What amazing people you meet

I love how sometimes a chance encounter can make your day, and today I was very lucky. I’d decided to use a hotel tonight for reasons I’ll cover later. The hotel was a bit inland but I’d seen on my maps that you could cut across a golf course near Carlton Bay, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too far.

As usual for me I’d underestimated how far away my accommodation was when I’d booked it so was trying to build up some pace to get there before it was too late. And, as is typical for this walk, the wind was horrendous and it was threatening to rain. This is when I happened upon Sharon and her two daughters, Alanna and Vanessa. They were really friendly and spoke to me and I asked if there was a cut through on the golf course. They weren’t sure and were describing a route to my hotel for me when Sharon offered me a lift there.

At first I didn’t want to accept because it felt like such an imposition on them but after one of her daughters asked again I just had to accept. It’d save me so much time and unknowns about how to get there, and it was so kind of them to offer, it was just such an amazing gesture and I was so grateful. They talked to me about my walk and shared their experiences which sounded really interesting and before I knew it we’d arrived at the hotel. I always get really paranoid when I have encounters like this because they really were so nice and I always worry that I’ve talked too much or not listened intently enough. What a fantastic family and I’ll be forever grateful they helped me out. I’m glad the world has people like Sharon, Alanna and Vanessa and wish the well with their futures.

The minute I checked in it started to rain, so they saved me a soaking as well.

Fowey

There was a lot of wind and rain over night and I think that had affected my sleep but it was nice to be at a proper campsite where I knew I didn’t have to pack up early and get moving. Luckily it had now stopped raining but the wind wasn’t letting up.

When planning the night before I’d been tempted to stay here another night. The winds were forecast to be 50mph again and I’m not a massive fan of walking on cliffs in those conditions. Also I’ve got some blisters on my feet and my knee is starting to twinge again. The problem though was food. I couldn’t see a shop close to me and if I’ve got to walk somewhere anyway I figured I may as well be making progress along the coast path. I decided therefore to pack everything up, get moving towards Fowey and then make a decision.

I don’t really remember the walk to Fowey from the campsite. It was nice to initially be going back through the woods with their shelter from the wind but soon I was back out into the elements of the sea and the relentless wind. I wasn’t really walking properly here because of the pain in my foot and I think Emma had said this could have led to my knee injury so I decided to take some pain killers. These did the trick nicely and I was soon almost up to a decent pace.

I often think when it’s windy like this how different this path just look in different conditions. Today it felt quite hostile, remote and almost threatening, but on a calm sunny day I imagine it would be a totally different place. I think you just need to take in all those feelings and experiences and enjoy them for what they are.

The approach to Polruan, from where you get the ferry to Fowey, was through some streets but at one stage you walk past an observation post. These are dotted along the coast line and I think are manned by volunteers who keep and eye on the surrounding sea. I’m not sure exactly what they’re looking for, ships in distress I imagine, but they definitely have the best views in the house.

I sat in the harbour area of Polruan for a while and took everything in. I really liked this area. It had a nice feel to it. I then noticed the passenger ferry was running. This was amazing news as I’d been expecting it to be closed due to the winds. I think the harbour was sheltered a bit which had enabled them to carry on. It was quite a small boat so I was looking forward to this one, especially as the water was slightly choppy.

The crossing didn’t disappoint. I know it’s just a short boat crossing but I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of them. I may even have got splashed at one point! It always makes me smile that these things seem so old fashioned but when you pay they bring out a wireless payment machine. A good combination of old a new I think.

I really liked Fowey. I’m not sure how I’d feel in the Summer when I think it’d be really busy but today it was a nice place to walk through. I found my way through the town and out to a little beach where the coast path takes you up a steep set of steps back out onto the cliffs. The wind though, it was so powerful and was blowing sand in my face. I won’t miss that part.

Par Beech

I’d now made a decision. I wanted a hotel for tonight. The wind was a big factor. My tent is pretty good but I didn’t want another failure there. I had almost run out of power in all my battery banks and that would soon become an issue. So I decided to book something in Par.

As it turned out the hotel was quite a bit further than the initial parts of Par. It was pretty much on the approach to St Austell so I had a slightly longer walk than I expected. I’m getting used to that now.

The walk from Fowey to Par was very picturesque and had a mixture of open cliff paths, farmers fields and hedge lined trails. The wind was still a problem for me and I even took the extreme measure of removing my hat. Again, a sunny day, no wind, no foot pain, a wonderful walk. I have to be honest, I was wondering how long I could carry on with this hike. I was getting tired and things were hurting but stopping would hurt more. I went through a little place called Polkerris and was having a sit down to check the best way to get to my hotel from the coast path when a runner came by and stopped for a chat. He was running from Looe to Par. That put my walk in perspective. A really nice guy – offered suggestions on how to get to my hotel. Still 5 miles to go unfortunately.

The first thing you see of Par is the beach. There are people kite surfing on here as it’s a very shallow large beach. The breaking waves seem to go on for miles. I’d like to come back here just to watch the surfers as some of the jumps they were doing looked amazing. Might even have a go myself, although maybe I’m a bit too old for that.

After the beach it becomes more of a chore. You walk through a holiday park and then through urban streets which are relatively inland. Eventually though you make your way back out to the beach and back onto the coast path. I can’t believe these paths and the streets are so close together as they feel miles apart. The path then goes onto a golf coarse which I was hoping to cut across when I got to Carlyon Bay. But as you know, that wasn’t necessary as I was rescued and delivered safely to my hotel.

Hotel

I made the most of the hotel. I dried out my kit, charged my batteries, showered and got dinner. I felt a bit out of place sitting alone in shorts and T-shirt while others were out for family meals but I enjoyed being looked after and watching the other tables and the diners interactions. Always fun people watching.

I reflected how odd it was that two nights ago I was sleeping in a car park being intimidated by the local ne’er-do-wells and tonight I was in relative luxury. I guess I’m lucky to get the choice.