Total miles: 17.9
Elevation gain: 1927 feet
Time walking: 9:30am – 6:45pm
Miles to date: 47.3
Wow, today was HOT! Great news for everybody on holiday on the beach, less great for this madwoman who is hiking the length of the country! Heat not only means harder walking, it also means a heavier bag! I carried 3 litres of water today at any one time, and if you don’t know, one litre of water weighs one kilogram!
Today was always going to be a long day because of the distance, and although it wasn’t too up and down (once I had climbed the long hill coming out of St. Ives), there were some tough sections. From Lelant to Hayle the coast path loops inland in order to cross the Hayle river estuary, and it’s a long 3 mile loop on tarmac which is not fun on the feet. I ended up taking an earlier than planned lunch break as I needed to take on some calories – I can’t eat them as quickly as I burn them! And there was also a big Asda right on my path which helped. I found a pretty spot over looking some boats (with yesterday’s hill fort in the distance!) and enjoyed taking the weight off my feet for a bit. I ended up taking a bit longer than I meant to as I got chatting to a lovely elderly lady and her carer, the lady was telling me all about her adventures when she was younger and was pleased that I was ‘doing it while I can’
The afternoon brought with it the loooong stretch of sand dunes and beach. Sand dunes are a morale killer! They look pretty, but they are up and down and wiggly and hot and sandy. I decided to head to the beach for a bit for a break from the sand dunes and the beach was gorgeous! I could see right back across the bay to St. Ives and ahead to Godrevy point, my two-thirds point.
Back in the sand dunes briefly as the incoming tide meant I couldn’t make it around the small headland, and then I decided it really was time for a paddle. Two girls whooped as I walked down the beach with my high vis jacket and one called “You go girl!” which was a nice boost! After painstakingly brushing every last grain of sand from my feet (sand is enemy of hiking feet and best friends with blisters) it was back on the coast path for a fairly straightforward, but stunning, section.
One of the happiest sights I saw at that point was an ice cream van! I treated myself to a 99 with a flake and promptly ended up with ice cream dribbling down my hand faster than I could eat it, but ohhh that ice cream tasted so good! The view from Godrevy point was incredible, and I bet it would be another amazing place to watch the sunset. I could see St. Ives across the bay and it looked a long way away!
The next bit of the coast path is high up on the cliffs, which are incredibly beautiful, with views down to rocky coves, bright turquoise sea and…..seals!!! They were very small from above, but cute, bobbing around in the sea or sunbathing on the rocks. I also saw a few birds of prey, I think kestrels or some other falcon. I think one was nesting in the cliff!
My feet were starting to tire at this point and I could feel that I was catching the sun despite repeated applications of suncream, but I kept soaking my buff in water and wearing it around my neck which at least helped keep me a little bit cooler. And it was only a few miles to go, along good ground, so I picked up the pace a little. The last 2 miles took me inland to just outside of Camborne, where my hosts, friends of friends, live. I think they probably thought I was quite mad, wanting to walk to the house when they’d offered to pick me up, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about arriving somewhere on foot!
I was incredibly grateful for a delicious home cooked meal tonight, and I’m struck again how lovely people are! I’m really enjoying meeting new people too! Jo has published a book on caring for ex-battery hens and having had a flick through it looks really interesting and informative. I’ll definitely get my hands on one when I get my chickens!
It has been a really lovely day, and my body is holding up better than I had expected. My feet are aching tonight and I am very tired (trying not to nod off while writing this!) but I’m satisfied at having achieved what was a challenging day and knocked a few more miles off!
Now for a good night’s sleep and a 15 mile day tomorrow – my last day on the coast 🙁 it’s supposed to be cooler thankfully!
Much love xxx
