Last stage in Dartmoor

My campsite on Pupers Hill was only just over 2 km from the edge of the moorland. Stupid imperial units, the hiking app always gives me everything in miles, without the option to switch. This makes distances much harder to estimate. Sometimes you just don't think that a mile is 1.6 km...

Anyway, I was able to see trees again relatively early, which then provided pleasant shade shortly afterwards. Actually, the whole way, as here again, just like before reaching Dartmoor, all paths were tunneled with hedges, walls, and trees. The whole 8 km to Buckfast were therefore very pleasant after the two days full of sun. These tunneled roads even led almost to the town center of Buckfast, where suddenly everything was nicely trimmed, mowed, and shaped. I just read that Buckfast is an abbey of the Benedictines and therefore a sleepy village has formed around it, apparently I was in a suburb of Buckfastleigh. Anyway, I now understand why there were signposts to the Catholic schools everywhere... ;-)

From Buckfast, there was the option to hike another 3.5 hours to Newton Abbot or take the bus, and I chose the latter. The bus to Newton Abbot was a pretty crazy vehicle, something between a regular bus and a van. The vibrations and the clattering at every traffic light or even when stationary were unbearable, and it seemed that the vehicle didn't have any shock absorbers either. Anyway, I arrived in Newton Abbot, where I walked to the train station for about 20 minutes, apparently via the main road because of the many shops for everything from toothbrush repairs to a store just for various engine oils and so on. Anyway, my impression of Newton Abbot was similar to Plymouth, just a little more rural, though not smaller, I suppose. Since I already knew this type of city, I didn't want to stay there for too long and immediately got on the train to Exeter. Exeter was really something else. The parks, which you don't have to search for everywhere like before, because the whole city seems to be a big park, are really beautiful. I haven't had time to take photos yet because I was so delighted, but I'll go on an exploration tour tomorrow.

Apparently, my accommodation is only available during the semester holidays because I am staying at the 'Holland Hall' at the University of Exeter. They have really nice student accommodations here. Of course, the eduroam WiFi works immediately again, as I am still enrolled, so everything is wonderful.

For all science students at the University of Bern, it is actually possible to build a building even more illogical and complicated than the ExWi... When one staircase leads to the 5th and 8th floors, while the other only leads to the 7th floor, it is even confusing for the receptionists to find the right floor :-D

Right in front of my accommodation, it seems like the parks are slowly merging into an even more beautiful Botanical Garden than in Cambridge, I will definitely inspect that more closely. All in all, my first impression of Exeter is the best of all the places I have been to so far.

PS: Taking a shower again was delightful :-D