Journal: |
Despite camping on a slope (best spot available), exposed to a
very cold strong wind and having my air mattress slide continually
to the bottom of the tent, I slept pretty well. Very happy
with my new sleeping bag and tent. I got up at 6am and, after
a little too much pottering around (always happens for the first
week of new ventures until everything has an optimal place), I
started walking at 7am.
It turned out to be a superb day. In fact, it's hard to
believe that I will have any better on the trip. For pretty
much the whole day, I had sunny and clear weather, though a bit cold
in the wind, which allowed me to enjoy the scenery to the full
extent. To the left, the clear blue ocean crashed on the rocks
and occasional tiny sandy cove, while off shore was the occasional
small craggy island and some "bombi's". Below and overhead,
gulls and other seabirds wheeled and cried on the currents.
Nearer, small birds twittered amongst the gorse bushes, and
wildflowers of all kinds abounded. To the right, farmland,
defined by green grass and stony fences, sloped down to the top of
the cliffs. Every so often, relics of the historic tin and
copper mines were passed, or some ancient stone fences or early
stone farm houses and sheds. It was truly magic. Mostly,
I had it to myself, but quite frequently met hikers coming the other
way.
After I had walked for a couple of hours, I had a breakfast of a
Snickers Bar and Diet Coke, then, after another couple of hours,
decided to deviate a kilometre or two south of the Coast Path to the
small village of Pendeen. There were no villages actually on
the path until St Ives, my target for the day, and I was weighing up
whether to continue on a diet of water and Snickers Bars for the
rest of the day, or get some food and drink. I did the latter,
and found a tiny cafe, peopled by about four Cornishmen a little
older than myself, complaining about the weather in general and the
cold wind in particular. After a tasty brunch, I purchased
some drinks to take with me and rejoined the Coastal Path.
For the second day in a row, my logistics were deficient, and I
had not picked out somewhere to stay in St Ives, a large resort town
cascading down some steep hills to a couple of wide sandy bays.
The problem was compounded when I did not get to the tourist office
until 5:30pm and it was closed. My guess was that most of the
B&Bs I could see in the picturesque cobblestoned winding streets
were well beyond my budget and I didn't want to start wandering
around the hilly town looking for a hostel. Being male, I
didn't want to ask anyone directions. I decided that I would
head southeast to the next town, Carbis Bay, which I expected to be
less touristy, and cheaper. There followed a long ascent on a
footpath adjacent to a busy road until, on the second attempt, I
found the B&B where I am now.
Much of the trail today was difficult with rocky, and even
bouldery, sections, giving the legs a real work-out, not to mention
the very steep ups and downs. I nursed my bad knee all day,
though it still got sore. It will be interesting to see what
it is like tomorrow morning. I slipped on a loose gravelly
descent at one point and my left leg shot straight out in front
while my right leg doubled up underneath me as I fell backwards with
the weight of my rucksack (~10kg). For a moment, I feared the
worst and gradually disentangled myself to find no serious damage.
My other significant mishap for the day was accidentally emptying
half a bottle of Diet Coke into the waterproof map case where I was
keeping my maps and guides. I cleaned up as best I could and
hopefully won't find too many pages stuck together in the ensuing
days.
It won't surprise anyone to learn that I think I overdid it
today. By the time I checked in, I was exhausted and my whole
body was stiffening up. 35.6km of some of the toughest trail I
am likely to encounter the whole trip was more than enough for the
second day. Then, after showering and putting on some of my
very limited wardrobe, I had to walk back a kilometre in the cold
wind wearing thongs/flipflops and shorts to a supermarket where I
could get something for dinner. By the time I returned I was
shivering uncontrollably and have turned the heater on while I type
this. However, I'm now set up nicely to reach Porthreath
tomorrow and get a full day ahead of schedule. Not that it's a
race, but it will be handy to have a day available for the
unexpected. Breakfast isn't served until 8:30am, so I will be
having a sleep in.
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