Day 7

August 17, 2015

Depart Looe | Arrive Cremyll, Accommodation: Edgcumbe Arms, Cremyll

Distance: 33.7KM | Cumulative Distance: 176.1KM | Grade - Strenuous/Moderate

Ascent: 4,134 ft | Cumulative Ascent: 17,221 ft.

Cumulative Distance (both walks): 640.1 KM | Cumulative Ascent (both walks): 78,926 ft.

OH, WHAT A DAY!!!!

Another fitful night but I managed to stay in bed until about 6-50 am before showering and dressing and then I had to go and find my clothes which Caroline had so kindly laundered for me. I had to wait a few minutes before getting them and then it was upstairs to pack my bag and to get ready for the off. Today was another monster day of almost 34k and another 4000 feet in elevation.

I enjoyed my usual breakfast, and must say the coffee was remarkably good, and I tip my hat to Peter for his recommendation. It usually takes me a good 10-15 minutes after breakfast before I'm ready to leave as not only do I have to put my boots on but also my gaiters. I was finally ready to roll and said my farewells to Caroline and Peter for their wonderful hospitality and started down the short hill to where I turned left to find my way out of town. It was a magnificent morning although I felt a little chilled, and so was wearing my tee shirt and long sleeve sweater. The path led me through town and before I knew it I was climbing the stairs that led from the beach, and already I was "cooking". There was hardly a cloud in the sky and I felt really warm, so I thought I would take off my lightweight sweater and put on the sunscreen. This meant I had to unpack my bag, not once but twice, as the first time I could not find it, and this resulted in another delay, something I could ill afford, as I knew this was going to be another gruelling day. I persevered however as I felt I was going to need to put the sunscreen on early, just in case!

The path led me to Millendreath, where I descended onto the beach, whose facilities I used before heading on. The path led me back up a hill, (how very novel) before being ushered into the woods at Bodigga, where I unfortunately took a wrong turn and ended up at a gate that was nailed shut! This wasn't going to be the last time I took a wrong turn today but more on that later.

The next place I passed through was Seaton although there wasn't much to it, and then I passed through a residential area at Downderry before putting me back onto a road for a few minutes before I was climbing back up to the cliffs. Surprisingly, either side of Downderry are the highest points on the South Coast of Cornwall. Battery Cliffs to the East at 462 feet and to the West the Seaton to Bodigga road reaches 508 feet.

The next stretch of path started with a stiff climb but once I was up the next stretch of coast was spectacular. It was also rather hot and walking in that heat is debilitating! It just sucks the energy out of you, and I have to think it was n the 25-26 degree range. I soon reached Portwrinkle which was a pretty enough spot but I had to keep moving.

Shortly after leaving Portwrinkle I reached another golf course but nothing that compares to Carolyn Bay on Saturday and I came across an older lady who was playing alone but with two balls in play. She seemed to be having an enjoyable time. I now arrived at Tregantle where the MOD (Ministry of Defence), allows a right of way through the land if there is no firing taking place, and I was in luck, or so I thought. The trail was nice enough but then I was hopelessly lost and certainly did not fancy the steep climb back up the hill. I eventually came to a gate close to the beach, and my initial thought was to try and climb over but the barbed wire deterred me. On closer inspection though, to one side of the gate, I figured I could pass my bag through the barbed wire and figured there was enough room for me to squeeze through without damaging my clothes. The bag went through, closely followed by me, and apart from a couple of nicks I was through. I now had a big climb up from the beach before turning back to the cliffs and the long pull to Rame Head. This is where the going got particularly hard as it was not at the heat of the day, and I was forced to stop and ask someone to fill my water bottles which he was happy to do. The path kept deviating from tarmac back to the path, that leads between brambles and ferns, and then back to the road. On the road it certainly wasn't as hot, but as soon as you stepped back onto the path it was like stepping into a furnace!

I was now closing in on Rame Head, and upon approaching a gate there was a woman waiting anxiously for her husband, and apparently there were a couple of Shetland Ponies on the other side of the gate. Her husband arrived safely, and I was able to get through and was soon climbing up to Rame Head. At the very top is a structure that dates back to the 16th century but is now consecrated as a church. It was now time for me to find the easier walking that supposedly accompanies this part of the trail, and sure enough I hit a great path that was very enjoyable to walk along.

This path eventually brought me to Cawsand and Kingsand which are separate villages but actually coalesced into one village but they retain their separate identities. It was almost 5 pm and I still had 2 hours to go but felt I needed to stop for a cup of tea and a treat, so I purchased a chocolate chip shortcake which was very tasty. I only stopped for a few minutes but felt the need to get on the road again. It was now that I had to refer to my book and map, as the alleys and lanes go this ways and that, and it was then that an incredible gift of kindness unfolded. There were a group of 5-6 people who were sitting and enjoying a drink in the late afternoon sunshine, when they noticed me trying to figure my way back to the trail. They pointed out where I needed to go when they started to ask questions about my walk, and so I dropped my bag and pulled out one of the handful of leaflets that I brought along with me. Then, as I was saying farewell one of the men gave me some money for the charity. I was blown away by his kindness and I continue to be humbled by people's generosity. So I would like to thank Daryl Stroud for his donation.

I was feeling pretty beat and tired but the wonderful response from Daryl, his wife and their friends energized me and so I pushed on with a renewed vigour as I faced my last 3 1/2 miles which was mostly in the woods which makes it pretty dark, because of my recent encounter I was moving pretty quickly and finally at around 6-30 pm I came across two ladies who told me I was only 10 minutes away from my destination. Shortly after I noticed a dog which meant I had to stop and take a picture, because it was an OES (Old English Sheepdog), and I used to have two of them, many years ago, when I lived in England, and which will always have a soft spot in my heart. The dog was with two older ladies, in my age group.

I arrived at my accommodation, shortly after 6-30 pm and was shown to my room where I showered and changed, and then dealt with some emails before heading down to dinner. There is a twist to this story as when I got down to the bar who did I see outside but Blue, the OES, as the two ladies had decided to stp for a drink. The bar at my accommodation has dog biscuits on the counter as a treat for the dogs that frequent the pub and so I helped myself to a couple of them and went out to give one to Blue and the other dog that was with him. The two ladies then asked me more about my walk and one of them, Maggie Palmer also gave me a donation. My reaction was much like the one I had earlier, and those whom Opportunity International serve would be amazed I'm thinking at people's generosity. So thank you Maggie, for your donation.

What a brilliant way to end the day.

I do want to apologies for tha lack of pictures today. Unfortunately with the sun being so strong I had great difficulty seeing the shot on the screen of my I-pad mini due to the glare, and secondly I was too tired, because of the heat, to keep taking my pack off to take a picture.