I’ve had a brilliant day

I wasn’t expecting much from the coastal path from Carlyon Bay as it looked on the map that it went through the outskirts of St Austell and I know it’s often a more urban affair walking through these places. I couldn’t have been more wrong though. I loved the walk.

Initially it was all quite difficult. Well, that’s unfair really because initially initially it was all very easy. I just had to wander down to the lounge area and order breakfast. I went for the full Cornish (without beans because I’m scared of them) and also helped myself to some fruit and fibre cereal. That I realised was a mistake because the full Cornish could have fed multiple people. I feel really bad and I hope I didn’t offend the chef but there was so much food on the plate I barely made an impact on it. At least I wouldn’t need any lunch.

I didn’t really have any plans for today. I wasn’t massively relishing the idea of a wild camp although hadn’t ruled it out. When I left the hotel and saw the wind was barely a whisper and the sun was out I thought one might be on. I’d already looked down the coast and couldn’t really see where I could get food, so as I was already a little inland, decided to make my way to a shop to get some food for later. That way I was set for a wild camp if required and I knew that if the need arose I wouldn’t be worried about it.

The only problem with all this messing around, finding a shop and then making my way back to the point on the coastal path where I’d been given a lift by Sharon, meant that I wasn’t back on the trail until 10am. So I did feel a bit on the back foot. But now I was prepared, I figured I’d walk as long as I wanted and wild camp when I found somewhere suitable and was ready to stop.

My feet

Now, there is a bit of a problem. I’ve got a few blisters. I’ve been told off before for showing my feet so I won’t make that mistake again, but they’re not in particularly good shape. I think having new shoes plus messing around with different socks has come back to bite me. For the start of the walk today my right foot was actually really painful. I’d been naughty back at the hotel and drained all the blisters so that had helped but it was still causing me some issues. I was concerned that it was affecting the way I walked and might then impact other areas like my knee. I sound like a right old man.

Saying all that, I took some paracetamol and that helped a lot and after a while on the path they seemed ok and I think I was walking normally.

The trail

There wasn’t a single part of the path today I didn’t enjoy. I don’t know if this was because the sun was out, or because the wind had reduced, or because it really was a great part of the path. Even while going past St Austell it was good. Yes, you could see houses but it didn’t feel that the path had been compromised due to the landowners. I think people who live here are very lucky.

Quite quickly you come to Charlestown which looks quite touristy but does look interesting. I passed through here quickly though and soon arrived in a little bay called Lower Porthpean. I loved it here. It was a lot less commercial and really quiet. Very view people and a beach I’d happily spend all day at. It was a really relaxing place.

The views just got better

I headed on, really happy that the path had gone against my pre judgement. It’s quite sheltered from here but every so often there is a break in the foliage and you can see amazing views of bays or the coastline expanding ahead. My sister Sally called me around this time, and as she’d used FaceTime I was able to show her what I could see. I felt lucky to be on the trail and almost guilty that I wasn’t at home enduring daily strife. It was nice to talk to Sally and compare kids’ messy bedrooms.

I carried on enjoying the path today and thinking I’d happily walk it multiple times. It wasn’t an easy path, with lots of climbs, but it felt more sheltered and less exposed than some of the previous days. That could have just been because of the improvement in the weather though.

Pentewan

Lazy thoughts came to me. As I neared Pentewan I could see a campsite that was almost on the beach. My friend Nick had talked to me about this campsite in the past and I was tempted. The walk was going well. I’d only covered 7 miles. This was far too early to stop. But I wanted to stop. I didn’t really want to wild camp tonight. I  should put more miles in though. Dilemma.

I stopped at a little cafe just before I got to the campsite to have a think. If only I could get someone to tell me to stop now. I sent a text to Jenny.

Very early day

So I’ve treated myself to an early day and really couldn’t be happier. I got the tent put up when it was dry and not windy. I’ve had a nice walk on the beach and something to eat. I don’t smell.

I think it was the right thing to do. And I’d recommend the walk from Carlyon Bay to Pentewan to everyone.