4th OCT.BERROW TO PARSONS PLANTATION, QUANTOCK HILLS

I had slept quite well waking at 5 , it was raining ,I turned over and slept for another half hour. I did not move much enjoying just laying there listening to rain hitting the tent and Radio 4.
We were slow to get moving but had already decided to walk into Burnham on Sea to get breaky,  we hoped!
The rain did not encourage us to move either and we did not leave until almost 8 . It is funny really because we think of 8 as 9 , we have to max the daylight hours to try to get at least 15 miles in.
Packing up the tent had us wiping dog pooh off the ground sheet and avoiding other dollops that somehow we had avoided in the dimming light yesterday.
We walked the beach again for the two miles to Burnham-on-Sea. An interesting feature was the wooden lighthouse in the middle of the sand/ beach.
I was pleasantly surprised how uncliche Burnham was. It had a pleasant feel,  not to much ' kiss me quick' feel. We walk the prom passed the shortest pier in GB ,size does not matter!
We got to Morrisons store and had hoped to get a cheap cooked breaky. Yes it was Sunday and of course it was closed as it was only 9ish. Opposite we noticed a cafe called Fortes and appeared to be open.  We shed our packs went in and ordered a cooked breaky which actually turned up as stated - giant. It was a perfect start at a decent price of £4.75. We plugged our phones in moving tables having sussed out plug sockets. I spilt coffee over my cap in the move trying to carry to much against Josh's advice. Now it did look like a hobos cap I had found in the bins.
Once fed we followed a path up the River Brue via muddy channel but walking the passed flood gates on cycle track.
At Highbridge we crossed the Brue heading south  toward Bridgewater. Due to past experience I had planned a route avoiding walking the A road which we expectedthe not to have a path. Having walked a couple of miles to Huntspill on a footpath I asked a woman if the path went all the way to Bridgewater,  she looked at me as if I was stupid and said of course it does. I was not confident and thought from the ' Are you stupid' look on was her face that she thought I meant the road. We walked the path which right enough took us all the way.
Bridgewater was alot bigger than I expected , industrial eztates spilled on the outskirts swelling its size. An enormous distribution warehouse for Morrisons and cold storage buildings.We made ourway to MaDonalds for a coffee and hot apple pie,  we felt ee needed warming up as the air although bright was chilled.
Originally I had planned the walk out to be up to Hinkley Point and its nuclear power station then coastal route.  However we were going to have over 600 miles of the coadt so the more direct route via Quantock Hills seem a more pleasurable experience.  The prob was we had to get a move on as we knew light would be a waining and we had a fair distance to cover.
As we got to Spaxton the darkening clouds let go of their burden and it 'pissed down'.
We were pushed to the limit,  feeling alittle beaten and in the rain we asked at Hawkridge Farm which had a caravan site but the very apologetic elderly chap said he would love to but he had no where. Bollocks I thought looking around me a lovely flat grass,  so off we went.
We had no where to ask without back tracking and we not do that willingly.We continued in the rain and dimming light passed a reservoir. We needed water if we wanted to wild camp,  it was pouring down the road but no obvious rivers or streams seemed accessable. Walking up a lane that turned into a track beside woodland we had hoped to make it to Aisholt Common. We never made it heading just of track to a tent size clearing in the woods. We could barely see,  using head torches we pitched the tent in the rain avoiding brambles. Once pitched with J sorting the tent I went in said search of water. With all the wet about I got our container filled by water running down the track,  not the best but it would be welll boiled.
Returning I boiled up soup and cheese and onion crisping  sandwiches with perc coffee. It filled a hole and in the fuggy tent damp air we dozed off having been pleased to stop. We were damp and a little chilled pleased to have warm sleeping bags.
We had done 19 miles today,  the last three the spoiler.