Day 99 - Wednesday 24 September 2003 - Portwrinkle to Looe

 7.5 miles walked today

1051 miles walked in total (10.616 average)

Mum and Dad dropped me at Portwrinkle this morning at 9.45 am and Mum walked the main street to the harbour with me while Dad minded the car.  We could see the first two hills I had to climb and Mum told me later that she couldn't watch me as the path seemed too close to the cliff edge.

I struggled up these hills and the views were magnificent back to Rame Head and on to Looe and beyond.  My guide book grading today was "strenuous, moderate in parts".   Where were the moderate parts then?!

I had a steep down the Battern Cliff into Downderry and then a level bit through the village and along to Seaton.  On the cliffs, I saw buzzards, kestrels and hundreds of butterflies.  I could hear a lot of wildlife in the hedgerows, but didn't stick around long enough to discover what it was that was making all that noise.  I'm not that brave!

I really liked Seaton which had a huge sandy beach and was very well patronised.  I had to climb up Looe Hill here and had a bit of road walking before joining the coast path again up through woods and past the monkey sanctuary.  I got quite hot and had loads of sit downs from this point on.

At Bodigga Cliff, the footpath became tarmac as I walked through Millendreath, which again had a nice beach and was backed by loads of chalets and holiday homes.  It's been so hot this summer and the holiday season has been extended because of this so there were still a lot of people on the beaches which was good to see.

I had to climb up Plaidy Lane which was a bit of a killer at the end of the day.  However, this lane became a footpath and it was only a short step into Looe. 

I really liked Looe with its narrow little lanes and pasty shops.  I met Mum and Dad down by Banjo Pier and we wandered up and down the lanes, stopping for a beer and then a pasty to soak it up.  Not only is Looe a very touristy place, but it's a working fishing town too and there's a big open fish market beside the quay.

I've really enjoyed today and have persuaded Mum and Dad to walk with me tomorrow.  (Andy later told me that it would take them four days to do the five miles into Polperro - cheeky git!)