10 miles walked today
1311.5 miles walked in total (10.492 average)
Yet another day off yesterday - more bad weather, which is very frustrating. I mooched around Bude, got the bus timetables for the next stretch - Devon - and went back to the campsite and read a book. While that's a real treat for me, I don't want to be doing it every day.
Today, it was quite grey to start with but at least it was dry. So I was parked and ready to go from Crackington Haven at just after nine thirty. I had a big climb straightaway up to Pencannow Point, 400 feet above the beach. There then followed a few ups and downs - Castle Point, Chipman Point and Dizzard Point. It's been very sunny all day, although very windy and blinking cold. I didn't hang about on those climbs, especially as the path was very close to the cliffs all day and I didn't want to be a victim of the stiff breeze!
Between Dizzard Point and Millook, the footpath followed the top of the cliffs and was fairly flat and level, until I came down through a wood which was carpeted in primroses - I've never seen so many - absolutely beautiful. In the height of summer, it's always lovely to walk through woods as they afford some shelter from the sun. However, at this time of year, when there's been lots of rain and no sun getting through to the undergrowth, it's very boggy and muddy to walk on and quite slippery. At least I didn't have any slate on the path today to contend with,
I've seen primroses, violets, gorse, bees, butterflies and a number of stag beetles. For the first climb out of Crackington this morning, the path was overgrown with wild garlic and, as I brushed against it as I walked through, I got the full force of the sweet strong smell.
The stretch to Millook Haven was on road - there's been some major subsidence along this bit of coast and the path was constantly being diverted inland. I had quite a lot of road walking today which was a pity as I've got used to all these footpaths. My guidebook said "don't blame the county council, as the road is going as well!" Blimey!
The climb out of Millook was a horror! I noticed the road sign which said it was a 30 per cent incline, but the cliff was worse than that! I got to the top and had a sitdown with my packed lunch and refused to give up my bench to anyone else who needed it!
From here, it was back on roads again to Wanson Mouth and a stretch over sand dunes from there to Widemouth Beach, which was surprisingly unpopulated. The beach is enormous and there were a couple of surf hire shops but nobody about to take advantage of their wares.
From Widemouth, the path was sandwiched between the road and the clifftops and there were signs up everywhere warning walkers to stay away from the edge due to cliff "slumps". These depressions were very noticeable and had been fenced around but it was quite worrying that these dips had appeared so suddenly.
The path was very grassy and well walked into Bude, along the canal and into the town, where I didn't have long to wait for my bus back to Crackington.
It's been a fab day - very cold, but great walking, despite the road bits. Even the hills didn't seem so bad today, although the guidebook grading was "strenuous". Maybe I've found my walking legs at last?
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