Day 21 - Reaching the mainland

After a few days of shorter walks it feels good to be making steady progress again. In the mornings I now feel hardly any stiffness, my blisters and bruises are healed, and I'm thankful to be feeling quite fit. Within an hour of hauling on my backpack I've picked up the walking rhythm again and I'm practically bouncing along, at least til lunchtime.

Jayne (my landlady) served me a nice breakfast in my room and I set off on the coldest day of my journey so far. It was overcast with spots of rain in the air.

After Ryde and Newport, which each had their disapppointments, Yarmouth was a delight. It's much smaller, less developed and largely free of traffic. (The Yar bridge has been closed for over a year, to the disappointment of local businesses).

I could have taken the ferry immediately but instead pottered about the harbour, examined the splendid lifeboat and had a pot of tea at the Marine Cafe. I'd first picked up a paper from the nearby newsagent, as hitherto my experience of reading material in the island's cafes has been two Daily Mails and one Hello magazine.

My favourite Yarmouth story concerns Sir Robert Holmes, a seventeenth century admiral who raided the French fleet from his base in the town. On one successful operation, he captured a French ship, and among its crew and cargo found a craftsmans in the process of carving a grand statue of King Louis XIV. While the work was well-advanced, the head was unfinished. Sir Robert insisted that the man complete the piece but that it should become a statue of himself instead of the French monarch. It stands as a memorial to Sir Robert in St. James's Church today.

I sat on the sun deck for the ferry trip through murk, mist and light drizzle to Lymington.

Lymington's pubs and cafes are considerably more expensive than on the island. I paused for a meal at The Ship Inn, which was populated with lunching ladies. I thought I'd ordered another tasty ale but it turns out that Aspall's Suffolk is a light and sharp cider. Actually, it was quite a pleasant accompaniment to my game and cranberry pie (with mustard mash, carrots and beans).

I walked past the marinas and out onto the sea wall, past the Salterns, where salt was processed from the sea by evaporation for centuries after the Norman conquest.

I've never seen so many dog-walkers.

At Keyhaven I joined the road again (sign, "Caution - Otters crossing" and made my way to the splendid Baytrees B&B in Milford-on-Sea (four star award from the English Tourist Board). I was greeted with a tray of complimentary goodies - chocolates, biscuits, bottled water, and a decanter of sherry (which remains unpoured). Best for me was the room's huge en-suite bathroom, with a bath deep enough to wallow up to my neck.

Milford's beauty salon, "Drop Dead Gorgeous", is directly opposite its funeral parlour. How convenient.

My walking verse for the day was Proverbs 20.7: "The righteous walk in integrity - happy are the children who follow them!"