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Week 10, 2nd – 8th July, Purse Caundle
to Hatherleigh, 89 miles
Monday morning was an extra rest day and
after a great cooked breakfast Grant spent the morning and
some (actually, a lot) of the afternoon writing the diary
for week 9. This was a lovely experience for me because he
found out that writing up the diaries takes a little longer
than one might think: I particularly enjoyed the moment when
Grant admitted having problems reading his own notes. After
a quick early afternoon nap he ventured out to post the photo
card, diary and maps up to Edinburgh before enjoying a final
evening with Judy, Anthony and Amelia, not to forget Judy’s
amazing cooking.
Tuesday started early: Grant was up at 6.45
and, after packing up the gear and having some breakfast,
he ventured out with Amelia to tack up the two horses. Amelia
would be joining Grant, riding Geoffrey, her horse and Marv’s
new best friend. As well as providing Grant with some welcome
company, it would hopefully allow the two horses to be separated
without too much drama. Over the past few days their initial
‘Who do you think you are?’, had turned into a
mutual love affair with plenty of necking and the pair following
each other around like love-sick teenagers.
The two horses and riders set off down the
lane, crossing the A30, and then over some fields before reaching
some great hacking tracks which took them through woodland
and large fields. Once out of the woods they made their descent
into Milborne Port where they made the obligatory pit stop
for carrots and some lunch for Grant, all of which would,
undoubtedly, be eaten before 11.00am. Amelia then saw them
to the edge of the village before heading back.
The surrounding area was very picturesque:
the manor house in Sanford Orcas provided a great back drop
for one of the many photos Grant would take. The next village
was Marston Magna and once through there they continued along
winding lanes towards Yeovilton where they were given a free
air show, courtesy of RNAS Yeovilton. This was not enough
to faze Marv, neither were the local naval personnel out on
their lunchtime run, but a big bright orange windsock proved
all to much for the big boy: he got the shock of his life
and spent the next few minutes head in the air, snorting and
high stepping like there was no tomorrow. As if this was not
enough for Marv, and to add insult to injury, the heavens
took it upon themselves to open. Neither Grant nor Marv are
particular lovers of rain but Marv’s pride was a little
dented as he was forced to take cover under a bus shelter.
They carried on until they reached Lyles
Cary, where they were met and escorted in by two members of
the ILPH team. The ILPH were in the process of filming a documentary
called ‘Horse Patrol’, a series on what they have
achieved and are continuing to achieve. When Grant arrived
he soon got roped in, but unfortunately unless you have Sky
and are lucky enough to see it listed we are not sure when
it will be shown… but he enjoyed it none the less.
Whilst Grant was sorting Marv out another
photographer appeared from the local newspaper and took a
few more pictures of Marv; currently there are more photos
of Marv doing the rounds than of Kate Moss. As soon as Marv
was let loose in the field he took the opportunity for a good
roll: as pictures over the past few weeks have shown he is
a horse that really enjoys his rolls. It is a pleasure to
watch him as he nonchalantly sniffs around for the right spot
before the knees buckle and he is down, grunting and groaning
as he throws himself enthusiastically from side to side.
Once Marv was sorted, Grant went inside
and spent sometime talking about bridleways with Belinda Burns.
It was then down to the local pub with Graham Hand, a good
friend of the family for a couple of drinks. An enjoyable
dinner was had later that evening with Janet and Andy at the
farm before Grant turned in at around 22.30
Wednesday morning started off with a weigh
in, but not on a pair of bathroom scales; the individual being
weighed would not even have got one hoof on before breaking
them. This was a full-on weigh bridge and Marv weighed in
at 628kg. After the weigh in the pair headed up the B3151
to Somerton: this was not the greatest road as it was very
busy and, with Marv on his toes, Grant had to be aware of
every vehicle just in case Marv decided to have a hissy fit.
He is pretty much bomb-proof but, let’s face it, a tractor
or motorbike up your backside can make even the calmest horse
(or driver) a bit jittery. After stopping at the local supermarket
for a drink, the pair got bombarded by well wishers who, as
well as very kindly donating to the charities, fed Marv liquorice
allsorts. Not an obvious choice, but one of which Marv most
definitely approved.
The next destination was Langport, this
was proving not to be the most interesting of days as the
lanes were enclosed by tall hedges which blocked any views.
18 miles is a long way to walk with nothing to look at! The
weather was not brilliant with intermittent showers meaning
a day of taking waterproofs on and off on a regular basis.
Marv, not a rain lover, was coaxed along using mint imperials.
Every time Marv stopped trotting he was fed a mint to keep
him happy, it seemed to work as the pair made up some time.
They met Jackie, who owned the field that Marv would be staying
in, at the local pub and, once they had directions, headed
off to find it. As Grant was turning Marv out, Mark and Collette
turned up. After dumping everything in their car Grant went
in search of some water for Marv, and once he was finally
settled it was back to Mark and Collette’s for a shower
and then out to dinner. On the way home there was time for
a final check on Marv: on seeing all was well it was back
to the house and a quick chat before retiring for the night.
The following morning started with the usual
big breakfast before heading off to see Marv. He seemed happy
enough and without much fuss the pair tacked up and set off,
following the towpath by the canal. This took them under the
M5, up into Taunton, and past the rugby club before heading
through the town centre. The sight of Marv walking through
a busy town centre, often seemingly on his own, has to be
seen to be believed. Taunton was no exception and the pair
drew plenty of stares as they walked through, heading out
the west side of town and past the local TA centre.
