The Exmoor stage: Minehead to Combe Martin

This was our learning curve – and, like Minehead’s North Hill, it was bloody steep. The original plan, lovingly plotted out on a map on the wall at home for months in advance, involved a two-week blast down to Tintagel (cue wry laughter), camping on many nights (repeat wry laughter). Reality bit early on and the hastily-rearranged plan covered the 35 miles of the Exmoor coast in four days that pushed us every bit as hard as we wanted to be pushed – and some way beyond. Exmoor: it’s steep. But breathtakingly beautiful with it. Here’s how we got on – and how not to make the same mistakes we did: