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.