Total Distance 20.9Km
Total Time 6-7h
30 November 2024
This is one of the longest Olles. It is also about a 75 minute taxi ride to the start, costing about £30 each way. Sooner or later, I am going to have to travel further from home if I am to complete all 27 routes and 437 kilometres. There are two variants, 3A and 3B. I did the longer 3A route. The problem with there being two routes both with the blue and orange ribbons as markers was the risk of taking the wrong route. My GPS was in Scotland and I did not want to drain the battery on my phone as I needed to take a taxi back. I was carrying a power bank, but I turned my phone off.
Near the start of the walk, I was distracted by several ladies. That is the haenyeo, female divers who dive to collect seafood from the bottom of the ocean. I had seen monuments and statues that act as a tribute to them, but this was my first time I saw the real thing. They do not carry oxygen cylinders and hold their breath as they dive. This obviously limits them to relatively shallow waters, though they still can go up to 20 metres below the surface! I don't think these were going down that far as they were not below the water for very long. I wish that I was carrying something more telephoto, but was limited to 40mm so there has been a fair amount of cropping.
I had originally thought that the floats were a bouyancy aid, in case they got into difficulty , but watching them I realised that there is a net suspended from it in which they place their catch.
Near the start of the walk, I was distracted by several ladies. That is the haenyeo, female divers who dive to collect seafood from the bottom of the ocean. I had seen monuments and statues that act as a tribute to them, but this was my first time I saw the real thing. They do not carry oxygen cylinders and hold their breath as they dive. This obviously limits them to relatively shallow waters, though they still can go up to 20 metres below the surface! I don't think these were going down that far as they were not below the water for very long. I wish that I was carrying something more telephoto, but was limited to 40mm so there has been a fair amount of cropping.
I had originally thought that the floats were a bouyancy aid, in case they got into difficulty , but watching them I realised that there is a net suspended from it in which they place their catch.
As I feared, I ended up following the ribbons for the 3B route, so I got my phone out and found an identified the connecting country lanes to the 3A route. This probably added on 15-20 minutes to the walk. I prefer the olles that venture inland and I am glad that I did not stick to the 3B route. It also meant that I came across a wonderful cafe. It was not totally obvious to me that it was a cafe. It did not say cafe in English. I entered tentatively, not sure if I was entering someone's private home. The open pork sandwich was made with fresh ingredients and was as delightful as anything I have ever tasted. The Jeju green tangerine ade was just as good too! I was not very far into the walk, but I was not carrying any food and did not know when I might pass another place to eat. As a bonus, at least for me as a keen photographer was a display of old cameras. There was an open magazine which showed a photograph of a photographer. Maybe he was well known locally or perhaps a family relative. I really should have asked.
I am not used to hiking on a full stomach, as I usually only eat light snacks while walking. I did feel it a bit as I set off uphill up an oreum (volcanic parasitic cone). There are, in fact two small peaks - Tong Oreum and Dokja-bong. A couple arrived at the top shortly after me. We exchanged greetings in different languages. The man very kindly gave me a baked egg. I assume that it was baked as they tend to bake eggs here rather than boil them. I wondered if the man was offended by me placing it inside my pack, but I really was not hungry after such a fine lunch. I took a little detour to the top of a second oreum where there was a man sat outside of a hut. I am not sure if he was guarding something or acting as a lookout. This is not the first time I have found a hut with a man. He clearly did not speak English. We exchanged greetings (in different languages) and smiles (the same in every language).
The route drops down steps to concrete roads that head back towards the coast, where it rejoins route 3B.
The route drops down steps to concrete roads that head back towards the coast, where it rejoins route 3B.
Photos:
Possibly Jacobaea vulgaris?
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
How kind to give me an egg!
Three bars inserted into the gateposts means that the occupants will be away for several days or more. One means just popped out, two means will be back later that day. None means that they are home.
Old windows often make good photographs, though I do not really understand why.
Camellia japonica - despite its name it is native to China, not Japan.
Possibly Jacobaea vulgaris?
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
How kind to give me an egg!
Three bars inserted into the gateposts means that the occupants will be away for several days or more. One means just popped out, two means will be back later that day. None means that they are home.
Old windows often make good photographs, though I do not really understand why.
Camellia japonica - despite its name it is native to China, not Japan.
Towards the end, there is a pleasant section along the coastline. Generally, some sort of road follows the coast, but here is short grass with people picnicking and walking their dogs. There were also a group doing pilates or similar on foam mattresses.
With the extra travelling time, the fine lunch, stopping to take photographs and the length of the walk, the sun was very low in the sky at this point and it was fairly dark by the time I reached the end, it was dark making it difficult to follow the blue and orange ribbons. I began to think that maybe I would not find the pony with the finish stamp. I told myself that I could stamp my Olle passport at the start of Olle 4 as where one Olle ends, another begins. As it was, I found the stamping station and got my passport stamped.
Point of note: Olle 3 is twinned with Dursley villages~Stinchcombe Hill section of the Cotswold Way, something I did about 40 years ago!