Day 3, June 4, Hayles Campsite and Fruit Farm—(Zero Day)

Technical issues! Sassy tried a new approach to sleeping—all of our butt pads for sitting covered with bubble wrap that the owners of the fruit farm  here let her try using. On top of this, we tried another repair of her sleeping pad with Leuko Tape. We were hoping for a soft landing onto the bubble wrap as her sleeping pad slowly deflated since she will have fallen asleep in comfort. 

What happened was not the hoped for soft landing. Bubble wrap makes a distinctive pop when pressed which is quite addictive to men once the first pop occurs. Sassy May have had a soft landing, but the pop awoke Bear who immediately started popping more bubbles. I woke up craving popcorn. 

Bear decided to have a go at sleeping on the deflated pad. Within 30 minutes his arms were completely asleep. He struggled to roll over like a quadriplegic which only increased my craving for popcorn. On the bright side, Bear’s experience on the pad convinced him Sassy needed a new pad. 

We agreed not to pack up to leave until we got Sassy straightened out (it took all three of us since she had assumed pretzel form from sleeping on the ground). After getting her straightened, Bear managed to find a Black’s just about 11 miles ahead. After several failed attempts at yogi-ing a ride, they called for a taxi. 

It was noon before they got back with a new sleeping pad and battery operated air pump. The sound of our pump combined with their recent excursion into luxurious tramping proved too great of a temptation. They are of the new platinum blazing class of hiker. 

Bunny had spent all morning convincing herself she was too tired to hike. She started out saying she couldn’t hike more than 10 miles if we don’t leave by noon to saying she couldn’t hike past the tent without taking a nap by the time Bear and Sassy returned. 

Back to the tents to reinflate our pad and inflate Sassy’s new pad for an afternoon of napping. Bear tried to stay strong and hike up to the Hailes Cathederal with me before he succumbed to the call of the pad. 

The Hailes Cathederal is a barely standing ruin which can be explained by the following phrase: “Waa, waa, waa, I can’t get my way so I’ll tear it down”—Henry VIII. Tramping through the English countryside has, if possible, decreased my fondness for royalty (present Queen excepted, and possibly her grandson if Charles doesn’t finish everything off). 

The church across from the cathedral, although modest in stature, has its own impressive history. It has been in continuous use since it’s construction in the 13th century. It’s easy to spot the changes to the structure over the years. Services are still held weekly. I wonder what one of the original congregants would think of the notice for the next service—zoom not available. 

Since we’re here for another night, we made reservations for supper. It’s pizza night! Until then, I just spent my waking time in the afternoon carbing up for the rest of the hike starting with ice cream and ending with a double chocolate brownie. I will not fall behind because of a caloric deficit, but I am having trouble understanding why, not only have I not lost weight after 150 miles of hiking, I think I might be gaining. Everything is upside down in England. 

EFG