Total miles: 15
Elevation gain: 2,475 ft (more than climbing Snowdon!)
Time walking: 10am – 7pm
Miles to date: 62.3
A misty start today! I was very glad after the heat of yesterday! It was quite surreal walking along the cliffs and hearing the sea but not being able to see it, with the mist rolling up over the edge and hiding the way ahead. It was very peaceful and although it is harder to get an idea of distance when you can’t see where you are, there is something quite relaxing about it – I could just settle into my pace and just ‘be’. The gorse and heather were scattered with dew-laden cobwebs, so pretty!
I was thankful for the cooler start to the day as the majority of the day was up and down, up and down, in true Cornish coast path style. 15 miles along the coast path is tough! But beautiful, as always! There were some stunning little coves, and lots of birds today – the falcons are around a lot (really must find out what they are!), I think they are nesting in the cliffs.
I had regular stops today throughout the day, thankfully there were lots of opportunities to fill up the water, have a loo break and enjoy the little coves along the way. Indulged in coffee and cake in Porthtowan, my halfway point, before heading on towards the lovely St. Agnes’ Head, which had been on the horizon since St. Ives. It was highly satisfying to finally get there! Lots of people stopped and asked me about my journey and wished me luck, which was a real morale boost after a morning of up and downs and helped me beat the mid-afternoon energy slump.
I took another long-ish break at St. Agnes Head as the sun came out and I found a lovely rock to lie on while I gave my feet some air. Could have stayed there all day! But alas I still had another 5 miles to go so it was soon time to press on. Two more down and ups, then thankfully the last 3 miles were fairly flat, even so it felt like a long 3 miles. Rounding the final headland and seeing the youth hostel perched on the cliff was a very exciting moment!
The hostel is small but cosy, and has the most incredible view over the beach (which is vast when the tide goes out!) and out across the sea, perfect for sunset! The sunset wasn’t nearly as spectacular as the one I saw in St. Ives, but it was still pretty cool.
After checking in and showering I had a quick (well, nearly another mile I think, but sans-pack it’s much easier) walk down into town to see the beach from ground level, and to pick up some food for dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed cooking my own meal!
They are friendly bunch in the hostel, lots of interesting stories. One of the reasons I love staying in hostels, you never know who you’re going to meet! Unfortunately it means another later-than-planned night, but I have some shorter days coming up so hopefully I can catch up on sleep then!
Tomorrow I leave the coast and head inland. I’m going to miss being by the sea! I don’t think I’ll miss all the ups and downs and ins and outs, but I’ll miss the fresh sea air and the sense of space you get on the cliff tops. I’ll also miss being able to see where I’ve come from and where I’m going, but I daresay being inland will have its own charms!
And on that note, to bed!!
