Day 119 - Friday 24 September 2004 - our caravan, Perranporth, to Newquay

 8 miles walked today

1245 miles walked in total (10.462 average)

I left the caravan just after nine and was soon plodding through endless dunes and along Perran Beach, all of which played havoc with my calf muscles and bum cheeks.   Who needs to join a gym when you can walk along Cornish beaches?

As I climbed up Ligger Point, I could hear the guns start to fire in the army camp and imagined I'd get sent back the way I'd come.  However, there were no red flags flying and the signs all warned of live ranges and that I should keep to seaward of the red and white striped perimeter posts.  I'm sure that, if I really wasn't meant to be walking there, someone would have rushed out and arrested me and put me in front of a court martial, or whatever it is the military do with stroppy walkers.

Holywell Beach was absolutely stunning and I dawdled somewhat as I trudged through yet more sand dunes to try and find the coast path.  Signage today has left a lot to be desired.  I'll say no more on the matter, except to record that a number of expletives were uttered.

The path over Kelsey Head and round the back of Porth Joke was nice and grassy and level - just how I like it!  From West Pentire, the path started to go through sand dunes again, round the back of Crantock Beach and again the signs ran out - gggrrrrr!   Still, it didn't take long to get down to beach level where I could cross the River Gannel.  I'd checked yesterday that the ferry was still running and today is its last day.  However, if the tide is too low for the ferry, you have to use the footbridge.   This involved wading knee deep out to the bridge which was actually sitting in the water!  As soon as I'd got over, the ferryman took up the bridge and started up the boat!

So it was a soggy squelch round the back of Fistral Beach and through the town to the railway station to meet Mum and Dad.   There were far too many people in the town and I got quite aggravated until I changed from my boots into my sandals and went for a mooch myself.  It makes such a difference in attitude, going from rambler to ambler.   I don't mind people so much then.

So, that's the end of my week.  I now have to make some very serious decisions.  After my redundancy notice, is my job worth worrying about any more?  Do I ask for four months' unpaid leave to go walking/ travelling?   This was what I'd originally planned to ask on return from my holiday, but things look slightly different now in view of the work situation.  Next time I come down here, will it be for a fortnight's holiday or will it be a longer sabbatical?  Those people who know me well know how influential Andy is in anything I do - I'm finding it harder to think what to do and I wish he was here for encouragement and support.   I need to do some serious thinking.

I've had an excellent week - I've got to the destination I'd already planned to reach.  I haven't overstretched myself and I've really enjoyed the slower, less stressful, pace.  Perhaps I ought to plan less generally - once the pressures of huge mileages disappear, everything becomes more fun.

So, bye bye Cornwall.   Next time I'll be back, hopefully it will be for longer than a two week stretch.  If work say no to my request, I may just tell them to poke their job.

Day 118 - Thursday 23 September 2004 - Porthtowan to our caravan at Perranporth!

 9.5 miles walked today

1237 miles walked in total (10.483 average)

I woke this morning at 7.10 am as my 'phone was ringing.  I answered it, but there was no-one there, so, seeing it was a London number and assuming it must be work, I switched the 'phone off and went back to sleep for an hour.  (It turned out to be Andy, ringing to say he was on the move to Mosul today - wish I'd got to speak to him.)

I was staggering up the hill out of Porthtowan shortly before ten.  It was so cold and blustery today and there weren't many people about.   Within an hour I was at Chapel Porth having a hot chocolate, as recommended by one of the craft shop ladies in St Agnes yesterday - it was fantastic too!   There was a surfer in the sea at Chapel Porth and the waves were enormous.

It was quite a struggle to get going again and the path was very indistinct as I climbed up to Tubby's Head past Wheal Coates.  It wasn't so much that I couldn't see the path; it was more to do with seeing half a dozen paths and not knowing which was the correct one.

In fact, it's been a bit like that all day - the signage is a big haphazard.  There'll be a sign in the middle of a very obvious path pointing forwards, but, at a junction of paths, there'll be no signs at all - very frustrating.  I may have to write a letter ...

I carried on past St Agnes Head and Newdowns Head and headed downhill to Trevaunance Cove and its tearoom.   It had only taken me an hour from Chapel Porth, but I was very cold so I stopped and had a cup of tea.

I had another up and down to Trevellas Coombe and the Blue Hills engine house.  I'm not sure how I managed it, but I then did a bit of walking along an airfield runway!  I didn't hang about there, but quickly got back to the path at Hanover Cove.  As I walked along, I saw lots of cone shaped structures capping disused mine shafts.  They're made of mesh so bats can get in and out to nest.

