Mid-course correction

Wednesday 2 May: Port Isaac to Boscastle

After a night of heavy rain, the skies cleared early morning to a fine day – a good omen for what was going to be a very long day. Even better, our wonderful hosts at Port Isaac offered the chance for us to leave our packs with them for the day, and pick them up at the end of the day after Val’s brother Dave picked us up from Boscastle. It took us about a microsecond to accept this offer as we knew the day would be challenging. We didn’t realise how advantageous this would be until we got to the first steep valley descent and ascent on a loose gravelly surface. Oh; the relief!

The more observant of you may have picked up that our original end point for the day was going to be Crackington Haven, some 7km up the coast. Having experienced the Coast Path, and looked more carefully at the contour lines on our route for the day, we made a ‘mid course correction’, and sensibly chose to finish a little earlier. We knew we could make adjustments for Friday’s leg to Launceston without that day being too long. The combination of the rigours of today plus the incessant presence of our friend the Cornish Wind made this a wise choice.

The first half of the day, to Trebarwith Strand, was a series of steep ups and downs, so we were very happy to stop for a hot drink and a slice at the pub in Trebarwith Strand – perhaps the only time in history that Peter has been in an English pub and not had a beer!

The second half was more enjoyable and less of a slog. The highlight was stopping in Tintagel, not to see the castle but to visit the old post office, its core dating back to 1350. Its great age was reflected in its sagging roof, ancient hearth, small bedrooms and a collection of samplers, some over 200 years old.

It was with relief that we descended into Boscastle and awaited Dave’s arrival, to collect our packs and go to Bude, for a rest day and a time to catch up with family.

PS there’s a cabbage tree in Dave’s garden….

Distance: 26km