11 miles walked today
1100 miles walked in total (10.476 average)
Mum and Dad were having a day mooching around Devoran today, so I drove to Caerhays and found a likely place to leave the car for the day. At 9.30 am, I started walking and very early on lost my sense of humour while walking three sides of a farm field, trying to find the way out and onto the path.
I soon had a downhill to East Portholland and went to find the facilities. There was a sign on the door saying "Closed. Nearest toilets St Austell." You're having a laugh! They were only closed though as they were being repainted so I used them anyway, trying not to touch any of the paintwork. It was just a quarter of a mile to West Portholland and the houses there had double doors to keep out the winds.
From here, it was steep uphill to Tregenna and then it was up and down for what seemed like ages round to Portloe, one of the prettiest villages I've ever seen. I sat above the harbour for ages and watched the local community about their business - chatting, gardening, in and out of the post office, etc. A fishing boat pulled into the harbour and unloaded his wares straight into the kitchen of the Lugger Inn. An old boy sat down next to me and told me he moved down from London twelve years ago and would never move back. He told me the food in the Lugger Inn was excellent, but that I would need a second mortgage to pay for it!
The rain started to come down - only lightly - but nothing was going to stop me today!
My next challenge was to get up Nare Head and I wasn't disappointed by the views over to Gull Rock and I saw cormorants and shags there. I met a couple walking who told me they'd taken early retirement and their year goes something like this: February - Malta; April to June - Cornwall; September and October - Cornwall; November - Malta; with December, January, March, July and August spent at home. Suppose it makes your diary very easy to manage? What a life! And one to which I aspire.
The cliffs were covered in primroses, daffodils, violets, gorse and sheep! I chatted to a local Ranger who was putting up signs everywhere asking dog owners to keep their pets on leads or they would be shot. The dogs, not the owners.
I sat on a lot of benches today - Carne Beach, Pendower Beach and - my favourite - Creek Stephen. Not a soul about - perfect - with fab views back to Dodman Point and Nare Head.
From Nare Head onwards, I'd been able to see Portscatho and it felt great that I wasn't tired or fed up and could just take my time to get there. I was very pleased with myself and my progress today.
I got into Portscatho at 3.45 pm and spent a while mooching around waiting for a taxi to get me back to the car at Caerhays.
I was very embarrassed in the taxi as my feet were stinking something terrible so I imagine my tip would be spent on some new air fresheners for the cab!
What an excellent day. Finally back in my stride.
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