easton royal - honiton

moretonhempstead - totnes

totnes - east prawle

east prawle - totnes

Liquid Sunshine, Flash Floods, Rivers and the Sea
01.06.2008

It feels like an arrival, East Prawle in south west Devon, right at the sea - one of my favourite places...
Totnes felt a bit manic, to be honest, after the calm surroundings on Dartmoor, its lanes, tors and hills, not to forget the riverwalks and the occasional dip into the water.
I managed to stay in my old chosen hometown for about an hour, and left for the sea because this is where i was inherently heading in the first place. Still, it felt good to see all the faces who know me, who I know, who you spent your time with over all these years. But i realise my pace has changed, and i am not running for nowhere. Except for the sea, of course, as i wanted to be right in it - now my skin smells of salt and it feels like I've arrived.

The last days were pretty temperamental weatherwise, for three days i was playing a game of cat and mouse with the clouds, sometimes i won, but mostly the clouds got me. Spring floods, flooded campsites, sandbags, the lot.
In an insane but weirdly satisfying way i was actually enjoying going through torrentious rain, followed by thunderstorms, trying to get the bike through axle-deep streams running down the streets of towns and lanes alike.
Still not really dry i stopped in Moretonheampstead and got chatting to Paul and Linda, on their way to an ominous field on their pushbikes, and it turned out my old musician companions were having their do in one of the most beautiful fields in the whole south west.
Easy decision, make a homebase, dry clothes, boots and whatnot and take it from there. Talked a lot, enjoyed company, took long walks along the rivers there, went swimming, partied and listened to possibly the best live music you're likely to hear.
And now i will be preparing to face up to my old past and see what has changed and what hasn't. Hello Totnes ;)

status bike: loud and dirty, charming :)
status max: arrived where he wanted to go in the first place
status weather: expect everything within 30 minute intervals, in particular rain