Day 16

August 24^th Depart Portreath

Arrive St. Ives Accommodation: The Queen`s Hotel

Distance 28.7 KM | Cumulative Distance: 352.7 KM | Grade – Moderate

Ascent 2,034 | Cumulative Ascent: 47,033 FT

After arriving into Portreath I had the luxury of cleaning my hiking boots, and they looked as good as new when I was finished. I also was able to trim my beard which had grown quite shaggy since I last trimmed on the morning of August 6th, which seems an awfully long time ago. Afterwards we went up to the Basset Arms which is a pub that was recommended by the B&B. The food was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed my pasta dish with huge chunks of salmon in it. It was very tasty. The meal was huge so I passed on dessert but finished the last 4-5 mouthfuls of the strawberry tart with clotted cream that Liz wasn't able to finish.

We were home and in our beds by 9 am and an early night was called for after Liz's first day of walking. Before calling it a night I decided to check the weather on the I-Pad and there was a severe weather warning watch for Sunday afternoon in the area we were walking. Not good !!!

I woke at 6 and lay in bed as I did not want to disturb Liz who was sleeping soundly. Finally, at 7-10 am, it was time to start rolling so I jumped in the shower and then started to pack. With my sister and nephew acting as a support vehicle I lightened my pack considerably, and after breakfast we were on our way by 8-40 am. Our host had given us directions to get out of town and that after scaling Battery Hill we would have one severe up and down and the rest of the way to Hayle was pretty flat. Battery Hill came and went and fust over the far side we encountered 4 wild Shetland Ponies, that are found in various places in Devon and Cornwall and they have huge manes and tails. We then had not one but 3 large ascents and descents, and not the one as predicted by our host. The weather up to now had been grey and overcast but now it started to rain which meant the camera had to stay in the bag for now. Today was turning out to not be anywhere near as interesting as most other days ( Braunton to Westward Ho excluded), and I was concerned because Liz had a sore right foot.

We eventually reached the lighthouse at Godrevy Point and the path turned and we were now headed for Hayle. The distance marker said 6 miles to go, which meant we were half way there, unfortunately the second half was also going to be the most challenging because of the sand dunes we would have to navigate.

The guide book suggests following the large slate markers through the former quarry we were now crossing, but unfortunately the signs soon disappeared and we were left to navigate as best we could. Getting through sand dunes without taking a wrong turn is darn near impossible due to all the trails that branch everywhere. The best signs that I've seen at the dunes is when navigating after crossing the Gannel a couple of days ago. These were posts that stood 5-6 feet tall and the top 6 inches were painted yellow with the sign of the acorn marked on every post. They were incredibly simple to follow, unlike black slate in a former quarry!!

Finally we ended up on a road that ked up by a neat, old church, and shortly thereafter was a campground and so I decided to get directions. The lady soon had us on our way and after 30 minutes or so we dropped onto the beach. After a short walk of a mile or so the book directed us back into the sand dunes, where we soon lost the trail again and had to make another detour. Finally I saw a couple walking along a country lane and they provided great direction and we were at the place where we had arranged to meet my sister and nephew, as the plan was for them to take Liz to St. Ives while I completed the final 6 miles from Hayle. The trail was pretty plain for the first mile or so, until I reached where the train runs to and from St. Ives and then I got onto a track that led past some very pretty homes and gardens, and which eventually led to a church which led me along a path that eventually led to a footbridge over the train tracks. The trail now led me down through a golf course and then I turned left to follow a great path that led through the dunes and that ran close to the train line. Now I was really humming, as I wanted to get this day done, and the rain had returned and was quite steady. Now I was getting close and came upon a very pretty bay, called Carbis Bay, and the path led to the right of the magnificent Hotel, that overlooks the bay that it is named after, and now I was not far at all from my destination. Eventually I arrived at the train station at St. Ives and upon checking the time noticed I had walked the 6 miles in two hours. Now to find the hotel, which was a lot easier than I thought and I walked through the doors at 5-40 pm, 20 minutes after arriving.

I showered, changed and started my blog, and at 6-45 pm we left to see if we could find a restaurant, and with it being a bank holiday this was going to be a challenge. Eventually we found a fish and chip restaurant by the harbour and took it, as it was the first place that could handle a reservation for 4. When we left it was raining quite heavy and we were glad to get back to the warmth of our rooms.

Now for some pictures, which I managed to get in between all the rain today.