Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

We’re back in London now for the last few days of the trip, with a few social calls, some sightseeing and shopping planned before we get on the plane, and some more variable weather to do that in.

The rain greeted us last week as we headed north, and made more appearances than expected on our hike the next day: we set off for Hardcastle Crags, where sunny spells gave way to showers and even a bit of hail bouncing off the ground. At the top of the hill, the trail was totally soaked in places, and we did not pack the right kind of shoes for that; the initial plan had been to cross the river and go up to Heptonstall, but we turned around instead.

It was bright – and close to freezing – the next morning for the sitting, but nice and warm for the dozen people sitting. Unusually, I gave a talk on the Saturday as well as the one on Friday night (nominally dividing the Six Perfections into two halves), and did a couple of practice discussions as well.

More usually, we went up to the Hare and Hounds for pie and a pint afterwards, and walked down the hill as the sun set.

On the Sunday we headed over to York; the sitting had been cancelled, due to a family situation, so we had a free afternoon to explore the city. It was warm and sunny, the only shame was that the Minster was not open for visits.

On Monday we had another combination train day, from York to London, and London to Plymouth. Thankfully both trains were punctual – it was nice to be able to relax and eat at the stations before being whisked to our destination- and I was able to get to the rental car office before they closed for the short drive to Dartmoor.

After spending a night at the Two Bridges Hotel last year, I knew I wanted to go back to have more time to walk to Wistman’s Wood; we took all morning over the hike and relaxed all afternoon. I was thinking about how I rode past that spot half a lifetime ago.

On Wednesday, we got back in the car and took some scenic – and very narrow roads – to some places that were meaningful to me: Brentor, Minions for the Hurlers stone circle, and past my dad’s house, which the new owners seem to have done a little more work on. And on to Fowey, a place we visited often when I was younger.

We had splashed out on the nice hotel, and it was lovely to revisit the well-known corners. Obviously most of the businesses had changed hands, but the ferry to Bodinnick, and the walk to the Q memorial at the end of the afternoon in warm sun, felt reassuringly familiar.

On Thursday we spent the drizzly morning in the church (where my great-great-grandfather is buried) and the shops. We took pasties and a saffron bun off for the afternoon walk along the cliffs to Polridmouth, the beautiful trail I used to love running. The tide was as low as I have ever seen it, exposing tidepools and more dramatic rocks. I found plenty of good skimming stones on the beach.

We went back inland, unfortunately through another boggy patch which soaked our shoes; with the miles and all the elevation, we were pretty wiped out at the end of it, but enjoyed another waterside meal.

On the way back to Plymouth, we were able to catch up with my step-sister and her partner before dropping off the car and jumping on the train – I had only just budgeted enough time for that, but once on the train, we got to relax again, though I have managed to tweak my lower back a couple of times this week, so relaxing is relative right now.