually active, full of flowers and beautifully carved wooden rood screen, lots of little spaces on the sides and an atmosphere of real peace

 And the Light!

In the garden near the castle's working water mill.

 The castle stables

The castle

I took lots of photos of extragant rooms. The Lady of the castle from the 1920s was a an Australian who married into the family. She held lavish parties.

Back in the early days the castle had a dundeon where people were dropped into via a trap door and left to die. Skeletons have been found including a seven foot one still chained to the wall.

This is the inside of a large dovecote, holes in the walls for doves to live in.

 The dovecote is the cyclinderical building at the end of this garden.

The Dream Garden. Yes, that is what it was called.

More cuteness.

We had walked about 4km through the countryside from Minehead to Dunster, ate blackberries from hedge rows and apples from the community orchard, wandered the village and castle all day, and caught a bus back to Minehead late in the afternoon. And this was supposed to be a rest day before starting the big walk!

Donkeys by the bus stop. I have never seen a patchy coloured donkey before. His friends came over for an ear rub.