Miles walked: 15.7
Elevation gain: 1,092 ft
Time walking: 9:30am – 4:30pm
Miles walked to date: 115.3
Wet! That is the word of the day! Thankfully I managed to get the tent down and get packed up before the rain started, right on time at 9am. It was time to put my waterproofs to the test…
Sadly because the rain was set to be here all day I decided to change my route to avoid the high moor. I was disappointed as I had been really looking forward to crossing Bodmin, but safety comes first. It wasn’t long before I knew I had made the right decision, the rain progressed from a heavy drizzle to a steady downpour and visibility was low. After about an hour I was very glad to come across the lovely little church in St. Breward which had one of those porches which are an absolute sanctuary for wet hikers! It was the perfect spot to de-bag and take a quick break. The church itself was open so I had a look around and it was lovely. It also had a loo! Yay! Something about the constant sound of the rain adds to the need for a loo, hehe.
Despite taking a safer, less remote route, it was still fairly isolated and there were no real villages for the rest of the day. A lot of the roads I followed were little more than surfaced tracks across the lower levels of the moor, which suited me just fine! I wasn’t up high in the moor, but I still got to experience a taste of the wilderness. I followed the Moorland Walk for a while which is a reasonably well marked trail and took me through lovely fields overlooking the northern edge of the moor. I came across a few more herds of cows but thankfully although curious they only played at getting close, turning and dancing away before they got anywhere near me. Their calves were cute to watch – a mixture of curiousity and fear as they tried to be brave enough to come and check me out. I don’t blame their mums for being wary – I was a strange, bright red, green and black creature walking through the mist. I’d avoid me too! 😉 It seemed to be the day for meeting lots of animals. I saw lots of cows, including two herds of highland cows (sooo cute!), lots of sheep and a fair few ponies with fluffy, leggy foals.
I’d managed to find a route which cut off a long annoying loop on road (including a potentially busy stretch on a B-road) by cutting across a section of the northern edge of the moor just below Rough Tor. Cutting down to the car park below Rough Tor (which was intermittently visible behind great clouds of misty rain) I was surprised to find a few cars there. Clearly there are a few people nearly as mad as me out there today! Walking through a fir plantation, with either side of the path flanked by firs growing so close it was incredibly dark beneath (there’ll be fairies in there, I’m sure of it!), and the rain incessantly driving down, I met a couple walking towards me. I think I might have scared them slightly by waving my arms in the air and exclaiming “yay, someone as mad as me!” at them. I don’t think they spoke English, at least they smiled nervously and walked on… 😀
Coming out of the plantation and on to open moor it was time to get my compass out. Proper hiking! Due east should take me right to a bridleway which would lead me off the moor again. No funny stories here I’m afraid, my navigation was perfect for once, and I’m very glad as even though it was in the lower reaches of the moor it was still very exposed and made me doubly glad of my decision to avoid the high moor! It was breathtaking though, and only served to strengthen my love of moors and all places wild. Definitely my happy place! I must be one of the world’s craziest people – I was there in the wind and the rain, soaking wet (well, dry underneath my waterproofs if a little sticky), with the biggest grin on my face!
After finding the bridleway without a problem, I followed it up the track with the wind at my back to an old abandoned farm. I think it must have been a house at some point but now it looks to be nothing more than a shelter for the animals out on the moor. It was a welcome break from the weather, and a chance to take the pack off and have some food in the dry. The glass-less windows looked back out to the moor and I dreamed of what the house might have looked like in its prime. I was in what looked like it must have been a large living room with two big fireplaces. I’d love that, to be curled up by a roaring fire while gazing out at the wild moorland beyond. My phone needed some charge so I sat there for a while, just listening to the wind and the rain, and then to my surprise in flies a beautiful falcon. I think it’s either a kestrel or a merlin (big dark eyes, dark wings, white chest and brown back), it perches on a wall and suddenly sees me. It peers at me, bobbing its head up and down, looking quite bewildered and not knowing what to make of me. We watch each other, and he seems to think me safe enough, but keeps a watchful eye on me. I assume he is taking a break from the rain, like me, and it felt quite peaceful, two creatures seeking shelter from the weather, accepting each other’s presence. Not long after that a second bird flies in, the female, I think, as she is all brown. She clings to the wall for a while – I can’t tell whether it is from exhaustion or from wariness of my presence – and soon flies out again. The male joins her, returning to the hunt, but after a while he returns. I wonder if they have a nest there, but I didn’t hear any babies chirping and they weren’t bringing in food, so I think they were just taking a break from the rain. Either way, I was judged safe as he turned his back on me this time, with the occasional curious glance back over his shoulder.
When he left a second time I supposed it was probably time for me to head on too. After the peaceful break from the rain I wasn’t thrilled to put the waterproofs and bag back on and head back out into the weather, but it didn’t take too long to settle back into my pace. It was all country roads from here, albeit pretty moorland roads to start with. There were some bits, with fords and old clapper bridges, that I imagine would be glorious in the sun. They were pretty in the rain, but not so appealing for a picnic or a paddle!
After a few more miles I arrived at my destination, the Rising Sun Inn near Altarnun. Sadly the pub was closed, so I went and pitched my tent quickly and retreated inside. Thankfully there is just enough space in the porch of my tent for my rucksack and wet waterproofs, so there was a bit of room to assess the state of the damp. I had stayed remarkably dry but my rucksack was very wet, even with the waterproof cover. Thankfully all of my stuff is in waterproof bags so pretty much everything was fairly dry. Unfortunately the waterproof bag my sleeping bag came in doesn’t appear to be all that waterproof so it was a bit damp in places, not great for a down sleeping bag but it could be worse. At least tomorrow I’m in a b&b so can dry out properly! And when I get the chance I’ll get another waterproof bag. And some waterproof gloves! Wet hands aren’t fun.
After a relax in the tent, listening to the pitter patter of the rain, I contemplated what I’d do if the pub didn’t open. It could be a long night. And signal was intermittent. Found myself wishing I’d brought a book again!
Thankfully the pub opened at 5:30pm and it had wifi and food! Score! Good food too, so I filled up on bangers and mash and sticky toffee pudding, exactly what I needed after today. And a friendly man at the bar overheard what I was doing and gave me some money for my charities. I’m amazed how generous people are to someone they don’t know! It certainly boosts my faith in the human race 🙂
The rain appears to have finally stopped now, so hopefully I won’t get wet again now I’ve dried off in the pub! Tomorrow is supposed to be dry and possibly sunny which is very kind. I have a shorter day again tomorrow so can take my time in the morning to get dried out!
I have to say, despite the rain I have had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I thought that the constant rain might get me down a bit, I daresay it would if I had it days on end, but so far I am still smiling!
Tomorrow I head to Launceston which is my last stop in Cornwall – the next day I’ll cross over into Devon!
Keep your fingers crossed for more nice weather for me 🙂 xx
