meanwhile, back on the mid north coast

After brunch we had a very short stroll and AJ had her brunch before we headed back to the house and a howling Rumpole. Not sure exactly how it came to pass, but we decided to head out again, this time leaving both dogs alone so we could see if they would try to escape. I was given leave (I am lucky like that) to go for a walk to the top of the Yacaaba headland on the northern side of the bay, a walk along a 1.5km trail that was described as challenging. Sal and AJ would hang about in the golf club clubhouse and I figured the walk would take me maybe an hour.

As I started to trudge through the lovely, but very soft sand I realised my timings would be a bit out. It took me 17minutes to get to the start of th trail, around 1.5km form the car park. I called Sal, got an extra 30min pas and headed up the trail towards the top of the headland. The walk starts a bit steep and goes into quite dense trees; you get the feeling of being nowhere near the ocean. I was not paying a lot of attention, not as much as I would usually as I was against the clock. After 1km the trail sort of finishes, or rather the defined trail stops and a damn near vertical rock scramble (over statement, more like steps) continues up for the next 500m. The gradient is best described as really fucking sttep and at the top I was sweating my arse off. Was worth it though. Nice views to the north and south, to the south I could see in the distance a large pod of dolphins. Well, I could see some splashes that I assumed were dolphins. Took in the view, clicked a couple of shots and then turned for home, running where I could and making it to the bottom somewhat more quickly than I'd taken to get to the top. On the way back down I stopped to take some pics of the view north I'd missed on the way up, what with all the sweating and sweaing.

At the southern end of the beach there is a large pile of shells - they really collect their, really used as emphasis, not as in real which is clear. Waffling, nearly bed time. On the trudge back through the sand I collected a few shells, felt bad about it and then realised I was collecting them from a beach that is used by 4WD motors, so I instantly felt better about it. I decided not to collect or tread on any of the blue bottles that had washed up in the NE winds. I stopped and failed to get a picture of a sea eagle that was circling above me and then got a wriggle on so I would not be late back to the carpark, which (for a change) I wasn't.

Right, bed time. In case I run out of energy and enthusiasm and don't come back to this, bottle of wine for dinner, wednesday ferry over to Port Stephens, thursdy down to Newcastle. Good times. Let's hope I blog it.