West Country Diary - part 2

I can say one thing for Minehead - it didn't exactly meet my expectations. The main 'Drag' - called the Avenue which is an arboretually accurate name - was an mixture of functional shops, often local rather than chain. that much is rather refreshing, but the oddest thing is that it wasn't trying to be a seaide town. Tucked away in the East end of the promenade is a Butlins, but else where I saw not one amusement arcade. Maybe it was not the season. Maybe in the summer the butchers shop clears out its hanging jonts and moves in the one arm bandits.

Actually the oddest thing of all it between the estate agents and pound shop was the Minehead hospital. Is there any other town where the NHS is placed on the high street?

Having done inland Exmoor on the first day, my second days objective was to be Coastal Exmoor. I identified a headland to walk to; Hurlstone Point. It had a seat, a ruin, and a lovely view across Porlock bay to the forbidding clouds dropping rain on the eponymous town. They were clearly coming this way, but I was sure was only a shower. The plan was obvious. Shelter in the ruin reading the reviews in the Friday Guardian. Problem one with the plan - the ruin had no Roof. problem two sort of offset problem one - The rain never arrived. Well a spot or two maybe.

After my brieviated nature of my walk the previous day I decided to 'let rip' and scrambled up the cliff to another beacon, Selworthy this time.