The rains started after lunch and although
the villages Grant was riding through were lovely, neither
he nor Marv had any inclination to linger. Grant had not put
his waterproof trousers on and, as a result, got soaked during
the first downpour and spent the rest of the day cold and
wet. The day was not set to get any better - soon after the
rain started Grant and Marv came across the first of many
fields of pigs. Marv’s eyes were out on stalks and he
was snorting continually, whilst high footing it along the
road like Wiley Coyote. Grant got dragged for the next two
miles by a horse intent on removing himself as fast as possible
from the pink squealing things in the fields. No doubt they
smelt far worse to him than they did Grant. On reaching Holcombe
Rogus they knocked on the first farmhouse door where they
met Henry Hasell, a local farmer and the maker of a very potent
cider which Grant sampled and enjoyed.
Whilst Grant was settling Marv, Mark and
Collette arrived and after another half pint of cider they
all headed off for some food. Marv spent the night in a barn
and in the company of another horse. He had a deep straw bed,
full hay-net and a fresh bucket of water: he could not have
asked for much more.
Friday morning saw Grant, Collette and Mark
visiting David Pipes at the Pond House racing yard before
going to get Marv. Although they were not able to see a great
deal, what they could see of the facilities were immaculate.
On arriving at the farm, Grant wasted no time tacking up Marv
and setting off through the lovely village of Holcombe Rogus.
Collette and Mark, along with their dog, joined him for the
first few miles. The group stopped at a local garage for the
mandatory mint, carrot and juice stop. After a further half
hour, Mark and Collette said their goodbyes and left Grant
to it. It was a dry and very windy day but, at least, it was
not raining. After passing through a few charming villages
and then crossing the river Exe, Grant came across the first
of the many roller-coaster hills. Luckily the route was straightforward
because Grant had to do 3km without an OS map but, armed with
a Google printout, there were no problems. After passing through
Pennymoor and Puddington they reached Black Dog, where the
pair would be staying for the night. Initially they had little
luck in finding somewhere to stay, but the tenacious pair
soon found Ivor, who let them have a field opposite his B
& B. Marv wasted no time in getting his head down, he
was, after all, starving having not eaten any grass for at
least an hour. Grant put his basha up next to an old roller,
which, although it seemed a good idea at the time, turned
out to a bad choice on the comfort front. He then headed down
to the Black Dog pub for dinner, After chatting to Grant,
Ali, the landlady, made him a unique boil in the bag breakfast,
a packed lunch and gave him a donation. People really are
amazing and acts like that definitely get a big thank you
from Grant. The uncomfortable night was made more bearable
when Marv decide to lie down next to Grant for the night.
Saturday morning dawned dry; there was a
lot of dew on the grass which Marv made the most of with a
monster roll. Grant enjoyed his boil in the bag full English
breakfast before leisurely packing up. As he was getting ready
to leave Marv bumbled up and waited to be tacked up. It was
an early start, which was for the best as it was going to
be a long 20 mile day. A quick pit stop for the usual juice
and mints at Morchard Bishop’s lovely Post Office saw
them ready for the day. It was then westwards along twisting
lanes with high hedges which obscured any view the pair would
have. On the occasions they came to a gap in the hedges and
Grant was able to see the bulge of Dartmoor to the south.
Lunch was taken en route, and Marv was left to graze without
a bridle or head collar. All was going well until a combine
harvester came around the corner. This was not a popular choice
of vehicle for Marv; he is not an avid fan of tractors so
when this monster came around the corner he got the fright
of his life. Marv was not the only one caught on the hop -
Grant’s leisurely lunch was bought to an abrupt halt
as all his concentration was focused on getting the bridle
on Marv before he decided to high tail it up the lane.
That adventure over, the pair pushed on
to Monkokehampton in the search of a shop. They had no luck
and continued on to Hatherleigh, keen to finish the day but
still with time to take a few more pictures of Dartmoor. They
had almost reached their destination when Marv came across
the horse equivalent of a paddy field. One particularly grassy
lane had flooded quite badly and this allowed Marv to graze
and drink at the same time, all whilst he was still walking.
There is NO end to his talents!
Marv and Grant met up with Roger and Sue
Gill upon entering their farm in Haverleigh; we had found
them through Neil, who runs a great website that tells you
everything that is going on in Haverleigh, so thank you Neil.
Marv was very happy to find himself in a great field with
cows and two friendly mares (he has had the odd run-in with
a grumpy mare) and Grant after an early dinner and a chat
was very happy to get to bed!
Sunday came at just the right time as they
both needed a rest day. A bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes sorted
Grant out and a field full of grass and good company meant
Marv was a happy fellow. Grant spent the morning sorting out
the following week’s accommodation for Marv. At around
13.00 Brett, Grant’s cousin, arrived with his son Luke.
The three set off to the George Hotel in town for some lunch
and for a good catch up as they had not seen each other for
at least 10 years. After lunch it was back to see Marv before
settling down for the Wimbledon men’s finals. An early
dinner was taken with the family and, before long, Grant was
tucked up in bed with the Sunday Telegraph for company, pondering
what the penultimate week would have in store for the pair
of them.
Many thanks to the people below whom kindly
provided grazing and shelter for Marv and for some of those
nights a bed, food and good company for Grant. He would also
like to thank all those along the route for their good wishes,
encouragement and sponsorship.
Monday- Purse Caundle – Judy,
Anthony and Amelia
Tuesday – Somerton – ILPH Mary Spooner Farm
Wednesday – Creech St Michael – Collette and Mark,
Jackie
Thursday – Holcombe Rogus – Henry Hasell, Collette
and Mark
Friday – Black Dog – Ivor
Saturday and Sunday – Hatherleigh – Roger and
Sue Gill, Neil
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