At this point in the trip, the rhythm of the hiking, sleeping, eating, and all that went with it had kicked in.  I'd done long-distance bike trips before, and I remembered that by day 3 or 4, you don't hurt anymore, your body adjusts, and it's as if the endurance is just normal activity.  The body is annoying in how fast it adapts in this direction, and not in the other, because while the trip wasn't about gaining fitness or losing weight, I actually gained a few pounds on the journey, despite eating less than I do at home.  Yay.  My feet were very sore in the mornings, but that blister rejoined my heel and I had no new injuries, so I was able to focus on the benefits of the walk.  By that I mean that the brain just works better when you are moving.  The terrible thoughts aren't so terrible, the good thoughts don't derail and distract, and you really can get used to the constant relaxing sounds of birds, water, crunching grass, and the lack of television quite easily.  The extended time out of doors and on your own, or even if  you were walking with a few people, allow such a relaxation of the constant state of processing that happens at home, so relaxing in fact that during the walk I could avoid massive panic about all the things that I needed to be doing at home.  One could argue that it's a bad thing to shirk your responsibilities, but it sure is easy to not have a breakdown about it when you're busy worrying about staying on the trail or listening to songbirds or taking photos of a waterfall.  I had assumed that being out of the country would be a sure way to get an offer submitted on our house, so that at the end of each day I would have to connect to wifi for negotiating, helping plan the move, etc etc etc. but there was nothing.  zip. zero.  There was one showing while I was gone, and it was a nosy local agent that was just trying to see the house with non-serious buyers.  Good stuff.  Anyway, I really can say for sure that if you need to take a step back and get OUT of your life for a bit, don't go to a luxury resort full of BS pampering and shit like that.  Go all in, all the way, and far away.  Depend on yourself and strangers, don't give a shit about your appearance, if you're on time, if anyone things you smell, or if you get wet because it rains.  You won't die because you were uncomfortable and survived, but you might, if you are never uncomfortable and are afraid every day that you might be.

This stretch started out in more farmland, so I got all sorts of context for the soils and crops of SW England.  The trail had more bits and pieces through private yards, too, such as the overgrown bit that welcomed me at the start of the day as I left the Devonshire Dumpling.  The sun returned, though, and that was a welcome change.  I was very aware that I was winning somewhat of a weather lottery for May in Britain, and I was happy to partake.  I also loved the sight of wind power, which combined with solar power over quite a bit of the land I traversed.  Yay!  I also started photographing the polite and charming signage I was seeing everywhere - I really could do an album of Polite yet Cheeky Signs of Britain.  I think did, back on instagram somewheres....

The yard below the lovely house in the gallery above was a nice backdrop for a morning snack break, don't you think?  I remember this stretch as being particularly sunny, not very difficult, and mostly farmland.  Gate after gate after gate.  Plenty of time to be busy with your thoughts and not too concerned with terrain or getting lost, or much else really.  There were still plenty of highlights though, like this actual white horse in a field of tiny yellow flowers....

Just when I was thinking, though, that the day was going to be a little on the repetitious side, though, I entered the area around Castle Drogo, as the afternoon was getting a bit late and the time of day started to color things with a bit of concern over making it to the end before dark.  Farmland gave way to dramatic ups and downs, and views to make your stomach drop.  This was the part for me where the path gave way to the classic Dartmoor landscape and left the farmland and green gardens of the days before.

Another cozy room awaited me at the Easton Court, and more of those lovely heat registers that allowed me to wash and dry my favorite hiking shirt each night, basically.  The waffle knit was just perfect for the climate, what can I say?  I have camped enough to know what fabrics will dry, and I came to rely on the only longer pair of pants I brought, becasue they provided better protection from both nettles and barbed wire fences, when one must climb over them in order to clamber down the embankment to the road after yet again ending up on the wrong side of a stone fence and you don't want to double back.  Or so i've heard....   I could have gotten away with half as many clothing items.  Tip for next time!  Day 5 was a long one, but it was a good one.  See how nice that blister is healing, too?  No more pain - yay for the coconut oil!