At Cligga Head, I lost my sense of humour - I was so cold and everything was hurting.  And I saw a notice, "no access to pedestrians - sewage works in progress".  Not only had there been no warning, but there was no alternative route either.  I did a quick recce to see who was about and, on spotting no workmen types, I jumped over the fence, hopped over a couple of lengths of pipe, scaled a wall and was on my way.  Very naughty.

It was another down then into Perranporth before an up the other side over sand dunes and through the golf course to our caravan at Gear Sands.

Today has definitely been the toughest day of the week - so cold and blustery.  The sea foam was blowing so hard that it was coming up on to the cliffs.

Still, every little helps.  Can't believe everything hurts though!

Day 117 - Wednesday 22 September 2004 - Godrevy to Porthtowan

 11 miles walked today

1227.5 miles walked in total (10.491 average)

Today I was striding out before ten o'clock.  It was very grey and quite cold.  I got chatting to the National Trust Warden at Godrevy Point about the grey seals at Navax Point.   We counted thirty of them at the beach.  Apparently, the babies are due any minute, but none had arrived yet although the Warden was keeping an eye on them.

The walk away from the clifftops was quite level and easy to walk on.  At Hell's Mouth, I got very hot - how appropriate! - and stripped off a layer, wishing I'd packed suntan lotion as I could feel my face burning.  I strode across Hudder Down, Reskajeage Downs and Carvannel Down - big hills! - and intro Portreath.

It started to get quite blustery and cold then so I was glad to get my hands round a mug of steaming coffee there!   I stopped for lunch at Portreath and was pleased to see I was making good time and my estimated time of arrival of 3.00 pm at Porthtowan was looking promising.

From Portreath, the coat was back on and I had an immediate climb on roads up to the daymark before getting back out onto proper footpaths.  Although today has been harder, it's much more interesting than plodding on roads which I've had to do the last couple of days.

Sam and I walked the south west coast path from Newquay to Falmouth twelve years ago.   I've managed to put most of it out of my mind, but I'd remembered the nightmare steps at Sally's Bottom!  For the four miles between Portreath and Porthtowan, the Nancekuke fence encloses MOD land and the Royal Engineers have installed two sets of steps on the steep slopes along here.  What a nightmare!   Although all credit goes to the sterling workmanship of the military.

Porthtowan was a funny little place - I should imagine it's really bleak in the winter.  Mum and I decided yesterday that we'd have a paddle today but it was too cold for that.  So, after a quick mooch round, it was off in the car to St Agnes for a beer.

Very good day - changeable weatherwise, but the mileage is still looking good.

Day 116 - Tuesday 21 September 2004 - St Ives to Godrevy

 11.5 miles walked today

1216.5 miles walked in total (10.487 average)

Another good day.   I left St Ives this morning at 10.00 am and started off along the back of Porthminster Beach.  As little as I like St Ives, the views back on the town were lovely!  It was a swift up and back down to Carbis Bay and it was a popular pram pushing/ dog walking track before I got back onto the footpath out to Carrack Gladden.

A sign on the path pointed to an artist's studio and I thought I was all arted out.   However, on seeing the garden of Penn Carwardine, I had to go and have a nose round.

Sadly, Miss Carwardine was out shopping but I chatted to her husband for ages, bought some cards and photographed their garden.  It was in an absolutely perfect spot with fantastic views over Porth Kidney Sands and over to Godrevy Point, my destination for the day.

Upon leaving their house - Edge o'Cliff - I got back out onto the path which became a wide sandy track through the dunes, under the railway and through a golf course to Leland and its church.

From here, it was a very uninteresting slog on roads through Hayle and on to Gwithian.  Hayle was a one horse town which rather belies its importance in history, when copper, tin and a foundry established there in 1779 made it the busiest Cornish port for more than one hundred years.

There were a number of pleasure craft at the head of the estuary and I had a good chuckle at one boat called "Hayle Mary"!

From Hayle, I carried on to Gwithian by road as my guide book said the coast path was a "tortuous route through the dunes with a long hike back to the road and a long hike along it" and the "one compensation for walking the whole route along the dunes is the unexpected cowslips in spring".

From Gwithian, I got back on the coast path out to Godrevy Point, where I stopped for a coffee in the lower car park.  I'd arranged to meet Mum and Dad at 4.00 pm, but, as it was only 2.30 pm, I took it very slowly up the hill, stopping to chat to the National Trust chap about the seal colony there.   However, as I got to the top car park, Mum and Dad were already there.  In fact, they'd been there for two hours, had their lunch, gone for a walk on the beach and a scramble over the rocks.  Having a right old birthday!

The views back over to St Ives and to the lighthouse on Godrevy Island were fantastic.  A very popular spot too, judging by the number of people there.

Brilliant day.