Day 19 St Ives to Pandeen ( 13.5 miles/ 22km ) This day came with a little bit of trepidation attached and like the stage from Hartland Quay to Bude, it comes with a reputation. Reading trail and map guides it is said to be extreme , challenging and severe – with pictures of exclamation marks in red triangles. I went to bed thinking about it and I woke up thinking about it. Henry Stedman was much calmer than others – he is like a balm that man. He said while it is often cited as one of the…
Day 18 REST DAY St Ives ( 0 miles / 0 kms) In the beautiful Primrose Bed & Breakfast. I woke late, rolled over and stayed horizontal before the smell of toast and bacon wafted up the stairs. What a really beautiful place to have a rest day and it was as if even the weather was happy for me! The sun shone all over a St Ives Saturday . By the time I wandered out to explore after a long , unrushed breakfast , the town was bustling with the carnival atmosphere that comes over England when…
Day 17 Portreath to St Ives ( 18 miles / 29km) It was to be about an 8-9 hour day of walking to get to St Ives so I was grateful for the early breakfast at the fantastic, walker welcoming Portreath Arms. This stop has been an accomodation highlight. A lovely room , a wonderful restaurant downstairs and staff that make you feel like you’ve popped into their house for meal and a sleep over. As the lady was taking my order I enquired if there was anyone in Portreath that sold back pack covers – (another blown off…
Day 16 Perranporth to Portreath (12.5 miles / 20km) Leaving the cosy arms of the Seiners Arms in Perranporth it was a misty moisty mornng kind of start to the day. The rain was getting heavier and I left with hood up , zip up and thats where it stayed for most of the day. It was a wet boot , wet sock walking day – I was squelching along within an hour of starting. The wet sock is not the blister free foot’s best friend. I was on high alert. Thankfully my feet ended the day…
Day 15 Newquay to Perranporth (10.5miles / 17km ) Today I arrived at the 2 week mark on The South West Coast Path ..this time two weeks ago I was walking out of Minehead everything clean with fresh socks and not a scratch. It has been an incredible 2 weeks – socks less clean , a few bruises and scratches – and truly loving each day. Even the tough ones that have challenged me in new ways have made this what it is so far. Finding my way and following waymarkers and maps is thrilling to me. …
Day 14 Porthcothan to Newquay ( 11.25 miles /18km) Breakfast at the farm stay was farm fresh eggs, as fresh as they get – chicken to plate. An excellent start and I was up and away early. I wanted to get to Newquay in time to do laundry and also because an extra loud talker at breakfast in a group of other loud talkers were doing the walk to Newquay today …chief loud talker said she was looking forward to the day as it was meant to be so quiet and peaceful up there…Not for long it won’t be was…
Day 13 Padstow to Porthcothan. (13.75 miles / 22 km ) This stage is the coastal walk that must make coastal loving walkers and all lovers of the coast want to sell up and move to Cornwall. It is the section that begins the legendary Seven Bays – a string of stunning golden sand surfing beaches. The beautiful meandering path along the cliffs stays mostly flat compared with previous stages and it hugs the cliff line so closely that the views of bays and golden beaches never leave your company all day. To make it…
Day 12 Port Isaac to Padstow (11.75 miles / 19km) Mother Nature must of been knackered after yesterdays performance and in the most tender of turns this stage of the South West Coast Path with gentle gradients and a totally wind free day was like the trail giving me a leg rub. A well timed 19km day meant I was able to set off knowing I would be in Padstow by about 4pm. It was like the Tale of Two Trails – and it was glorious walking. Leaving Port Isaac after breakfast of two poached on toast…
Day 11 Boscastle to Port Isaac ( 13.75 miles / 22km ) WIND. That is how I will remember today. Brutal , relentless wind. It has been a day! This walk has variety in all aspects – scenery , elevation, villages, hamlets and……weather!!! In the space of 11 days I’ve been in a t shirt getting sunburnt regretting I didn’t throw bathers in to full wet weather gear and hood up for 9 hours. Having breakfast in beautiful Boscastle made me think, with the benefit of hindsight ,that this would of been a well timed rest day. …
Day 10 Bude to Boscastle ( 16.75 miles / 27km) A day as beautiful as Kylie for her birthday. She was all around me today and made the sun shine, then made it rain, then made it shine again. Then she made a rainbow. This day in June was always going to be something extra special beause of the date and it was. I woke hoping my legs would wake as if they had forgotten all about the day before . It all seemed ok until I was at breakfast and I walked toward the toaster and caught a glimpse…