I do get nervous when the tent is moving around so much because of the wind. I’ve only had one tent collapse in my life, and that was my fault, but I think it’s had a lasting effect on me.

Some of this is positive. Even when the weather is perfect I insist on pitching it with all its guys pegged out. You never know what might happen over night and I don’t want to get caught out again. I often see people pitch their tent without all the possible fixings and I always think that very brave. Although once that was me.

On the negative side, I’ll now sometimes rule out camping spots if I think them too exposed, even if my tent is capable of handling the conditions, always trying my best to pitch next to a wall or bush to shield me from the wind. I suppose this is just good sense. But it does also mean that I won’t get an ultra light tent and always insist on lugging my heavier one around because I know I can trust it.

With a little help from your friends

Maybe I’m just getting tired now. That would make sense as this is the longest ever walk I’ve done. It’s also the longest amount of time I’ve ever spent away from home. So I suppose it makes sense that I’m going to be getting a little more moody now as every day, despite being fun, is a challenge.

I was initially ok when I woke up. I was delighted with the camping spot I’d found, although I’d had some strange dreams so maybe hadn’t slept as well as normal. So I was a little surprised when, after walking about a mile, my mood dropped. I ended up texting some friends, almost to get some reassurance that they still liked me. That they didn’t think I was a bad person. It was really strange that I needed to do that. And it doesn’t work really, because you then worry that texting them has annoyed them. It’s a real downward spiral.

And do you know what solved it in the end, I got some breakfast from a cafe. I was suddenly right as rain. I did feel lucky though that I had people to call upon.

Looking back

As I neared St Agnes the wind was really picking up. I’d been lucky with the camping spot I’d had before because it was partially protected from the elements but was right near the edge of the cliff. I think if it hadn’t had that protection I’d have been worried.

I happened to look back and noticed that I could still clearly see St Ives which I’d walked through two days before. It’s funny how the coastal path does this. Sometimes I feel that I’m zooming along and other times, like this, it feels like no progress at all.

And then the grossest thing happened. I was sat looking at some old mine building when a dog ran near to me. Found a banana skin (nothing to do with me) and started eating it. Its owner just said, oh, he loves banana skins. I have no idea how long that skin had been there for, but one hour would have been too long. Dogs can be quite disgusting.

Cheating again

I managed to get through St Agnes and Perranporth quite quickly. No need to mess around today. Just a quick visit to the coop in Perranporth to grab some sandwiches and I was on my way again.

I knew of a campsite near Porth Joke and wanted to stay there again. I remembered they had a small takeaway on site and I was keen to eat something substantial. Not that I’m wasting away. So I was pleased to keep moving.

I also remembered the sand dunes after Perranporth and decided, if the sea wasn’t in, that I was going to walk along the beach again. Now, I think that is a valid route for the coastal path, it certainly looks that way on the map, but I did feel I was cheating a bit as it made the walk so much easier. Oh, and so much more interesting. I found myself watching a kite surfer jumping high over waves. It looked incredible. I’d like to give that a go.

Foiled

As I neared Holywell Beach the wind had got ridiculous. Sometimes I was shielded from it but at other times it was knocking me sideways. I’m so glad that I don’t use a pack cover because these act like a sail, but even without one I was finding it hard to walk in a straight line. A quick glance at the forecast showed a lot worse for tomorrow.

The final set of dunes are at Holywell Beach and there was no way around these. I had to just accept my fate and work my way through them. They’re not too long though and 15 minutes of concerted effort got me through. Then, unfortunately, it was back on to open fields on the top of cliffs and being hit by that dreaded wind.

Porth Joke

I think I saw more seals as I approached Porth Joke. They seemed to be just playing in the huge waves – having a great time. I wondered if that’s really what they were doing, just having fun, or if there was some other purpose.

I filmed the waves way too much and I know they won’t look as spectacular as they did with the naked eye. The splashes of water when the waves hit the rocks, the sheer power of it all, I found memorising. I could have watched them all day.

Unfortunately, I had a campsite to get to, and hopefully a nice meal, so I made my way inland to Crantock.